- 4 months ago
Rosalía sits down with Billboard’s Lyndsey Havens to discuss creating her new album ‘LUX’ and how she wrote and sang in 13 different languages. Plus, she dives into what a ‘LUX’ tour would look like and auditioning for ‘Euphoria’ season 3 and working with the cast.
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MusicTranscript
00:00Every word in this album I fought for it.
00:02It took me a year to write this album, just lyrics, and then another year of just arranging
00:07music and kind of like going back to the lyrics and retouching, and yeah, it took a lot of
00:14effort.
00:15And I'm very happy that I could do it exactly how it's been done.
00:19I'm going to start with the obvious question, because we haven't heard much about this
00:29album yet.
00:30Take me to the beginning of this journey.
00:32How and when did you get started on this?
00:35I don't think that it's easy to measure when something like this happens or starts.
00:39I think it's...
00:40A ver, el disco tiene mucha inspiración en el mundo del misticismo y de lo espiritual,
00:48en la espiritualidad.
00:49Since I was a kid I've always felt, siempre he tenido una relación muy personal con la
00:57espiritualidad, entonces creo que esa es la semilla, that's the seed of all this project.
01:04And I don't even remember when did that start.
01:06In making this album, what felt the most familiar and the most new compared to your
01:19previous album?
01:20This album definitely has a completely different sound than any of the projects that I've done
01:26before.
01:27It was a challenge for me to do a more orchestral project, right?
01:32And learn how to use an orchestra, understand, you know, all the instruments and the possibilities
01:38and even like learn, study from amazing composers in history and try to say, okay, that's what
01:44it's been done.
01:45What can, what can I do that it feels personal and honest, you know, para me?
01:50Definitely the challenge of having that inspiration in classical music and try to do something that
01:56I haven't done before.
01:58Also the writing, the structures and the writing, it's very different than all the other albums.
02:03After Motto Mami, your success and fame hit a new level.
02:08How do you feel like that helped you make this album?
02:12I would say that in general, all the albums that I've done, me han ayudado.
02:19They helped me be able to be the musician I am today and make this album now, Looks.
02:26Looks wouldn't exist if I haven't done the previous steps.
02:31I think each album helped me release something.
02:40Motto Mami, you've said, was inspired by the energy of LA, New York, Miami.
02:44This album feels and sounds like it was inspired by the whole world.
02:47It feels very worldly and otherworldly at the same time.
02:51What was your mission in making this?
02:54Maybe it didn't emerge until after it was done.
02:56I think what I can say for sure is that it's made from love and curiosity.
03:05I've always wanted to understand other languages, learn other music, learn del otro.
03:12Me gusta aprender de la otra persona, de aquello que es ajeno.
03:19It comes from curiosidad, from wanting to learn, from wanting to understand the other better.
03:26And through understanding the other better, then I know I can understand who I am better.
03:31I love explaining stories. Music is just a medium to explain stories, to explain something, to put ideas on the table.
03:39That's what this project is for me.
03:41Do you think your fans are ready for this, for wanting this?
03:45Have you thought about the reception at all yet?
03:48What I know is that I am ready. What I know is that I am ready and this is what I needed to do.
03:52Yeah.
03:52What I know is that this is what I was supposed to write about.
03:56This is my truth. This is where I am now.
03:58What I cannot control, I don't try to control it.
04:02I think what contributes to the fact that it feels so global, you sing in, I think, 13 languages?
04:0813 languages.
04:09Yes. I mean, 13.
04:11That's amazing.
04:1213, 13.
04:13And it took a lot of writing and scratching it and sending it to someone who would help me translate and be like, this is how you would say.
04:20This is what you want to say. That's how you say it in Japanese.
04:23Okay, this is how it sounds. Let me rephrase this line. Let me redo this rhyme.
04:27Okay, I love this word. Let me then write a new sentence right above so it can sound better.
04:34There was so many things that I had to play with and have in consideration because it's not just writing. It has to sound good.
04:43There was a lot of challenge, but it was worth it. It made me grow so much.
04:49Every word in this album, I fought for it. It took me a year to write this album, just lyrics, and then another year of just arranging music and kind of like going back to the lyrics and retouching.
05:02And yeah, it took a lot of effort.
05:13It's a very human story that you tell throughout this album. You really contemplate like what love costs.
05:19Like the toll of love in various forms.
