On Nov. 7, 2025, Spanish composer and musical artist Rosalía released her 4th studio album, “Lux”, to the world. Following the experimental methods of her previous releases, this record delves into the realities of religion, relationships, and identity through an avant-garde approach, pushing the limits of classical pop.
While possibly new to the ears of some American listeners, Rosalía has a well-established reputation in the music industry. She utilizes her rare and extensive musical education to consistently push the boundaries of genre and composition; for example, her newest album is sung in 13 different languages. She studied flamenco, a Spanish art form centered on expressive vocals and guitar playing, at the Catalonia College of Music through an exclusive program that admits only one student a year. Her second album, released in 2018, “El Mal Querer”, was her bachelor’s degree project, which earned her Best Alternative Song and Best Urban Fusion/Performance at the Latin Grammy Awards.
“Lux” is distinct from her previous works, which vary across genres. It blends orchestral sound with her eloquent vocals and lyricism. With production spanning over three years, Rosalía studied the role of sainthood in various religions around the world and personal relationships with spirituality. In an interview with DJ and Apple Music commentator Zane Lowe, Rosalía opened up about her characterization and message in “Lux”.
“I don’t feel like it’s about me. I think that it’s an album that, fortunately or unfortunately, will have little pieces of me. But, I think the best fiction is the fiction that has this blurry line… between what’s personal and what’s universal… So I think yeah, obviously because I wrote it, there has to be some sort of truth for me in it, but at the same time, I think it’s much more about the other than about myself,” Rosalía said.
She references the track “Reliquia” and its multifaceted origin. It is inspired by Saint Rose of Lima and her relics, which are scattered across the globe, much like the places Rosalía writes about that shaped her character. “Berghain” references the German Benedictine abbess Hildegard of Bingen and her unity with Christ through the German sung lyrics, “His love is my love / His blood is my blood.” A number of the songs on this record are both character and personal studies, like the closing track, “Magnolias”, where she sings, “Dancing with love / Over my corpse / Today we splurge / We cheat fate / And what I never did in my life / You’ll do when I’m dead / Throw me magnolias.” She is speaking on her desire for her death to be a celebration rather than a time of dwelling in sadness, and also referring to the burial of Hindu saint Anandamayi Ma, which was a floral goodbye and a ceremony of joy and gratitude. Throughout the record, these personal and historical threads are intertwined in her writing and stylistic choices.
“Lux” also does an extraordinary job at reminding its listeners that lyricism is not the only way to speak to a soul. Regardless of the familiarity of the language Rosalía uses in a song, the bold orchestral sound accompanied by her tonally fluctuating vocals is enough to elicit an emotional reaction. The crescendos and full stops within “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti”, or “My Christ Cries Diamonds”, do just the trick to evoke a feeling deep within its audience. This piece reinforces the argument that, despite linguistic comprehension, music is a universal language in its own right, even solely with instrumentals.
“Lux” signifies her departure from the certain controversy she has faced regarding her music being classified as cultural appropriation of Latino music and catering to a Latino market, despite being Spanish. This stylistically different record may also lead critics to believe that she is dialing back the reggaetone style used in her previous record, “Motomami”, to now cater to a larger audience.
The pushback is quite subjective, and regardless of one’s opinion on the discourse, the beautiful composition of this record is undeniable. There is truly nothing similar to this album that is being pushed to an audience as broad as Rosalía’s 38.8 million listeners on Spotify. This album can be listened to in full, with or without translation, in one sitting and still be thoroughly enjoyed due to its colorful composition. Longtime fans and new listeners alike are discovering a masterclass album, modeling Rosalía’s extensive artistic storytelling abilities and ever-evolving stylistic repertoire. In the opening track, “Sexo, Violencia y Llantas”, she simply ends with a short statement, painting her outlook on life and plainly explaining the overarching theme of the album:
“How nice it’d be / To live between them both / First I’ll love the world / Then I’ll love God.”
