Rosalía

Rosalía Vila (aka Rosalía) is a Catalan-born nuevo flamenco and Latin pop singer. Her voice has been described by no less a talent than flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela as "sharp and sweet, but with a bite, like the old ones." While her 2017 self-titled solo album garnered attention from the U.S. public and earned her a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, her 2018 follow-up, El Mal Querer, was a major critical and commercial breakthrough, topping Billboard's Latin Pop Albums chart and eventually winning a Grammy. She has also been involved in the margins of popular and traditional music since her teens and has continued her other musical pursuits, from hip-hop and soul to trap and pop. She has collaborated with Spanish trap artist C. Tangana, flamenco singer Rocío Márquez, English singer/songwriter James Blake, and Latin pop star J Balvin, to name a few. Enthralled by flamenco since childhood, Rosalía began performing as a teenager. She soon assembled an eclectic and intriguing curriculum, including appearances in prestigious Spanish and international festivals and collaborations with other artists, and the theater company La Fura del Baus. She also began posting videos of her performances to YouTube and gained a substantial number of social media followers. Los AngelesRosalía relocated to California in late 2016 after signing to Universal, which issued her debut album Los Ángeles. The recording was a stripped-down affair of classic and nuevo flamenco songs recorded by maverick producer Raül Refree (Lee Ranaldo, Silvia Pérez Cruz, Las Migas) with only a Spanish guitar as accompaniment. The pair were not only influenced by the historical lineage of early 20th century flamenco, but also by the stripped-down nature and emotional impact of Johnny Cash's American Recordings album produced by Rick Rubin. To that end, the album's closer was a reading of Will Oldham's "I See a Darkness," also covered by Cash. Issued in early 2017, Los Ángeles garnered universally positive critical reviews, the Latin Grammy nod (during the ceremony, she appeared in a tribute to Alejandro Sanz singing his "Cuando Nadie Me Ve" accompanied by a string section), and appeared on turntablist DJ Swett's Mudra album on the track "Retsu." Rosalía also took part in the recording/performance of Un Largo Viaje with Fernando Vacas and Lín Cortés all fronting the Royal Gypsy Orchestra. In November, she followed her album with the single "Aunque Es de Noche," penned by poet San Juan de la Cruz and Enrique Morente. VibrasIn the middle of 2018, Rosalía appeared on J Balvin's single "Billio" from his chart-topping Vibras album, and in its video. At the end of May 2018, she issued a pre-release single and video for her own track "Malamente," that scored more than four million views during its first week on YouTube, helping to push the song onto the streaming charts; it reached number 12 in Spain's Top 40. In July, she issued a single and video for the feminist empowerment anthem "Pienso en Tu Mirá," as a promo for her feature film debut Dolor y Gloria, directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Penélope Cruz. Her music video for the pre-release single "Malamente" garnered 20 million views in Spain within three months; as well as five Latin Grammy nominations, and won two for Best Urban Fusion/Performance and Best Alternative Song. Its follow-up, "Pienso en Tu Mirá," racked up another 15 million views in its first month or so, which is no mean feat, given that Spain's population comprises only 46 million people. Rosalía's second full-length, El Mal Querer, was produced by El Guincho (Tiga, Los Punsetes) and released in November 2018. It debuted at number one on the Latin Pop Albums chart. 2019 saw her issue the Latin trap, reggaeton, and electro-R&B-tinged single "Aute Cuture." El Mal Querer won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards; Rosalía was also nominated for Best New Artist.