05:21I think at one point you talk about, you know, you're learning to protect your heart. How are you doing that? How do you keep your heart safe?
05:28I feel like I'm protected, but I don't try to protect my heart. I actually feel like I want to make myself available to wherever life throws at me and live in uncertainty, learn how to live in uncertainty.
05:46I think that's one thing that I hope I can learn through life and that I'm trying to learn.
05:50And that has to do with freedom and letting go. That has to do with not trying to protect yourself too much.
05:57One of my favorites, and it's hard to pick a favorite song because they all are so connected, but Fokurani is amazing.
06:05It feels especially personal of all of the songs, but tell me a bit about the experience of writing that one and how it felt.
06:12Ah, so in that one specifically, I found out that there's this saint, Santa Rosalia de Palermo.
06:22She was supposed to get married and then she decided not to. And she decided to dedicar su vida a Dios.
06:32And I thought that something in that was very powerful and I want to research on her story and that's why you can find some Sicilian in that song.
06:45There's some Sicilian thrown in there and it was a challenge to sing in that language. I feel grateful that it exists.
06:53There are other songs that touch on kind of the chaos of the world.
06:58You seem very centered though. I'm curious how you manage to maintain that.
07:03I try, girl. I try.
07:05Because this industry is a lot.
07:07Yeah, but I think in general just to be in this world is a lot too.
07:10Sometimes it's overwhelming.
07:12I think that making music to me, it's something that it helps me reconnect with myself.
07:18That's why I'm so grateful that I'm a musician, that I can be a musician.
07:22And I know that, que tengo mucha suerte de poder dedicarme a esto.
07:26Es algo que me ancla, es algo que me da felicidad, es algo que me, sí, que me ayuda a mantenerme en mi centro.
07:37Especially en un contexto, en una industria como esta, no solo en esta industria, en general,
07:44en momentos like these also, at least it gives me hope.
07:48The album is so operatic and orchestral.
08:02How did you begin to immerse yourself in those styles?
08:06And how did you find the people that you worked with to deliver that?
08:09The people that I work with is the same that I've worked years ago.
08:14It does the people that I feel comfortable with.
08:16I love sharing, you know, time with them in the studio.
08:19It was a lot of like writing and then on the other side,
08:22a lot of common effort, collective effort in the studio.
08:25The whole thing, it's been more than two years.
08:29I would say maybe three years.
08:30Long process, but just about like trusting and keep going, keep going, keep going.
08:34For what you made, it doesn't seem that long.
08:36Like this required time to deliver what you've done.
08:39Yeah, thank you.
08:40Thank you for saying that.
08:41I love you say that.
08:42Yeah, exactly, exactly.
08:43No, honestly, it took the time that it was worth it investing in it to make.
08:49Absolutely.
08:50You know, it took that time and that was the exact time that it needed.
08:53And I'm very happy that I could do it exactly how it's been done.
08:58Who is usually the first person, though, to call you and say, like, let's go, wrap it up?
09:03Probably my mother, Albert, my sister.
09:09They all kind of like, you know, selling them, but I kind of like, it's time.
09:13Yeah.
09:14We got to, you know, move forward.
09:18It can take a long time, but in this time, I think it was exactly how it had to be.
09:24Yes.
09:25Another question about collaborators, because Ryan Fetter has been talking for years about
09:29how much he loves you and wants to work with you.
09:31Oh, I love him.
09:32Yes.
09:33Does that happen?
09:34He collaborated.
09:35Yes.
09:36Ryan collaborated in this song in Reliquia.
09:37Really?
09:38Yeah, he collaborated in Reliquia.
09:39He did, I think, one top line or two.
09:42And he's great.
09:43He's great.
09:44I admire the way he writes so much.
09:46He's worked in so many languages.
09:48I love how playful he is in the melodies and the way he does melodies.
09:53He's very different than me in the way he makes melodies.
09:56Like, we are really different.
09:58I think that that's why I think we like each other's work and we can collaborate.
10:02And in this case, it was great to collaborate in Reliquia and in La Perla.
10:07He did one top line, I think, in La Perla, too.
10:09Are you sitting on a lot of other music that we haven't heard yet?
10:13Um, so I would say that I've wrote a lot for this project and that there's definitely
10:18a lot of material that it's not in it because it didn't fit this album.
