Rosalía Says a Fight with Her Sister Helped Realize Her Potential on ‘Lux’

Rosalía values her sister’s opinion.

During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the Spanish singer revealed that a comment by her older sister Pili — who’s her stylist and creative director — inspired her to reach new heights on her new album Lux.

“There was something that my sister said that stuck with me when I played Motomami for her,” Rosalía, 33, said, referencing her third studio album.

“Okay, so we were in the car. I played it for her. She pointed out this kind of musical tourette or something and said, ‘Why do you have to destroy the song always?’ That’s my nonchalant sister and my best friend, which I love so much,” Rosalía continued.

The “La Fama” singer went on to explain that she was “hurt” and shocked by her comment.

“I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And I started fighting her,” she said, adding that she told her it “makes sense” and there was a sense of “disruption” in the music.

Ultimately, the statement stuck with her and inspired her to question why she makes music.

“I make music for people to feel, right? And maybe they’re going to feel the most if I really go all the way,” the singer, full name Rosalía Vila Tobella, said. “Maybe I’m not allowing myself to go all the way. Maybe I’m writing songs, but I’m not finishing the thought. So I promised myself I was going to make an album where I was going to at least try to finish the thought.”

She continued of Lux, “And I think that in this album, it allowed me to grow as a writer and as an arranger and as a producer because of that, because of going all the way and not trying to just break the song here and there. No, this is the thought, how far I can go with this thought.”

Speaking with Billboard in a cover story published on Wednesday, Nov. 5, Rosalía opened up about the meaning of success for her forthcoming album, which is set for release on Nov. 7.

“Success, for me, is freedom,” she said.

“And I felt all the freedom that I could imagine or hope for throughout this process. That’s all I wanted. I wanted to be able to pour what was inside, outside. And those inspirations, those ideas, make them into songs. I was able to do that, and I will not ask for more.”

When asked how her approach for the album was different, the singer said it was “a challenge for to do a more orchestral project.”

“The instrumentation is different from all the other projects I have done. But also the writing, the structures, it’s very different,” she said.