Rosalía

Birth Name: Rosalía Vila Tobella
Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain
September 25th, 1993-Present
Years Active: 2016-Present

Rosalía first discovered Flamenco music at the age of 13, and it forever changed her life. Her parents, who were more accustomed to listening to David Bowie, Supertramp, and Queen than the traditional Roma/Spanish musical style, supported her pursuit of Flamenco, helping her enroll in the Catalonia College of Music. At the college, Rosalía studied flamenco for close to nine years.

By the age of 16, Rosalía was performing at small bars in Barcelona, while also releasing her music on Youtube. Soon, she was performing at clubs, festivals and with theater companies, and collaborating with flamenco artists Miguel Poveda, Juan Gómez “Chicuelo”, Spanish rapper C. Tagana, and Spanish singer Rocío Márquez. Her performances caught the attention of Universal Records, and in 2016 Rosalía moved to Los Angeles to record her first album.

In 2017, she released Los ángeles, a compilation of classic and nuevo flamenco songs co-produced by Spanish musician, composer, and record producer Raül Refree. The album received positive reviews and earned Rosalía a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

During and after Los ángeles, Rosalía pursued a variety of collaborations and performances with other musicians, including DJ Swett, Fernando Vacas, Lin Cortés and the Royal Gypsy Orchestra. In November 2017, she released the single “Aunque Es de Noche,” with lyrics by 16th Century poet and mystic St. John of the Cross. In early 2018, she appeared on Reggaeton star J Balvin’s single “Billio.” A few months later, she released her own single, “Malamente,” which reached #12 in Spain’s Top 40 charts.

The Reggaeton “Billio” and Hip Hop-inspired “Malamente” hinted at the musical direction Rosalía would take in her second album, 2018’s El Mal Querer. The album was inspired by the 13th Century novel Flamenca, which was the basis of Rosalía’s college thesis project. The album debuted at #1 on Latin Albums Chart. Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart and earning Rosalía her first Grammy Award in 2020.

In 2019, Rosalía released a second single with J Balvin, “Con Altura,” as well as her own singles, “Autre Cuture,” “Milionaria,” and “Dios Nos Libre del Dinero.” Later in the year, she collaborated with Ozuna in “Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi,” which became her fifth #1 song in Spain. In December she worked with Travis Scott and Lil Baby on the remix of “Highest in the Room.”

In 2020, she became the first Spanish artists to be nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. Shortly after, she released “Juro Que,” which many considered her return to the “flamenco fusion” sound.

True to her varied and innovative approach to Flamenco, Rosalía’s incorporates a wide variety of musical influences. In addition to drawing inspiration from Flamenco artists Camarón de la Isla and La Niña de los Peines, she has expressed being influenced by Kate Bush, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Björk, Antonio Vivaldi, Nick Cave, Travis Scott, James Blake, Lola Flores. Rosalía is also known to weave influences into her lyrics, and has alluded to the work of Destiny’s Child, Justin Timberlake, and Arthur Russell.