Canção vs. música
In Portuguese, both canção and música can be translated as song, but they are not always interchangeable. Canção is a very specific term, while música is much broader and more commonly used in everyday language.
Canção
B1A canção refers specifically to a musical composition that has lyrics and is intended to be sung by a human voice. It emphasizes the combination of melody and words, often with a traditional structure like verses and a chorus. Think of it as the classic, more formal definition of a song.
O poeta escreveu a letra para uma nova canção.
(The poet wrote the lyrics for a new song.)
Gosto de ouvir uma canção de ninar antes de dormir.
(I like to listen to a lullaby before sleeping.)
A canção folclórica conta uma história antiga da aldeia.
(The folk song tells an old story from the village.)
Ela apresentou uma canção original no concurso de talentos.
(She performed an original song in the talent show.)
Aquela é uma famosa canção de protesto dos anos 60.
(That is a famous protest song from the 60s.)
Música
A1A música is a much broader and more versatile term. It can refer to a musical piece in general, whether it is instrumental or has vocals. It is also the word for music as an art form or a genre. In daily conversation, música is the most common word used to refer to a song.
Qual é a tua música favorita desta banda?
(What is your favorite song by this band?)
A música de fundo do filme é linda e não tem letra.
(The background music of the movie is beautiful and has no lyrics.)
Eu estudo música no conservatório.
(I study music at the conservatory.)
Podes pôr aquela música que estava a tocar na rádio?
(Can you play that song that was on the radio?)
Ele compôs uma música para piano.
(He composed a piece of music for piano.)
Summary
In essence, every canção is a type of música, but not every música is a canção. Use canção when you want to specifically emphasize a piece with vocals and lyrics, like a ballad, a lullaby, or a folk song. Use música for everything else: the general art form, genres, instrumental pieces, and as the common, everyday word for any song.