Rosalía, the groundbreaking Spanish pop artist, is never afraid to redefine her sound. After a decade of challenging norms, starting as a flamenco prodigy and evolving into a leading avant-garde pop experimentalist, she truly embraces musical omnivorousness.
Her upcoming fourth album, “Lux,” promises to be another monumental shift. Following her acclaimed “El Mal Querer”—a stark contrast to her debut “Los Angeles”—and the raw, industrial energy of “Motomami” which challenged “El Mal Querer,” “Lux” emerges as a bold and playful response to her entire discography. It’s not just a new chapter, but a transcendence of her previous artistic statements.
At its heart, “Lux” is a profound exploration of the feminine divine, spirituality, and the harsh realities of love. What makes it truly extraordinary is Rosalía’s decision to sing in 13 different languages, including her native Spanish, Catalan, English, Latin, Sicilian, Ukrainian, and Arabic, among others. This ambitious project required over two years of dedicated work, with much of that time spent meticulously learning to write and perform authentically in each new language.
During her interview on The New York Times’s Popcast, Rosalía, 33, shared insights into her linguistic journey. “It’s about intuitively grasping how other languages function,” she explained, often blending English with Spanglish. “I’d just write and then imagine how it would sound.” Her process involved extensive use of Google Translate, followed by consultations with professional translators to verify rhymes and meaning, and phonetics coaches to perfect her delivery.
The remarkable outcome is a testament to her dedication; she performs each song with masterful precision, assuring listeners that “It’s all human — deeply, fundamentally human,” with no reliance on artificial intelligence.
The album itself is a complex tapestry, a “puzzle, like a labyrinth,” weaving together operatic and classical influences with contemporary pop. Featuring the grandeur of the London Symphony Orchestra with arrangements by talents like Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw (known for her work with Kanye West), the production, co-helmed by Rosalía with Noah Goldstein and Dylan Wiggins, is a sonic journey. It boasts a roaring, jagged intensity alongside ethereal moments, creating a powerful statement that feels like a defiant stomp on history, past criticisms, and even her former public persona.
Just as Rosalía once immersed herself in flamenco at university, mastering its traditions before boldly reinterpreting them, her latest linguistic endeavor is both a tribute to cultural fidelity and a powerful declaration of her artistic ambition and insatiable curiosity.
“It’s driven by a profound sense of love and curiosity—a desire to truly understand others,” she articulated. “As Simone Weil wisely observed, love means embracing the space between ourselves and what we cherish. I believe this holds true: by understanding others, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, which in turn teaches us how to love more profoundly.”
You can find Rosalía’s complete Popcast interview online, or listen to edited excerpts from the conversation below.
Is Rosalía the World’s Most Ambitious Pop Star? ‘Lux’ Makes Her Case
Discover why the Spanish musician challenged herself to incorporate 13 languages into her new album, “Lux.” This passion project delves into themes of the feminine divine and the raw realities of romance.
JON CARAMANICA: Your artistic journey seems to involve a complete fresh start with each project. Does facing a blank canvas ever bring a sense of fear?
ROSALÍA: Confronting a blank canvas is like gazing into an abyss; it makes me break out in a cold sweat. However, what truly unnerves me even more is the thought of remaining stagnant, of not evolving.
CARAMANICA: Does this constant evolution stem from a deliberate rejection of your previous work?
ROSALÍA: Absolutely, 100 percent. Everything in life is in perpetual motion, isn’t it? I’m always evolving, so why shouldn’t my music transform alongside me?
JOE COSCARELLI: It feels as if your approach isn’t just about rejecting your past work, but also an unspoken or overt statement to the pop world that it needs to push harder.
ROSALÍA: I tend not to look outward as much as I look inward, asking myself: What am I missing? What haven’t I accomplished yet? What is my next necessary step? I believe my favorite artists are those who offer you what you truly need, not merely what you desire.
ROSALÍA: Ultimately, creating albums serves as a compelling reason for me to pursue what I genuinely want to do. For “Lux,” that meant dedicating myself to reading more.
COSCARELLI: What kind of literature captivated your attention during this period?
ROSALÍA: I dove deep into hagiographies—so many hagiographies. I read Simone Weil, Chris Kraus. And these nuns, like Hildegard of Bingen, were incredible poets and artists—true polymaths. She possessed an astonishing ability to create in countless forms. There are so many remarkable women throughout history whose stories we simply don’t engage with or discuss enough.
ROSALÍA: My goal is simply to be the best musician I can be and continually push the boundaries of experimentation. Whether that means spending a year at home solely writing lyrics, or waking at dawn to spend 14 hours in the studio tirelessly refining mixes that never quite reach perfection, that is my commitment. At the end of the day, I view it as a serious profession.
CARAMANICA: Your last two albums seemed to grapple with balancing a rich cultural heritage with a desire to break artistic rules, then navigating the heightened attention and responsibility that came with success. Those projects felt outwardly focused, but “Lux” appears to be a more introspective and internal work.
ROSALÍA: I recently realized that this album originated from a completely different creative space than any of my previous works.
ROSALÍA: I once heard someone discuss two forms of confidence: one rooted in the conviction of guaranteed success—as we say, ‘como por mis cojones,’ a forceful push to achieve whatever you set out to do.
ROSALÍA: The other form of confidence, perhaps, is the absence of fear regarding failure. I believe this album was made with a sense of surrender. It’s the first time I permitted myself to create from such a space of complete relinquishment—a realization that this was precisely what I needed to express and explore through song.
