Following the release of her critically acclaimed album, Motomami, Rosalía solidified her position as an experimental artist in the same vein as Björk, FKA Twigs and Yves Tumor. After venturing into genres such as Reggaeton and Bachata with hints of Jazz and Flamenco, her newest album “LUX” pivots from hyper and vibrant sounds to something more somber and melancholic with a chaotic flair.
Her single, titled “Berghain,” is named after a famously exclusive club in Berlin, Germany, and gives listeners a sneak peek into what they can expect from the full album. In the opening, you hear the sounds of rich strings and the classically trained voices of a German chorus. Björk sings a verse about divine intervention, and the piece wraps with an aggressively desperate outro spoken by Yves Tumor that references Mike Tyson’s infamous outburst in 2008, where he says, “I’ll fuck you till you love me.” The song is haunting and anxious yet intertwined with such beautiful vocals and production that it prepares listeners for the entire project.
Rosalía’s album comes at a time when classical art, music and Christianity are being misappropriated to push a right-wing agenda that excludes the people and spiritual figures who are part of it. Through her cultural exploration, she shows that these very things are built by different types of people around the world and that they should be revered for their efforts and contributions.
Rosalía sings in 13 languages on this album, which was a decision she made from the many inspirations that she’s had.There are verses in Ukrainian, Arabic, Japanese, English, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Mandarin, French, Catalan, Latin and Sicilian that are blended beautifully with her native Spanish.
The press release for the album states that LUX “traces a widescreen emotional arc of feminine mystique, transformation and transcendence—moving between intimacy and operatic scale to create a radiant world where sound, language and culture fuse as one.”
Standout Tracks
“Divinize”: Rosalía spoke about being inspired by multiple female Saintsin the process of writing for LUX. Many Saints are martyrs, whether it was self-inflicted or due to external circumstances. “Through my body, you can see the light/ Bruise me up, I’ll eat all of my pride/ I know that I was made to divinize.” These lyrics tell the listener that non-resistance isn’t unwillingness, but an acceptance of what is to come.
“La Perla”: Many listeners have speculated that “La Perla” is about Puerto Rican artist Rauw Alejandro, Rosalía’s ex-fiancé. They broke off their engagement in July 2023, and since then, both parties have respectfully moved on. La Perla could refer to a neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the city that Rauw is from, as well as a high-end lingerie brand, which could’ve inspired the line “loyalty and fidelity/that’s a language he’ll never get/ his masterpiece is his collection of bras,” which hints at accusations of infidelity.
“Dios Es Un Stalker”: A song sung from the perspective of God shows his omnipresent nature and unwinding love, even if we don’t notice that he’s even there. With Spanish lyrics that translate to say, “I’m right behind you/I’m always waiting for others to come to me/ And I don’t like pulling off divine intervention/ But I’m gonna stalk my baby/ To make him fall for me.” There is a desire to always be there for the person you love, even if it’s unacknowledged.
“La Yugular”: For this track, Rosalía spoke about being inspired by Sufi mystic and poet, Rābi’a al-’Adawiyya. She sings the chorus in Arabic, which translates to “I’d tear heaven apart for you/I’d demolish hell for you/ Free from promises/ Free from threats”. The third verse of this song has a dramatic build-up, and the outro includes a sample from American poet and songwriter Patti Smith that touches on spiritual ambition and transcendence. Rosalía told NPR, “I exist in the world and the world exists within me. I feel like hopefully my love is plural, and it’s infinite.”
“Magnolias”: The closing track of LUX paints a picture of death but without the mourning that comes with it. Instead, Rosalía writes about the celebration that one’s death can bring to a community. With lyrics such as “Dancing with love over my corpse/ Today we splurge, we cheat fate/ And what I never did in my life/You’ll do in my death.” With transformation being a major theme on this album, it is accompanied by acceptance rather than fear of things that are beyond us.
Rosalía exceeded pop expectations and forged something for herself with LUX. Combining all her inspirations, personal spirituality and formal education in musicology to make a masterpiece.
Rating: 9.5/10
About the Author
