The 14-Language Sermon: Why Rosalía's LUX is Indebted to Dedication

I often feel compelled to message an artist when I'm deeply moved by their work, not for them to see it, but to release the emotion the art provoked. This was the case on November 8, 2025, with Rosalía (Vila Tobella). I started listening to her latest offering, LUX, on my drive home and finished it in the dark, in a sober stupor from the experience. I was utterly unprepared. While I often caution against being a "prisoner of the moment," the second listen confirmed it: this album's power would not deflate over time.

Later, I watched her interview with Zane Lowe. The cinematic quality of the interview, paired with Rosalía's ability to describe her journey—effortlessly weaving between English and Spanish to capture the exact feeling—only amplified the album's impact. She mentioned having the unique sense during construction that this energy was something that comes along only once, and that she might not be able to put that kind of focus into another project.

The sheer effort is extraordinary. She wove together 13/14 different languages so seamlessly you can't tell where one starts and the other ends—a remarkable feat. She spoke of spending over a year on research, writing, and working with translators just to perfect the lyrics before entering the studio. That level of dedication is rare in current music.

All these feelings crystallized in a single night. Art has always driven me to pull out what the interaction did to me and how it changed me. If LUX ends up being her magnum opus, what an opus it is.

— Wilson Vaz