10:23Who knows if maybe in another project, maybe it's part of something else in the future.
10:29Who knows?
10:29For now, looks.
10:30Terminando looks.
10:31Sacando looks.
10:32Al mundo.
10:34Que ya eso ya es mucho y luego ya veremos.
10:38Dios dirá.
10:39Do you want to tour this album?
10:40I'd love to.
10:41I'd love to.
10:42I mean, I think…
10:43But we'll see.
10:44I don't know.
10:45We'll see.
10:46Have you given any thought yet to what a live performance would look like?
10:48Uff, girl.
10:49Thoughts?
10:50Uff.
10:51Eso no falta.
10:52Eso nunca falta.
10:53Thoughts and books.
10:54O sea, llenamos páginas.
10:55Yeah.
10:56Yeah.
10:57Yeah.
10:58Pero veremos.
10:59I don't want to like…
11:00You know, not think too much how that would look until that really is happening, if that
11:11makes any sense.
11:12Mm-hmm.
11:13But definitely there's a lot of creativity.
11:15Yes.
11:16Build.
11:17And how could…
11:18How would this be if we translate it to stage, you know?
11:20Como se traduciría?
11:21Very theatrical.
11:22Porque no tienen orden y el fuego es bonito.
11:29At the same time you were working on this, were you also filming Euphoria or were they
11:32different timelines?
11:33So, yeah, actually it was very challenging to do both.
11:36Yeah.
11:37I was recording the album and producing and checking mixes and everything while I was shooting
11:46Euphoria.
11:47And that was…
11:48That was…
11:49Woof!
11:50Like…
11:51Estar como entre esos dos aguas, entre esos dos mundos, like divide my mind for both.
11:57And it was the first time also that I was doing something like this, like preparing
12:01a character, studying lines.
12:04These are like new things for me, you know, like I'm not used to it.
12:09It's very different than making an album, it's very different than making music, so…
12:14Yeah, that was definitely a challenge.
12:16But I've managed to do both.
12:18Yeah.
12:19For some reason I didn't completely go crazy and we're still here, we're still alive
12:26and I could finish the album.
12:29I know you had a song on the show.
12:31It's not…
12:32Can you let it go?
12:33No, I'll hurry down…
12:34Was that the starting point of, I want to have a role?
12:39Or where did it come from?
12:41Actually, it was more that I shared that I really wanted to start acting.
12:48That is something that I would love to do.
12:51Since the only thing that I've done, which is with Almodóvar, and when I was 16 that
12:55I would study theatre for a year.
12:57That's all.
12:58That's the two experiences that I've had.
12:59I feel like being a musician and being on stage is being a performer, but I've never
13:04experienced it as being filmed, learning lines, that's a very different type of job.
13:11I just did it with Almodóvar and I was like, I would love to do it for somebody like Sam.
13:16Yeah.
13:17For somebody that has a vision as strong as him or Tarantino or Sofia Coppola.
13:22I can see both.
13:23And so I'm like, yeah, okay, I would definitely do this.
13:29And so I've heard that the third season was happening and then I was like, damn, I would
13:34love to audition.
13:35Did you have to audition?
13:36Oh, of course.
13:37Girl, what do you mean?
13:38Claro, get to make an audition.
13:40You can welcome Sam.
13:41Because I'm not an actress.
13:43Yeah.
13:44Definitely, I had to audition.
13:45Scary.
13:46Yeah, that was very scary.
13:47But at the same time, something told me that I was supposed to.
13:50And I was like, I think that I should do this.
13:54I did auditions taped and then audition in person and then something else.
13:59And then it happened.
14:00It was a whole process.
14:01Who's giving you the best acting advice?
14:04I would say Alexa.
14:06She's a very close friend of mine and she was very supportive and the way she approaches
14:11it, it's with so much, so effortlessly.
14:14Yeah.
14:15But that is something very beautiful to see and very inspiring.
14:19And then who on the cast has the best taste in music?
14:22Who on the cast has the best taste in music?
14:25Oh, definitely me.
14:27No, no, no, no.
14:28Obviously.
14:29No, no, no, no.
14:30Second to you.
14:31No, no, no.
14:32Zendaya, because Zendaya recommended Malamente maybe to the director, no?
14:40To some.
14:41Zendaya.
14:42Ah.
14:43Yeah, Zendaya.
