Spanish singer Rosalía has spoken about the extensive research that preceded her fourth studio album, released in November. She said she spent months studying the lives of saints while writing the songs that appeared on her album Lux.
Before recording Lux, on which she sings in 14 languages with backing vocals from the Escolania de Montserrat choir, one of the oldest boys' choirs in Europe, she spent a year researching and writing in almost complete isolation.
Fifteen of the album's 18 songs are inspired by stories of saints and mystics, which is why she chose to sing in multiple languages. For example, to portray Saint Olga of Kiev in the song "De Madrugá," she sang in Ukrainian. Meanwhile, the song "Berghain," inspired by Saint Hildegard of Bingen, required her to sing in German.
In a recent interview with Vogue, Rosalia spoke about her fascination with saints.
"Many of these saints were nuns and it was incredible for me to learn about their lives, the way they expressed themselves. They would have an experience of God and explain it in words. Just by speaking. It was a different form of knowledge, wasn't it? A different way of understanding the divine," the singer said, adding that contemporary creative works often reference famous figures.
"I feel like a lot of people today reference celebrities, and celebrities reference other celebrities. I prefer to refer to saints," she added.
Rosalia also spoke about the decision to wear a headscarf resembling a nun's veil on the album cover, designed by the fashion house Maison Margiela, as well as a white creation by the brand Alainpaul that resembles a straitjacket.
"I was trying to find an image that would symbolize female spirituality. For me, it was one that could convey what this album sounds like, what it's about, where I'm singing from and what's behind its inspiration," concluded Rosalia.
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