Spanish singer Rosalía has features on chart-topping albums like J Balvin’s Vibras and James Blake’s Assume Form, but she unleashes her full power on El Mal Querer, a scorching electro-flamenco project (yes, that’s a thing) that combines Spanish guitar and lilting vocals with strains of indie pop and R&B.
The artist comes to the West Coast on her El Mal Querer tour, headlining San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom on April 22.
On El Mal Querer, Rosalía flexes her mighty voice with tracks like “Que No Salga La Luna” and “De Aqui No Sales,” the album’s high-drama flamenco offerings with hand-claps galore. “Reniego” haunts with its brooding strings; “Bagdad” captivates with its sparse electronics, which give Rosalía room to suspense with a climactic vocal melody. On tracks like “Malamente,” she tones down her voice into the coy cooing she typically employs in more straightforward pop collaborations.
Rosalía’s music is a natural evolution of flamenco in the 21st-century, and proof that traditional folk art can offer a deep well of inspiration.
Details for her show can be found here.