Rosalía – ‘Lux’ review: an arresting album of astonishing scope and ambition

Rosalía – ‘Lux’ Review: An Arresting Album of Astonishing Scope and Ambition

Rosalía’s fourth album, Lux, ventures into a fresh direction by combining operatic elements, orchestral movements, and vibrant electronics. The Spanish artist continues to innovate, evolving her sound with each release.

Since her 2017 debut, Los Ángeles, Rosalía has revitalized centuries-old flamenco cantes for the modern era. Her 2018 follow-up, El Mal Querer, which also served as her baccalaureate thesis, reimagined the Andalusian genre by blending it with pop and hip-hop. In 2022, Motomami explored Latin American influences, merging reggaeton and avant-garde electronics to shape her unique style.

At 33 years old, Rosalía’s latest album is arguably her boldest. Lux transcends musical boundaries, creating vast sonic universes and astral realms that bridge the Earth and a spiritual dimension. The album features the star singing in 13 languages, including 日本語, العربية, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Latin, and Sicilian.

Rosalía spent an entire year perfecting the lyrics, initially relying on instinctive writing and Google Translate, then collaborating closely with professional translators to ensure the lines felt natural and sonically fitting. The concept draws from her deep immersion in hagiographies—stories of female saints or saint-like figures from various religions and cultures worldwide.

“The album features the Spanish star singing in 13 different languages, including Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Latin and Sicilian.”

Lux stands out as an ambitious and genre-defying masterpiece that broadens Rosalía’s artistic horizons while honoring diverse spiritual traditions.

Author’s summary: Rosalía’s Lux showcases her daring evolution, blending global languages and rich spiritual themes into a groundbreaking album of vast musical landscapes and ambition.

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NME NME — 2025-11-07

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