Rosalía: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Rosalía maps a path from the Catalonia College of Music to global pop: a musicology student schooled in cante jondo who ran flamenco's palos through reggaeton, trap and avant-garde production. This mix traces the Andalusian masters she studied, the medieval Occitan text that structured El mal querer, her Barcelona scene, and the producers who built her sound.

The Kynda mix for Rosalía

• Key Influence · La leyenda del tiempo by Camarón de la Isla (1979). The record that broke flamenco open: Camarón set Lorca texts against electric guitar, bass and Moog, scandalising purists before becoming scripture. Rosalía has repeatedly named Camarón as her entry point to cante, and her whole method — orthodox technique, heretical arrangement — descends from this album's precedent. El mal querer's collision of palos with synthetic production is unthinkable without it.
• Influencia Obscura · Flamenca by Anonymous (13th-century Occitan) (c. 1250). El mal querer is structured as eleven chapters adapting an anonymous medieval Occitan romance about a woman imprisoned by a jealous husband. Rosalía encountered the text and built the album's narrative arc — Omen, Boda, Celos, Disputa, Liturgia — around it, submitting it as her conservatory final project. Few pop records take a 13th-century verse novel as their literal blueprint.
• Local Roots · 11 de novembre by Sílvia Pérez Cruz (2012). Catalonia's other great crossover voice, Pérez Cruz moves between copla, jazz, fado and Catalan song from the same Barcelona musical ecosystem Rosalía emerged from — a city where flamenco arrived with Andalusian migration and was never anyone's birthright. The two circulate among overlapping producers and festival stages, and both treat genre as repertoire to be studied rather than inherited.
• Beyond the Medium · Volver by Pedro Almodóvar (2006). Almodóvar's cinema — La Mancha melodrama, copla on the soundtrack, women's grief staged as colour — is the visual grammar Rosalía borrows for her videos, from Malamente's bullfighting imagery to Di mi nombre's liturgy. The relationship became literal when she appeared in Dolor y gloria singing 'A tu vera', the same copla tradition Volver resurrects through its central song.
• Peer · El Madrileño by C. Tangana (2021). Former creative and personal partner, Tangana co-wrote on El mal querer and pursued the parallel project: Spanish roots music — rumba, bolero, flamenco — rebuilt with trap and Latin production. The two albums are companion arguments about what a Spanish pop star can sound like after reggaeton, made by collaborators who became each other's most obvious point of comparison.
• From the Canon · Los Ángeles by Rosalía (2017). The debut: voice and Raül Refree's guitar, nothing else, a cycle of traditional songs about death submitted as part of her conservatory honours work. It documents the orthodox cantaora she trained to be before the production maximalism arrived, and every later experiment is legible as a departure from this austere baseline — proof the heresies came from inside the tradition.
• Key Collaborator · Alegranza! by El Guincho (2008). Pablo Díaz-Reixa co-produced El mal querer and much of Motomami, and his own debut explains the aesthetic: tropicália and Afro-Caribbean records chopped into loops, layered vocals, percussion as melody. The sample-collage logic of Alegranza is exactly what he brought to flamenco, turning palmas and nudillos into rhythmic building blocks rather than accompaniment.
• Legacy · Calambre by Nathy Peluso (2020). The Argentine-Spanish artist works the same seam — salsa, rap, bolero and trap held together by a theatrical voice — and the two recorded 'Dinero' together in 2018, early enough that the kinship was obvious before either was famous. Calambre's genre-hopping across a single album follows the structural permission Rosalía's crossover established for Spanish-language pop.

