Over the past two years since chatGPT was released, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has only been getting smarter, gaining the ability to make almost anything; including audio. AI music, where people use the software to create different sounds and voices, has recently hit the charts. Many musicians and artists have spoken out against the use of AI in the music industry, claiming it takes away from their ability to create pure and true music. At least, this was the stance singer Rosalia took when trying to come up with a concept for her new album, “LUX.”
Her fourth studio album, “LUX” was released on Nov. 7. The album included 15 digital tracks and three extra, in the physical copies. What makes this production special is the fact she dedicated a year to writing the lyrics and another just arranging and producing the songs making sure to get real instruments rather than digital. Rosalia spent hours a day just laying down with her laptop on her lap writing piano central music. Unlike her 2022 album “Motomami,” which she described as minimalist, she wanted to bring in all the details, opting to go for more maximalist inspirations.
Navigating this new environment, being human and having a level of humanness, seems to be one thing Rosalia is striving for. She was recently accused of using AI to record her album in 13 languages, when it was in fact the opposite. Many of the tracks in her new album have operatic qualities including lots of orchestra music specifically because of its ethereal human qualities. She was striving to make an album that could only be made and performed by a human, something that had emotion and faith; things that logical robots can’t process.
As far as album concepts and inspirations, she leaned more into her spirituality. Although spiritual music seems to be a bigger theme in recent times, with albums like “Sons of Spergy” from Daniel Ceasar also leaning towards church-esque vocals and themes, in the new album she focused a majority on female mystics.
Rosalia included direct references to Saint Hildegard of Bingen and at least five other female mystics and nuns. Rosalia resonates with many religions including but not limited to Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism weaving the imagery in all 13 languages used in the album. The religious aspects are not only present in the music from topics like sacrifice, salvation, and morality but also within the album cover itself. The cover showcases Rosalia with a blue sky-like background, being bathed in golden sunlight while being adorned with nun accessories. Other inspirations for the album included opera and collaborations with the London symphony orchestra.
Throughout the album, fans have said it sounds new and different from her other work. Being so different, a local fan and Cardozo student Patricia Tejada remarked that the album was “good but not my favorite.” From her point of view as a Catholic, she enjoyed the spirituality of the album. Rosalia’s other albums talk about how the church could be toxic.
“Its refreshing especially because church has always been important to me,” Tejada added. Similar opinions have been heard from singer Madonna, who got an early look at the album. She claimed that she thought Rosalia was a “true visionary,” stating that she couldn’t stop listening to the album. This is notable because Madonna’s career was built on reinventing pop, just like Rosalia’s album does.
Although “LUX” performances are not fully confirmed, fans can rest assured that Rosalia will be going on tour. It is challenging due to the large orchestral scale of the project she always envisioned cathedrals and unconventional spaces to tie back into the themes of the album. This could help the music not only sound more spiritual, but also shows how integral architecture is to the “LEX” era.
Overall, this new album ushers in an era fighting back against AI and returning to themes that make humans, human. The spirituality connecting her to her Spanish catholic roots, this new Rosalia album could lead to AI being held back from the charts.
