🔗 Share this article

On the surface, this album might appear more like a challenging academic examination than a new pop project from a musician whose previous single featured an international pop star. Broken across 4 different sections and voiced in 13 languages, we have a breathtaking symphonic album investigating feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, frequently via the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear quite modest.

Rising Above Scholarly Pretense

That this album succeeds in escape dry academic posturing feels almost a miracle, and full praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to alchemize the past with the present, its stakes are much greater on Lux, and the balancing act more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her through the ride.

A Signature Moment of Exuberance

That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Then, everything drops away, and there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top string surge crashes down with cartoonish force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than herself.

"The charm with this album is that the listener never exactly know—nor want to know—what it will go to next."

Nearly every track concludes at a totally different point than how it started. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate symphony before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its jagged corners.

The Balance Between Art & Pop

A key achievement of Lux is straddling the gap of radical innovation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spins skyward. That trick is repeated by another powerful ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies like a complex weave.

• A waltz-like song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
• Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "emotional bully".
• Throughout the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."

An Opulent Feast for the Soul

Lux is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes time to completely mine but never seem like hard work. While other big pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish banquet where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.