What influenced Rosalía

• James Blake by James Blake (2009). The article identifies Blake’s self-titled album as especially impactful for Rosalía. “Rosalía has cited the 2011 eponymous album by James Blake as one of the most impactful records of her life.” (Wikipedia)
• Aventura by Aventura. In a statement translated by Pitchfork, Rosalía names Aventura’s songs as a reference for “La Fama.” “Taking as a reference the lyrics of Rubén Blades or Patti Smith and the songs of Aventura, I ended up writing a story of romance with fame.” (Pitchfork)
• Camarón de la Isla. The article identifies Camarón de la Isla as a major influence cited by Rosalía. (also via La leyenda del tiempo) “Rosalía has cited Camarón de la Isla , James Blake and Björk as her major musical influences.” (Wikipedia)
• La Niña de los Peines. The article names La Niña de los Peines as a flamenco influence on Rosalía. (also via Niña de los Peines: Cante flamenco) “Another flamenco influence of Rosalía is La Niña de los Peines . She states that despite not enjoying her recordings at first, she ended up appreciating her melodies” (Wikipedia)
• Frank Ocean. Frank Ocean is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Kate Bush. Kate Bush is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Patti Smith by Patti Smith. In a statement translated by Pitchfork, Rosalía names Patti Smith’s lyrics as a reference for “La Fama.” “Taking as a reference the lyrics of Rubén Blades or Patti Smith and the songs of Aventura, I ended up writing a story of romance with fame.” (Pitchfork)
• Carmen Amaya. Rosalía cites Amaya’s clothing as a fashion reference. “She also mentioned Carmen Amaya ; "she used to wear masculine clothes in a moment that any woman was dancing in typically-man clothing".” (Wikipedia)
• M.I.A.. M.I.A. is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Lola Flores. The article calls Lola Flores Rosalía’s biggest fashion influence. “The biggest fashion influence of Rosalía is Lola Flores . In an interview with Billboard she stated: "I love her. I love the attitude and the strength she had".” (Wikipedia)
• Volver by Pedro Almodóvar (2006). Volver (Pedro Almodóvar) — culture for Rosalía “In 2019 Rosalía took part in the Pedro Almodóvar film Pain and Glory.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Kanye West. Kanye West is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Madonna (1958). Madonna is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Lauryn Hill (1975). Lauryn Hill is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Héctor Lavoe. Héctor Lavoe is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Nina Simone. Nina Simone is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Rubén Blades by Rubén Blades. In a statement translated by Pitchfork, Rosalía names Rubén Blades’s lyrics as a reference for “La Fama.” “Taking as a reference the lyrics of Rubén Blades or Patti Smith and the songs of Aventura, I ended up writing a story of romance with fame.” (Pitchfork)
• La leyenda del tiempo by Camarón de la Isla (1979). La leyenda del tiempo (Camarón de la Isla) — titan for Rosalía “Rosalía expressed interest in the performing arts at an early age, especially after discovering the discography of Camarón de la Isla.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Queen. Queen is among Rosalía’s cited musical inspirations. “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Niña de los Peines: Cante flamenco by La Niña de los Peines (1910). Niña de los Peines: Cante flamenco (La Niña de los Peines) — titan for Rosalía “Thanks to him I discovered this vast universe within this music style which is almost endless and very exciting." Another flamenco influence of Rosalía is La Niña de los Peines.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Flamenco by Carlos Saura (1995). Flamenco (Carlos Saura) — culture for Rosalía (themoviedb.org)
• Entre dos aguas by Paco de Lucía (1973). Entre dos aguas (Paco de Lucía) — titan for Rosalía (musicbrainz.org)
• Romancero gitano by Federico García Lorca (1928). Romancero gitano (Federico García Lorca) — culture for Rosalía (openlibrary.org)
• Flamenca by Anonymous (13th-century Occitan). Flamenca (Anonymous (13th-century Occitan)) — ghost for Rosalía (wikidata.org)
• Omega by Enrique Morente & Lagartija Nick (1996). Omega (Enrique Morente & Lagartija Nick) — ghost for Rosalía

