Spain’s Christmas soundtrack is changing — and it’s not just Mariah Carey

Spain still loves a classic villancico. But the streaming charts suggest something else is happening too: the country’s festive soundtrack is drifting south, picking up flamenco rhythms, zambombas and the kind of warm, homespun sound that feels made for noisy family kitchens.

This December’s most-played Christmas track in Spain isn’t a global evergreen, or even Noche de Paz. It’s “

Palillos y panderos” by Niña Pastori, a song that leans into Andalucian tradition without sounding like a museum piece. 

Why flamenco keeps rising in the festive charts

Villancicos have always been part of Spanish street life in December. What’s changed is how quickly a regional sound can become national, helped along by short-form video and playlists that travel faster than radio ever did.

Spanish media coverage this week points to Spotify’s own framing: Niña Pastori’s hit is described as faithful to southern roots, and that “weight of tradition” is exactly what listeners seem to be chasing right now. 

The Niña Pastori effect: tradition, but with momentum

“Palillos y panderos” lands like a modern Christmas standard. It’s recognisable. It’s rhythmic. And it’s the sort of track you can imagine running in the background while someone argues about whether the prawns are overcooked.

And it’s also a viral-era song. One report links its surge to TikTok choreography and mass reuse in posts, showing how a villancico can now spread like a pop single. 

David Bisbal’s annual takeover

If one artist has turned Christmas into a reliable second career, it’s David Bisbal. He places three songs in Spain’s top 10 this year, mixing an original (“Todo es posible en Navidad”) with updated takes on familiar favourites. 

It’s a clever balance. The tunes stay singable. The production feels current. And for listeners, it still counts as “real” Christmas music.

Jerez does what Jerez does: zambomba energy on streaming

Then there’s Así Canta Jerez (with Luis de Perikin), whose presence in the ranking underlines something obvious to anyone who has spent December in southern Spain: the J

erez zambomba tradition isn’t niche. It’s a whole mood.

Three tracks from that scene appear in the top 10, carrying the sound of communal singing into the streaming era. 

Raya Real: party-ready medleys that do the job

Some songs are built for listening. Others are built for crowds.

Raya Real leans into the second category. Their long “

Ya es Navidad Popurrí” stitches together multiple villancicos in one track — ideal when you want the room to keep moving without anyone reaching for the phone to change song. 

Top 10 most-streamed Christmas songs in Spain 2025

1. Palillos y panderos

   — Niña Pastori

2. Todo es posible en Navidad

   — David Bisbal

3. El burrito sabanero

   — David Bisbal

4. Así canta Jerez en Navidad – Tiene María

   — Así Canta Jerez, Luis de Perikin

5. Ya es Navidad Popurrí: Ya es Navidad: Zúmbale a la pandereta: Ya vienen los Reyes Magos: Arre Borriquito: Ya es Navidad

   — Raya Real

6. Así canta Jerez en Navidad – Fiesta de Nochebuena

   — Así Canta Jerez, Luis de Perikin

7. Y suenan

   — Así Canta Jerez, Luis de Perikin

8. La Virgen Gitana

   — Raya Real

9. Los peces en el río

   — David Bisbal

10. El Burrito Sabanero – Tuki-Tuki Version

    — Marco Pastor Estelles 

What the list really tells us about Christmas in Spain

The headline isn’t that Spain has stopped loving the classics. It’s that the classics are being re-centred: more southern flavour, more rhythm, more community energy.

And with streaming now shaping what plays in homes, bars and shops, the next “traditional” villancico may not be centuries old. It might be whatever Spain can’t stop looping next December.

Sources: La Razon, Diari de Tarragona, Huffington Post,