Rosalia Vila Tobella, known by her stage-name Rosalía, is a Spanish singer-songwriter from Barcelona, Spain. Tobella is known for her Flamenco and Latin style music, and surpassed over 500 million streams on her song “Con Altura.” The singer-songwriter has several more hit songs and averages around 12.2 million monthly listeners, according to her Spotify profile.
Along with being a professional singer and songwriter, Tobella is also a talented dancer and producer. She is also making her acting debut in an upcoming film titled “Dolor y gloria,” alongside actress Penélope Cruz.
Tobella’s Cultural Sound
Tobella rose to global fame quickly and has a unique sound that makes her stand out amongst other artists. Tobella was born and raised in Spain and began her professional music education at the age of 16. Her studies of Flamenco music translate into her current music, which creates a beautiful sonic blend of pop and Flamenco.
Cross-cultural collaboration in music is extremely common now, but Tobella is still able to create something unique that not many artists have mastered. According to a New York Times article on the creation of Tobella’s single “Con Altura,” she and her producers paid homage to old-school reggae while also blending in styles of Caribbean music and Latin American rap. Tobella’s introduction of Reggae styles into her music show that she should not be pigeonholed as a Spanish artist, because her music continues to be more and more culturally fluid.
Tobella’s Achievements
In such a brief amount of time in the spotlight, Tobella’s achievements have been unprecedented. Along with the hundreds of millions of streams her songs receive on music platforms, many of her songs have been Double Platinum and Gold-certified. A few days after the release of her second studio album El Mal Querer, Tobella won two Latin Grammy awards for Best Alternative Song and Best Fusion/Urban Performance. The same album also became the most listened to album on Spotify Spain in the first 24 hours.
Tobella is extremely proud to be able to represent her culture through her music, while also making references to other cultures subtly in her melodies. In an interview for Oprah Magazine, Tobella says “Spanish music is just having this beautiful moment… It’s a blessing that I can share my music with so many people around the world.” In the few years Tobella has been making music, she has already made a significant impact on the global music industry. At only 27, it is safe to say this is only the beginning for her.
