Images courtesy WBUR/WNYC

We are living through the golden age of podcasting. Everyone from Becky G to Ally Brooke to Demi Lovato has a podcast. And there just seems to be a never-ending stream of podcasting content flowing out of creators. You can listen to a podcast about anything: sports, true crime, breaking news or even just your favorite comedians shooting the breeze together. 

But a new trend is emerging in podcasting that is making the space more exciting than ever: bilingual Spanish-English podcasting. Like many forms of media, the Latino community has been grossly underserved by podcasters. But thankfully, the status quo is changing. Creators are seeing an underserved market and are creating content especially for them. After all, at least 56% of Latinos have listened to a podcast, and with this new wave of bilingual content, we’re certain those numbers will rise.

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For so long, there has been a divide between Spanish-language media and “mainstream” American media. But thanks to the rapidly changing demographics of the U.S., those lines have blurred. Reggaeton is no longer relegated to niche clubs. Spanglish appears in popular shows like “Jane the Virgin” and “Narcos.” It’s only logical that podcasts would make the leap to include more Spanish into their programming, too.

Here are some of our favorite bilingual podcasts that are serving up some incredible Spanglish content for all the bilingual Latinos out there.

1. Anything for Selena

“Anything for Selena” is a limited-series podcast that follows the legacy and impact of Selena Quintanilla’s short but timeless career. Nine of the podcast episodes are in English while another nine are in Spanish. And interestingly enough, the Spanish and English versions cover different topics — they aren’t just translations of the same material.

2. Fort Hood: The Vanessa Guillen Case

“Fort Hood: The Vanessa Guillen Case” is a seven-part series devoted to examining the events that led up to Latina soldier Vanessa Guillen’s death. Mexican actress Cecilia Suarez narrates the series in both English and Spanish versions.

3. Deportes and Chill

If you’re a sports fan and you love the sound of people arguing in Spanish, this podcast is for you. The hosts dissect sports topics of the day from soccer to boxing to American football. Todo en Spanglish, por supuesto.

4. LOUD: The History of Reggaeton

Narrated by Reggaeton legend Ivy Queen, “LOUD” documents the history of reggaeton. Unlike other bilingual podcasts that separate their episodes by language, “LOUD” seamlessly integrates Spanish into its storytelling. This is one of the few podcasts out there that truly commits to Spanglish.

5. Cafe con Pam

“Cafe con Pam” is a weekly bilingual podcast in which Pam Covarrubias interviews “fearless” Latinx people who are changing the world and breaking barriers while living in the U.S.

6. Entre Dos

“Entre Dos” follows Latina moms Monika Leal and Paula Niño Kehr as they navigating raising their daughters bilingual in a society that isn’t always welcoming to Spanish-speakers. They talk to experts, educators and parents about what it’s like to raise bilingual and often bicultural children.

7. Chicano Shuffle

“Chicano Shuffle” is one of those old-school podcasts where a bunch of guys sit in someone’s garage and chat in Spanglish about everything from trending news to personal anecdotes. They describe their podcast as being “fueled by tacos and the occasional adult beverage.”

8. ¿Qué pasa, Midwest? 

“¿Qué pasa, Midwest?” or QPM for short, is a podcast that switches between English and Spanish while reporting on topics relevant to Latinos living in the U.S. Midwest. Helmed by Boricua Paola Marizán, QPM was created by Latinos for Latinos.

9. La Brega

A co-production from WNYC Studios and Futuro Studios, “La Brega” is a bilingual podcast devoted to telling Puerto Rican stories from the mouths of Boricua journalists and/or researchers.

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