On ‘Lux,’ Rosalía Breaks Herself Open and Turns Forward Into Reinvention — You Can’t Help but Follow: Album Review

For her fourth studio album "Lux," Spanish-Catalan singer Rosalía presents a striking visual: she is enveloped in a nun's habit, holding herself beneath the white fabric. The title, translating to "light," stands in stark contrast to the garment's traditional symbolism, while the word "habit" itself plays on the dual meaning of a spiritual uniform and a recurring practice. This imagery introduces an ambitious 18-track project structured in four parts and rooted in religious virtues, marking a notable departure from the electronic, genre-blending style of her Grammy-winning album "Motomami." Here, Rosalía’s voice takes center stage, framed by expansive orchestral arrangements.

Listeners expecting straightforward pop singles will find "Lux" to be a demanding spiritual journey, meticulously assembled from references and materials collected by the artist over three years. As one music critic from The Fader noted, the album "operates less as entertainment and more like a sacred text, demanding an intellectual and emotional commitment that redefines the pop album format." Each lyric and musical phrase is crafted to capture full attention, rewarding the listener with a transcendent, almost philosophical, experience.

Rosalía’s bold artistic direction is supported by her deep musical training. A graduate of Barcelona’s prestigious Catalonia College of Music—home to the highly selective Taller de Músics program, where she was the only student admitted that year to study traditional flamenco vocals—she has long balanced technical mastery with creative innovation. Her earlier work, from the ethereal "El Mal Querer" to the globally successful "Motomami," which broke streaming records with its fusion of reggaeton, pop, and hip-hop, established her as a genre-defying visionary. This background makes the avant-garde, orchestral intensity of "Berghain"—the album’s lead single featuring Björk and Yves Tumor—a natural, if daring, evolution in her artistic path.

Throughout "Lux," Rosalía builds a fully realized conceptual world, drawing inspiration from an eclectic group of global saints—many of them unconventional women and artists—whom she has cited in interviews. She skillfully merges these influences to examine universal tensions between societal expectations and personal freedom, as well as the interplay of devotion and desire. This is powerfully illustrated in "Novia Robot" ("Robot Girlfriend"), where she sings in Mandarin—one of 13 languages used on the album—in homage to Sun Bu’er, a 12th-century Taoist poet-saint who, as legend holds, intentionally disfigured her face to avoid marriage and fully dedicate herself to spiritual practice.

The theme of sainthood culminates in "Porcelena," where Rosalía reflects on the paradox of feeling both insignificant and like the "light of the world." "Lux" offers intimate glimpses into her personal understanding of the sacred, touching on terror, grief, ecstasy, and suffering. These emotional revelations are delivered with operatic intensity—from labeling a "playboy" an "emotional terrorist" in "La Perla" to the candid reflection on her broken engagement to reggaetón superstar Rauw Alejandro in "Focu Ranni." The lush, intricate instrumentals provide a rich backdrop for her fervent vocal runs, which can soar dramatically or dissolve into a fragile whisper, letting listeners feel every emotional shift.

The album closes with the imagery of her own funeral in the final track, "Magnolis." Here, Rosalía sings of death passing by in a long Mercedes, bringing good fortune, and of a final communion where even her adversaries weep. Her voice narrows to a whisper as she reflects on the space between emptiness and divinity, suggesting that the void is not a lack but a direct path to the sacred. In an era saturated with fleeting digital content, such profound artistic conviction makes a powerful statement. It reminds us that the most resonant creators refuse complacency, showing that the deeper an artist looks within, the more the world is drawn to listen closely.