The magnificent, incendiary, brilliant Rosalía may have just created the most astonishing album of 2025. LUX surprises from start to finish, taking us into territory reminiscent of Björk, who also features on one track, but no comparison really holds up.
LUX is a record that will be talked about for years to come. It leaves you transfixed.
It begins with a hazy piano, followed by vocals with cellos and double basses, followed by a choir against an electro backdrop, then a symphonic flight on which Rosalía’s voice spans two or three octaves. All this in two minutes and twenty seconds. And it’s called “Sexo, Violencia y Llantas.” Sex, Violence and Tyres…
We are light years away from the previous album, Motomami (2022), which flirted with reggaeton and the most pop-oriented Latin sounds. We thought the young Catalan was now following in the footsteps of Shakira and other Latin music divas. But now Rosalía has completely turned the tables. Whereas she posed naked on the cover of Motomami, she is dressed as a nun on LUX. The lady has a sense of provocation, there’s no doubt about it.
LUX is a musical fresco created largely with the London Symphony Orchestra. It also features several choirs, including one with children from Catalonia and another called The Flamenco Ladies.
LUX is somewhat reminiscent of El Mal Querer, the 2018 album on which Rosalía reworked flamenco in her own unique way. But here, her flamenco culture meets her influences and classical training. The symphonic arrangements are subtle, almost never resorting to the clichés we sometimes hear.
Rosalía’s voice can be heard in all its richness, sometimes in extreme softness, sometimes in high-flying vocals that border on opera or classical singing. Of course, we also hear flamenco magnified by strings and choirs. This album should be listened to from start to finish, as a single piece.
Other critics emphasise the fact that Rosalía sings in eighteen languages. But these are only small fragments. LUX remains a predominantly Spanish-language album. Several lyrics also evoke her relationship with God. Is this real or a subterfuge? You have to dig deeper and listen more to understand. One track is called “Dios es un Stalker.” God is a stalker. Rosalía is complex, independent and multifaceted.
She says that Motomami was a minimalist album and that LUX is maximalist. I tend to agree.
This woman has not finished surprising us. Will her audience follow her? A ver, as they say in the language of Cervantes. We shall see…
