Rosalía’s new album Motomami was released on Mar. 18 and became an instant sensation worldwide.  This is her third studio album, which was produced in collaboration with Columbia Records.  The album consists of 16 songs, with four singles being released before the full tracklist.  In light of her brilliant lyrics to  songs, the album allows a truthful insight into the emptiness of fame and is a brave pursuit of Rosalía being more open than ever before.  

Rosalía grew up outside of Barcelona, Spain.  When she was nine years old, her parents gave her a guitar.  The instrument sparked an interest in music, dancing, and later, flamenco.  Flamenco is an art form developed on the basis of traditions from southern Spain, with some of the music and dances dating back to the 1700s.   

Since its release, Motomami has been climbing the path to fame.  On Mar. 12 Rosalía was SNL’s musical guest, making her the first Spanish singer-songwriter with a solo act.  This is a remarkable accomplishment and because of SNL’s large audience, it brought a lot of publicity to the album.  In addition, some of her songs are going to become a radio station in Grand Theft Auto online.  There’s even rumors of her having a world tour.  

“As a person who watches SNL every week, I honestly usually skip over most of the musical performances.  Rosalía’s however was really good and her performance was captivating,” said freshman Ryann Engel.  

Some of her songs feature vocals from other artists like The Weeknd and Tokishcha.   Rosalía’s song “La Fama” featuring  The Weeknd has been her leading single, peaking at number two on the US Hot Latin Songs chart and taking the number one spot on the Spanish charts.  The wide variety of styles may have been a key factor in the album’s success.  The music features a blend of jazz, bachata, and her signature flamenco-infused sound with a twist.  She even began experimenting with digitally processed beats and mixing them with traditional acoustic sounds.  This balance of traditionally opposing rhythms has given fans something new and wonderful to enjoy.   

“Rosalía’s new album has a really nice sound to it.  It wasn’t something I’d really heard before but I hope she includes more of a digital and acoustic combination in her future albums,” said freshman Emma Goldberg.  

Fans loved her last album El Mal Querer, and many believed she had saved flamenco music, bringing back a much cherished part of Spain’s culture.  However, Rosalía began receiving accusations of taking uncredited inspiration from hip-hop and appropriating other cultures.  Some have deemed her as unoriginal, even going as far to say she was just sponging off other genres to stay relevant.  Motomami is almost a reaction to this complex response.  Many critics are saying that this is the most vulnerable she’s ever been, and it is this authenticity that makes the album so much deeper and more impressionable than her previous ones.  

“I prefer Motomami to El Mal Querer because of the emotion she portrays.  They’re much more interesting and feel more like a story than a repetitive pop song,” said freshman Nicole McGuire.  

Rosalía decided to have a live performance on TikTok, and as this is a newer platform, it has not been utilized by artists in this way.  This gave way for a very unique showcase.  She sang 14 of her new songs accompanied by impressive visuals.  It was supposed to be an immersive experience for viewers and was even filmed exclusively on mobile phones. 

Rosalía’s album Motomami is a creative work of art that is being listened to by fans around the world.  It has reached the top of the charts in countries everywhere, with her new style and uniqueness highlighting her talent.