14:44Did you two talk about music ever or are you so locked into what you're filming?
14:47I admire her so much.
14:49Yeah.
14:50I really didn't want to like distract her at all.
14:52So I wouldn't like talk to her too much because I didn't want to distract her.
14:56When she would become Hawaii and set, she would talk, then I would be like, we would start
15:01talking and then she would explain that she knew about my music.
15:06And that made me very happy.
15:07Yeah.
15:08That made me very, very happy.
15:09It meant a lot because I really like what she does.
15:12I want to circle back to your album and touch on the end a bit where you kind of get into
15:22the concept of death and a return almost.
15:25But I'm curious, is there something in your life that you're worried about not having
15:29enough time to do or to accomplish?
15:31No.
15:32Whenever God decides it's time to go, time to go.
15:38Yeah.
15:39Whatever I have to come here to do, I feel like I'm doing.
15:43Whenever I have to leave, I will leave.
15:45That's how I try to leave.
15:47Do you have like a wish list of things that you hope to accomplish?
15:51I definitely would love to know how it feels to be a hundred years old.
15:58I would love to know what that is.
16:00I would love to know what it means to have lived so many years.
16:03But that's not on me to decide.
16:05Right.
16:06So, yeah.
16:07But I would love to keep writing.
16:09I would love to keep making music.
16:11I would love to keep learning how to cook better.
16:14If I can, one day I would love to go to college again and study philosophy or theology.
16:20I would love to just keep traveling.
16:22What's the biggest challenge that you feel like comes with this career?
16:26The biggest challenge?
16:27Yeah.
16:28The price you pay.
16:29The sacrifice.
16:30The amount of moments that you lose.
16:33Yeah.
16:34You lose so many moments with your family.
16:36You lose so many moments with your loved ones.
16:38My grandpa died when I was in the Latin Grammys in 2019.
16:42And I was about to perform and then I found out that my grandpa died and I couldn't even be in the burial.
16:49Those type of things, like, I'll have to live with the sadness and the regret of not being there.
16:54I'll have to deal with it.
16:56And those are things that are not the good side of, you know, being a musician, always traveling, always committed to whatever you're doing, always committed to the people who was there in the audience that night, paid the ticket to see the performance.
17:13I kind of feel like I care so much.
17:16Yeah.
17:17It's from the love that I have and it's from the love that I do what I do.
17:23So, yeah, the price is really high.
17:25But at the same time, I know that this is what I chose.
17:29It does seem like it's you were meant to do this.
17:32You know, we need you to do this.
17:33You give us so much.
17:34And I feel like all of what you just said is maybe part of what drives you to make an album like this is you put everything into it and you give us something we've never heard before.
17:44Hopefully.
17:45I always have that hope.
17:47I always have that hope of, you know, there's always nuance in the sound that you can find, that you can push.
17:54And I have passion for my job.
17:56I have love for music.
17:58And I have a very open, also a very open way of understanding of music, of what music is, which I feel grateful because it allows me to always be curious about traveling and learning about other new instruments, new places, new ways.
18:13And I think that in order to fully enjoy music, you need to have kind of like a tolerant, open way of understanding it.
18:22Because music is the 433 of John Cage as much as the birds in the trees for Kaluli in Nueva Guinea, as much as, I don't know, Las fugas de Bach or la última canción de Chencho Corleone.
18:38Like all of it is music.
18:40Yeah.
18:41And if you understand that, then you can enjoy much, in a much fuller way, in a much more profound way, what music is, because it's all of it.
18:52For you, in releasing this album, like what would success look like or feel like for you when this is out?
18:58Success for me is freedom and I felt all the freedom that I could imagine or hope for throughout this process.
19:09That's all I wanted.
19:10I wanted to be able to pour whatever it was inside, outside and make these, those inspirations, those ideas, make, become them songs, become them sounds.
19:25I was able to do that and I wouldn't ask for more.
19:29That's all I could ask.
19:31It's already a success before it even comes out, you know?
19:33You've done your job.
19:34Exactly.
19:35Exactly.
19:36There you go.
19:37Well, I love it.
19:39I feel like it's like a magnum opus of a project, you know, like a definitive body of work.
19:43Yeah.
19:44It's really special.
19:45Muchas gracias.
19:46That means a lot that you say that.
19:50Yeah, that means a lot that you say that.
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