Rosalía talks to God.
Photo: @rosalia.vt via Instagram
Rosalía is calling upon God to release her and go help that man instead. The Spanish pop star released her fourth studio album, Lux, early on November 6, and all that it has in common with her previous work is that it’s another totally new sound for her. The popera appears to lament her 2023 breakup with reggaeton singer Rauw Alejandro, which happened shortly after they joint-released Rosalía’s last project, RR. Lux eulogizes the relationship in 13 languages: the ones that she has sung in before — Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, and English — as well as Japanese, Latin, Italian, German, Ukrainian, Arabic, Sicilian, French, Mandarin, and Hebrew. “I love traveling, I love learning from other humans,” Rosalía told the New York Times. “Why would I not try to learn another language and try to sing in another language and expand the way I can be a singer or a musician or an artist? The world is so connected.”
On the 15-track album, Rosalía uses strings, chanting, and religious iconography even while singing about cars, luxury, and jet-setting. “Sexo, Violencia y Llantas,” which translates to “Sex, Violence, and Tires,” leads the album in a symphony (literally the London Symphony Orchestra) during which Rosalía yearns for transcendence: “First, I’ll love the world / then I’ll love God.” The world unfortunately includes the man she eviscerates on “La Perla,” singing in Spanish, “He can’t be trusted / He’s a pearl / A nasty piece of work.” On “Sauvignon Blanc,” she’s promising to give up earthly possessions like “pearls or caviar” if she can have love. By the time Lux ends, Rosalía is on her literal last rites. The album closer, “Magnolias,” imagines her own death: “Over my casket / KTMs burning rubber / Tears and tires / Melting on the wood.”
In addition to the symphony, Rosalía is assisted on her journey by featured artists Björk and Yves Tumor on the lead single, “Berghain”; regional-Mexican-music trio Yahritza y Su Esencia on “La Perla”; flamenco singers Estrella Morente and Silvia Pérez Cruz on “La Rumba Del Perdón”; and fado singer Carminho on “Memória.” Three additional songs are featured on the physical copies of Lux but do not appear on the digital versions of the album: “Focu ‘ranni” and “Jeanne,” which come right before and after “Sauvignon Blanc,” respectively, and “Novia Robot,” which follows “Jeanne.” Rosalía has not confirmed why those tracks in particular are not on the digital version of the album. But hopefully she makes at least “Novia Robot” available on streaming platforms as an important addition to the techno-canon that includes Robyn’s “Fembot” and Charli XCX’s “Femmebot.” Saint Rosalía brings more blessings on November 16 with a performance on The Tonight Show. Go forth and offer her some streams.
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