Peers and kindred spirits

• Björk (1965). Björk was featured on Rosalía's 'Berghain'. (also via Utopia) “A charity single alongside Björk titled " Oral " [ 120 ] was released on 21 November 2023.” (Wikipedia)
• J Balvin by J Balvin. Rosalía describes how J Balvin contributed a verse to “Con Altura.” “Rosalia holds plenty of affection for classic reggaeton, as shown through her new collaboration with J Balvin and El Guincho titled "Con Altura" (“With Height”).” (Billboard)
• El Guincho by El Guincho. Rosalía identifies El Guincho’s contribution to “Con Altura.” “Those meetups led to Díaz-Reixa eventually helping Rosalía co-write her staggeringly original 2018 album, El Mal Querer , the entirety of which he also produced.” (Billboard)
• Rauw Alejandro by Rauw Alejandro. Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro released a collaborative EP. “On 24 March, she released RR , a collaborative EP with her then boyfriend, singer Rauw Alejandro , and released the single " Beso " to global success.” (Wikipedia)
• Travis Scott by Travis Scott (1991). Rosalía describes choosing Travis Scott to collaborate on “TKN.” “Travis is an artist who I've admired a lot since the beginning of his career and I can't imagine a better artist to collaborate with on this song” (Billboard)
• C. Tangana. Rosalía collaborated with C. Tangana on the named song. (also via El Madrileño) “In 2016, Rosalía collaborated with Spanish rapper and former boyfriend C. Tangana on " Antes de morirme ".” (Wikipedia)
• Lisa. Rosalía featured on Lisa's “New Woman.” (also via Motomami) “On August 15, Lisa released the album's second single " New Woman " featuring Spanish singer Rosalía .” (Wikipedia)
• The Weeknd by The Weeknd (1990). Pitchfork documents Rosalía’s appearance on the Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” remix in its report on their song “La Fama.” “The new single follows Rosalía’s appearance on a remix of the Weeknd’s hit song “ Blinding Lights ” last year.” (Pitchfork)
• Arca by Arca. Arca and Rosalía released KLK together. “On 22 June, Arca and Rosalía released their highly anticipated collaboration " KLK ", included in the musician's album KiCk i .” (Wikipedia)
• Billie Eilish by Billie Eilish. Rosalía collaborated with Billie Eilish on Lo Vas a Olvidar. “A week later, she collaborated alongside the Weeknd on the remix of " Blinding Lights " and, in January, with Billie Eilish on " Lo Vas a Olvidar "” (Wikipedia)
• Raül Refree. Rosalía and Refree made the collaborative album Los Ángeles. (also via Lina_Raül Refree) “She completed her studies with honours by virtue of her debut and collaborative cover album with Raül Refree , Los Ángeles (2017)” (Wikipedia)
• YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny (2020). YHLQMDLG (Bad Bunny) — peer for Rosalía “She also took part in Bad Bunny's third solo studio album, El Último Tour del Mundo, on the track "La Noche de Anoche", which was later released as a single on Valentine's Day.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• El Madrileño by C. Tangana (2021). El Madrileño (C. Tangana) — peer for Rosalía “His first release as a signed artist was "Antes de morirme", a flamenco-pop collaboration with then-girlfriend Rosalía.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Beyoncé. ROSALÍA — covered beyonce for Beyoncé · hand-labeled by Tony Brancato, 2022 “She has also cited Madonna , Aventura , Beyoncé , Frank Ocean , Héctor Lavoe , Kate Bush , Nina Simone , Queen , Supertramp , Bob Dylan , Bob Marley , Janis Joplin , Kanye West , Rihanna , Lil' Kim , Lole y Manuel , M.I.A. , Shakira , Te…” (Wikipedia)
• Assume Form by James Blake (2019). Assume Form (James Blake) — collaborator for Rosalía “In November, Rosalía released "A Palé", which features background vocals by James Blake, who she had worked earlier with on "Barefoot in the Park".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Utopia by Björk (2017). Utopia (Björk) — peer for Rosalía “A charity single alongside Björk titled "Oral" was released on 21 November 2023.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• 11 de novembre by Sílvia Pérez Cruz (2012). 11 de novembre (Sílvia Pérez Cruz) — geography for Rosalía “That same year, Rosalía professionally worked as a duo with Juan "Chicuelo" Gómez to promote the Blancanieves soundtrack at the 2013 Panama International Film Festival in substitution of Sílvia Pérez Cruz and at the Festival Grec de Barc…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Alenar by Maria del Mar Bonet (1977). Alenar (Maria del Mar Bonet) — geography for Rosalía (musicbrainz.org)
• Alegranza! by El Guincho (2008). Alegranza! (El Guincho) — collaborator for Rosalía “=== Hiperasia and producing for Rosalía: 2014–present === While temporarily living in his hometown of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Díaz-Reixa worked on a collection of music that would later be his next album, Hiperasia.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Un entre tants... by Ovidi Montllor (1972). Un entre tants... (Ovidi Montllor) — geography for Rosalía (musicbrainz.org)
• Lina_Raül Refree by Lina & Raül Refree (2020). Lina_Raül Refree (Lina & Raül Refree) — collaborator for Rosalía “In 2014, he released a duo album with Sílvia Pérez Cruz, granada and in 2017, Raül released a duo album with Rosalía, Los Ángeles.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Who Rosalía influenced

• Judeline. The article says Judeline has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. (also via Bodhiria) “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Julieta. The article says Julieta has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Christina Aguilera. The article says Aguilera has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Ralphie Choo. The article says Ralphie Choo has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Tate McRae. The article says McRae has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Camila Cabello. The article says Cabello has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Bodhiria by Judeline (2024). Bodhiria (Judeline) — legacy for Rosalía “== Impact == Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera, Tate McRae, Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui, Judeline, Julieta, Ralphie Choo, and Maria Hein.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Maria Hein. The article says Hein has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Lauren Jauregui. The article says Jauregui has mentioned Rosalía as an influence. “Rosalía has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Christina Aguilera , [ 163 ] Tate McRae , [ 164 ] Camila Cabello , [ 165 ] Lauren Jauregui , [ 166 ] Judeline , [ 167 ] Julieta , [ 168 ] Ralphie Choo , [ 169 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• Calambre by Nathy Peluso (2020). Calambre (Nathy Peluso) — legacy for Rosalía (musicbrainz.org)