Rosalia's Spotify record

Photo Credit: Spotify

Rosalía’s new album becomes Spotify’s most-streamed album by a Spanish-speaking female artist in a single day, beating out Karol G’s previous record.

Rosalía’s latest album, LUX, has become Spotify’s most-streamed album in a day by a Spanish-speaking female artist. Prior to the release of LUX, that record was held by Karol G’s 2023 album, Mañana Será Bonito, which saw 35.7 million streams on its first day.

Released on Friday, the album rapidly amassed 42.1 million first-day streams—more than doubling the debut for Rosalía’s 2022 album. Arranged in four movements, with lyrics in 13 other languages (and each language’s lyrics corresponding to a different female saint), LUX features the backing of the London Symphonic Orchestra. Its composers include a compelling ensemble of Björk, Yves Tumor, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.

Described by multiple reviews as “euphoric,” LUX has been a much-talked about gem in the few days since its release. The album saw five songs in Spotify’s global Top 20 on Friday, 11 in the Top 50, and 14 in the Top 100. On the American front, Rosalía snagged two songs in the Top 100, with “La Perla” at #46.

Among her pop girlie contemporaries, Rosalía is unique. Her flamenco-pop fusion sound (she’s a trained flamenco singer), especially prevalent in her 2018 breakthrough release, has been described as unlike anything else available in the pop diaspora. And when she announced her new album, fans expected more dance music—especially since the first single from the project was called “Berghain,” the name of the world-famous techno club in Berlin. Instead, the track is “essentially a three-minute opera.”

That pivot is important throughout the album and is undoubtedly a big part of the record’s success. Fans want to hear her new sound, while newcomers are curious about the “radical, rebellious operatic opus that sounds like nothing else in the pop sphere,” according to the BBC. Even fellow pop chameleon Madonna has been celebrating the album, posting a message to Rosalía on Instagram, exclaiming, “I can’t stop listening! You are a true visionary!”

Created over three years, LUX reflects on a period of personal and professional winds of change for the artist. In that time, she broke off her engagement to Puerto Rican musician Rauw Alejandro, switched management, and landed her first major acting role.

Ahead of the album’s release, Rosalía advised fans to listen on headphones in a darkened room, and called it an “antidote” to TikTok trends and viral videos. “The more we are in the era of dopamine, the more I want the opposite,” she told The New York Times. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but that’s what I want.”