Photo courtesy of Pedro J Pacheco, Wikipedia
Spanish singer Rosalía continues to climb the charts with her fresh sound, mixing traditional elements of flamenco, reggaeton and other global contemporary beats, all the while further establishing herself as a household name.
Though she was born in Barcelona, Rosalía has studied and perfected the art of flamenco, an art form otherwise considered to be practiced more in Andalusia, and it shows in her music.
At this point in the music industry, it is hard to come up with a melody that does not already remind people of another song, but Rosalía defies that concept with her style. It is with this fusion of flamenco and pop that she has claimed her throne and dominated the charts.
Her popularity in Europe was already no question, but she continues to rack awards and achievements as her influence further spreads throughout the States. In August 2019, she even gained the title of the first female Spanish artist to have won a prize at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Her latest release on Nov. 7, “A Palé,” was dropped in celebration of the first anniversary of her second album, “El Mal Querer."
The song begins with gentle vocals that mimic the same angelic sound featured throughout the other tracks of “El Mal Querer," only to drop with a heavy bass, and with upbeat flamenco-styled clapping rhythms to back it up.
The first lyrics describe a “star” that she has carried around her since birth, which only protects her. She knows she does not owe anyone anything, and she makes it clear she knows her talent and success is entirely hers to claim.
Once the bass comes in, the lyrics switch to a more confronting tone, as she describes all her fortunes that she has worked hard for and will continue to work for as she gains more and more speed climbing the charts.
One of the lyrics she repeats into the chorus of “A Palé” is “muerdes si tienes que morder,” which ultimately translates to “you bite if you have to,” as if to say, 'do not abuse your power, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you either.'
According to Billboard, Rosalía explains that the single “takes its name from the nearly ubiquitous wooden shipping pallets Rosalía was surrounded by for years growing up in an area outside Barcelona dominated by trucking industry, but the spirit of the song centers around “doing it big” — our ability to be strong and carry a lot of weight."
Fittingly enough, the music video is shot with her running through shipping crates to mimic the ones she grew up around. Despite being in a nearly abandoned location, Rosalía continues to bring the party wherever she goes, never failing to “do it big.”
Even as she wins all these awards and recognitions, Rosalía has stayed humble and true to her style, always bringing it all back to her hometown of Barcelona, as we see in “A Palé.”
The title itself, “A Palé,” is a sort of colloquialism in Spanish used to express a “get-to-it” type of mentality; it is clear to see the Spanish artist has no means of slowing down, and that she will continue to release masterful tracks in the near future.
And her fans are here for it.
5/5 stars
gpanispa@ramapo.edu
