ALBUM REVIEW

A Release That Shifts the Sound of Our Time

Premiere of LUX. Rosalía in Barcelona. Sony Music.

Finally, after an intensely and carefully planned marketing campaign, Rosalía has released LUX, her long-awaited fourth studio album: a project that breaks boundaries and redefines what musical experimentation means today.

BARCELONA. By Ivan Martínez

Released by Columbia Records and recorded alongside the London Symphony Orchestra, the album blends flamenco, orchestral music, experimental electronics, and multicultural soundscapes, solidifying Rosalía as one of the most ambitious artists on the international stage.

The release of LUX was not just a discographic launch: it became a global event, followed by millions of fans around the world and accompanied by a sonic presentation that reflects the magnitude of the work. Rosalía introduced the project with a clear objective: to expand the limits of her music and connect with a global audience without losing the essence of her roots.

A Monumental Work in Composition and Production

LUX includes 18 tracks in its physical edition and 15 in the digital one, arranged in four movements reminiscent of a contemporary symphony. The musical direction of Daníel Bjarnason and the participation of the London Symphony Orchestra give each piece a unique sonic richness, where strings, brass, percussion, and synthesizers blend with Rosalía’s voice, which becomes the leading instrument of the musical narrative.

The album also stands out for its linguistic diversity: it features fourteen languages —Spanish, Catalan, Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Portuguese, Sicilian, and Ukrainian— reflecting the global ambition of the project. Each language not only adds cultural nuances but also helps create distinct atmospheres within each composition, making every track a different journey inside the universe of LUX.

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Release and First Reactions

The release of LUX had an immediate impact on streaming platforms: the album reached 42.1 million streams on its first day, a historic record for a Spanish-language female artist. Fourteen songs entered directly into Spotify’s Global Top 100, and five made it into the Top 20, demonstrating not only the album’s innovative appeal but also its ability to connect with a massive audience.

Critics around the world have highlighted Rosalía’s boldness in this project. Pitchfork rated LUX an 8.6, describing it as “an orchestral and vocal experience of extraordinary scope, one that challenges the limits of genre and musical form.” Euronews emphasized that the album represents “the most mature and ambitious work of her career to date,” solidifying Rosalía as an artist capable of combining technical virtuosity, emotional sensitivity, and conceptual ambition.

“The album is a testament to how an artist can balance tradition and modernity, experimentation and accessibility, creating a work that speaks to diverse audiences and different generations.”

Dozens of fans gathered in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, for the long-awaited announcement of Rosalía’s fourth album.

Rosalía’s Global Ambition

With LUX, Rosalía demonstrates that music has no borders. The blend of genres, languages, and sonic influences reflects not only her artistic maturity, but also her ability to create a universal language that connects different cultures. The album is a testament to how an artist can balance tradition and modernity, experimentation and accessibility, crafting a work that resonates with diverse audiences across multiple generations.

The Legacy of a Historic Release

The release of LUX is not only a milestone in Rosalía’s career, but also a key moment for contemporary international music. With this work, the artist sets a new standard of creativity and ambition, demonstrating that musical innovation can be profound, thrilling, and accessible at the same time. Each track, each language, each orchestration reinforces the idea that Rosalía is not merely performing music, but constructing complete sonic worlds where tradition and vanguard coexist in perfect harmony.

“Each track, each language, each orchestration reinforces the idea that Rosalía is not merely performing music, but building complete sonic universes where tradition and the avant-garde coexist in perfect harmony.”

In summary, LUX is not just an album: it is an experience that transcends borders and genres, a release that marks a before and after in Rosalía’s career and in contemporary music. Its debut makes it clear that we are witnessing an artist who is unafraid to break structures — and who, in doing so, lights the way for new forms of musical expression.

As a preview, we want to share that at TMN® we will soon be publishing an in-depth analysis of LUX, exploring each track, its arrangements, its languages, and the cultural references that make this work so distinctive. We invite you to follow us and stay tuned so you don’t miss any part of our journey through Rosalía’s music.

Read more of Ivan Martínez’s work with TMN®.

LUX — ROSALÍA