Just looking at Rosalía, it’s hard to imagine she has hundreds of years of history behind her. But the 25-year-old Barcelona native, with her cool, commanding voice and wildly colorful style, has crafted a new sound from the pain and passion of traditional flamenco music. “I make music with risk,” she tells us—and she’s doing it like no one else.
Since the release of her debut album Los Ángeles in 2017, Rosalía has enchanted listeners around the world. “Malamente,” the first single from her new album El Mal Querer (out November 2), has racked up over 34 million global Spotify streams. And as her star rises, her sounds continue to evolve; El Mal Querer (The Bad Love), a concept album that chronicles a twisted romance, is vibrant and alive one moment, chill and detached the next. The record’s urban-classic experiments borrow from hip-hop, R&B, and electronic, while spotlighting traditional flamenco features like rhythmic hand claps (las palmas) and romantic guitar (toque). It even samples broken glass and cribs from Justin Timberlake. Per Rosalía, the album’s diverse ranges of expression are driven by one essential element: “attitude.”
Energetic and seductive, Rosalía’s music has crossed borders and smashed language barriers—and the fearless performer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist shows no signs of slowing down. In honor of her latest single, “Di Mi Nombre,” dropping today, we spoke to Rosalía about borrowing from the past, breaking with tradition, and finding her true freedom as an artist.
How does the cultural heritage of flamenco translate to El Mal Querer? How have you reinvented traditional elements to create your own uniquely modern approach to a classic style?
My music is about attitude. I make music with risk and experimentation … In everything I do, I keep in mind that my music needs to reach people. I make music in order to share it with others.
The flamenco cantes (songs) are my foundation, my basis. Without flamenco, my music wouldn’t make sense. As a musician, I always think about growing, and now I want to explore composing and become more involved than ever in the production of my songs. On El Mal Querer, there are songs based in flamenco, but they go beyond just one genre.
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