COSCARELLI: Björk lends her vocals to “Lux.” Could you share how your collaboration and relationship with her came about?
ROSALÍA: Björk is, without a doubt, my favorite woman and artist. I believe we were introduced through Pablo, El Guincho, my former producing partner. We shared some tapas in Barcelona, and I found her to be the most captivating person I’d ever encountered. Her way of thinking was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed. It was an immediate surge of admiration, an instant crush.
ROSALÍA: We kept in touch, and as this album developed into such a powerful and challenging musical endeavor, I felt that if I executed it well enough, I could send it to her. If it truly reached the right caliber, then perhaps she wouldn’t be able to refuse a collaboration.
COSCARELLI: Your previous album, “Motomami,” incorporated a certain masculine energy, drawing heavily from Caribbean genres like reggaeton. Do you consider “Lux” to be a project with a distinctly feminine essence?
ROSALÍA: The core inspiration for “Lux” is feminine mystique, so yes, it definitely exudes a more feminine energy. It also explores the concept of ‘ser un receptaculo’—being a vessel. I recently read Ursula K. Le Guin, who suggested that the first cultural tool might not have been a weapon, but rather a vessel—something to gather and hold things. She proposed a distinction between masculine and feminine writing: masculine narratives focus on the heroic journey and triumphs, where the story falters without a central hero and its conflicts. Feminine writing, however, embraces an ongoing process. It’s less about climaxes and resolutions and more about a person’s delusions, transformations, and all the things they must relinquish. It moves beyond the ‘me, me, I, I’ focus.
ROSALÍA: Feminine narratives, in contrast, embrace an ongoing process. They aren’t fixated on a singular climax or resolution, but rather explore a person’s evolving delusions, transformations, and the many things they must let go of. It’s not centered on a self-aggrandizing ‘me, me, I, I.’
COSCARELLI: This album feels incredibly grand, with lush string arrangements throughout. It truly has an operatic quality.
CARAMANICA: Yes, thundering, almost!
ROSALÍA: There’s a strong intention of verticality in this work. Some of my past projects felt more horizontal, embodying a more earthly, everyday energy.
CARAMANICA: When you refer to verticality, are you suggesting a connection between the material world and something more ethereal and spiritual?
ROSALÍA: Exactly. I’ve always harbored a deep desire to feel closer to God, a spiritual yearning that has always been present, even if I haven’t always articulated or fully understood it intellectually.
COSCARELLI: Is there a hint of mischief in your approach to language on “Lux”? Many have anticipated your crossover into English-language music. Simultaneously, you’ve faced criticism for cultural appropriation. Is this album a defiant response to such critiques?
ROSALÍA: Well, I’m generally rebellious, let’s just say that! But I truly feel I belong to the world. As I often say, ‘yo no soy tan mía como del mundo’—I am not as much mine as I am the world’s.
ROSALÍA: I adore traveling and discovering new things from people. With such a connected world, why wouldn’t I embrace the opportunity to learn and sing in more languages, expanding my capabilities as a musician and artist?
CARAMANICA: I can only imagine the costs involved. How significantly did this project run over budget?
ROSALÍA: Let’s just say, we went incredibly over budget. I find peace in knowing the artistic vision was realized, even if my team might be feeling a little less serene about the finances.
COSCARELLI: How do you manage to pull that off?
ROSALÍA: I simply aim to follow my instincts in every moment. Everyone who knows me understands this is my core philosophy. All I truly value is creative freedom!
COSCARELLI: I have a theory that your public persona as a pop star grants you greater musical freedom. You’re adept at the celebrity game—appearing in Calvin Klein campaigns, the “WAP” video, and socializing with the Kardashians.
COSCARELLI: Do you intentionally engage in these external ventures to build up creative capital for your studio work?
ROSALÍA: For me, it’s all about enjoying the moment. If an opportunity like appearing in the “WAP” video comes my way, I embrace it! My sister claims my music isn’t pop, though she says I am a pop artist—I’m not sure I agree with her on the music part.
ROSALÍA: I disagree. I want to believe my music is pop—just a different kind of pop. There absolutely must be alternative ways to define pop music! Björk and Kate Bush have both demonstrated this beautifully. I need to perceive my work as pop, otherwise, I feel I’m not truly succeeding. My core intention is to create music that many people can genuinely enjoy. That’s my ultimate goal.
CARAMANICA: So, to you, “Lux” is just as much a pop album as “Motomami” was?
ROSALÍA: One hundred percent. It simply operates on different codes and artistic principles.
COSCARELLI: Given the linguistic diversity, even Spanish-speaking listeners won’t catch every word. Do you feel you’re asking a lot of your audience to fully absorb an album like this?
ROSALÍA: Absolutely, I am. The more we live in this dopamine-driven era, the more I find myself yearning for the exact opposite. Sometimes, I manage to create a space where I can switch everything off and simply watch a movie in a dark room.
COSCARELLI: Even that simple act can be challenging without the distraction of a phone.
ROSALÍA: It truly is difficult. But that’s precisely why I feel there needs to be something that draws us back to that state. I don’t know if “Lux” will be that exact catalyst, but at its heart, it carries the aspiration to create an experience that compels you to focus—to be fully present, even if just for an hour. I understand it’s a significant request, but it’s what I strive for.