Rosalía and Flamenco: A Musicological Perspective

Abstract:

While the styles and sources of Rosalía's music are diverse and eclectic, flamenco is certainly the genre of which she has made most consistent and extensive use, with her idiosyncratic and original interpretations provoking much controversy in flamenco circles. Without discussing such polemics, this article explores in some specificity the particular flamenco forms she has used, from her first album Los Ángeles through her 2022 Motomami. It further makes some general observations about her flamenco interpretations, though these resist facile categorization. Some of the specific flamenco forms (cantes and estilos) that she performs are familiar and iconic, such as the "yeli yeli" tango chorus in "Di mi nombre." Others, such as the tango of Porrina de Badajoz in "Juro que," are items that only flamenco connoisseurs would recognize. Similarly, some of her interpretations are straightforward and por derecho, while others are strikingly original, whether in terms of instrumental accompaniment, production effects, or her own vocal rendering. A close observation of these rearticulations reveals both her originality as well as her deliberate engagement with traditional flamenco forms.