artista musical
/aɾtista musikal/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'music artist' is translated into Spanish as artista musical.
In many contexts, Spanish speakers will simply use the word artista if the musical context is already established. Additionally, in many Latin American countries, the term cantautor is commonly used to refer to a singer-songwriter.
Which one should you use?
While artista musical is a direct translation of 'music artist', the word músico is much more common in natural Spanish conversation when referring to someone who plays or composes music.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun artista is common to both masculine and feminine genders, so the gender of the person is indicated by the accompanying article or adjective rather than a change in the word itself. To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the plural suffix, resulting in artistas musicales.
Did you know?
- In certain formal Spanish contexts, a music artist may be referred to as a maestro, regardless of whether they actually teach, as a sign of high professional respect.
- While artista musical is the literal term, calling a professional musician an artista in some Spanish-speaking regions can imply they are a 'performer' or 'showman' rather than a technical master of their instrument.
- The word artista is built from the Latin artem, which originally meant 'a fitting together' or 'a joint', rather than just 'creative art'.
Examples in context
- ¿Quién es tu artista musical favorito?Who's your favorite music artist?Tatoeba #10631020 by DJ_Saidez, translation #5898832 by pyn
- Me gusta mucho ese cantante, sus canciones son geniales.I really like that music artist, their songs are amazing.
- Mis amigos y yo vamos al concierto de un músico famoso.My friends and I are going to a concert of a famous music artist.
- Conozco a un artista increíble, sus composiciones son realmente originales.I know an incredible music artist, their compositions are truly original.
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are talking about their hobbies.
- DanielDaniel, ¿eres un artista musical?Daniel, are you a music artist?
- ElenaNo, pero me gusta escribir canciones.No, but I like to write songs.
- DanielEntonces podrías convertirte en un artista musical.Then you could become a music artist.
- ElenaTienes razón, voy a intentarlo.You are right, I am going to try it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries artista, musical, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
