"I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages"
About this Quote
“I’ve done it for a while” sounds almost throwaway, yet it’s strategic. It casts bilingual performance as craft and habit rather than a trendy crossover stunt. That matters in pop history, where Latin artists have often been asked to “translate” themselves for an English-speaking mainstream, as if authenticity and accessibility can’t coexist. Secada’s phrasing flips the power dynamic: he’s not switching languages to gain entry; he’s continuing a practice he already owns.
The subtext is also about audience imagination. Singing in both languages isn’t just a tool for reaching more listeners; it’s an assertion that listeners are already plural, already mixed, already capable of holding two cultural registers at once. In a media ecosystem that loves tidy categories, Secada’s calm insistence reads like a refusal to be filed under “Latin” as a side shelf. It’s a reminder that bilingualism in American music isn’t an exception or a crossover event; it’s one of the country’s default sounds.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Secada, Jon. (2026, January 16). I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-grew-up-in-a-community-that-was-bilingual-ive-106996/
Chicago Style
Secada, Jon. "I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-grew-up-in-a-community-that-was-bilingual-ive-106996/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-grew-up-in-a-community-that-was-bilingual-ive-106996/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.





