“ The music emerged in Andalusia, which has hosted Arab, Jewish, Romani and Christian cultures for at least 600 years, and the Romani have always been associated with its performance, though flamenco’s guitar style owes much to Catalonia.”
The Almoravid conquest of Spain set off from the Senegal River Valley. “Arab” is often used interchangeably with “Muslim.” Almoravids are considered Berbers (an ethnic category which is also quite heterogenous)...
Thank you Juanes for your generosity and support to Rosalia. I did not know the extent of it until today. When El Guincho heard her for the first time, he also saw her uniqueness and predicted her success. Rosalia herself with the humbleness she shares some stories shared this one. I have been always very proud of the friendship and support the Boom writers (Argentina’s Julio Cortázar, Colombia’s García Márquez, Mexico’s Carlos Fuentes, Peru’s Vargas Llosa) got from each other, especially the first years when it was not obvious to the world at large their skills, originality, value, and possible contribution to world literature. Time proved them right. Two Nobels of Literature among them.
Rosalia is unique. She has her detractors, and all the better. Those of us who hear and feel the power of her voice and sensibility redouble our support. I, for example, have a debt of gratitude with her I’d never be able to pay. All because of the poignancy and even mysterious healing power of her Aunque es de noche, La hija de Juan Simón, Nos quedamos solitos. Dozens of people have expressed the same impact on their lives, on their souls. “Your voice reaches a place in my soul I kept locked for decades because it hurts.” Morente and Camarón de la Isla would side with her. They would tell her, “Go ahead mi niña, keep doing fearlessly what you were born to do: música, para tu gente, a tu manera.”
Thank you for writing about this and publishing this piece, New York Times.
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I was intrigued after reading this article to listen to her music. This is sad if this is considered new and exciting. I hear no Flamenco in her sound. It sounds like the same recycled sounds you hear in every shop where they need some background noise. A super young girl all sexed up. Please cover something interesting! There's so much real culture out there.
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A couple of months ago, the NYT did a planned commercial hype of Billie Eilish, now its Rosalia's turn for the treatment.
Rosalia is one of the best new artists to come out in the last decade. Her music is stunning - a variety of influences, styles. And her voice is a revelation. Happy to see her succeed!
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She is a music phenomenon to analyze in depth by the music critics and lovers. Her freshness and creativity talk by herself.
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A complete artist, I hope she's around for a long time. Her detractors need to evolve, music does not stay static forever.
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@Huxley - Her music is fantastic, and even if it's not true flamenco, her music is an evolution of the style into something new. She's innovative and her music's great, you should listen to it some time instead of judging her based on her commercial success.
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I am so happy that Rosalia is featured in the New York Times!!
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My mother's first cousin was Anita Sheer.
I knew her only in my childhood. I'm connected to her daughter on Facebook.
http://www.theflamencosociety.org/id19.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBvv1gBbVGw
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haaaa - you say Rosalia is the biggest export since Julio Iglesias? haaa the writer obviously has no clue about all the other great artist that have come before her and have made it big world-wide. Only because we have youtube do you see the numbers she is pulling. But there have been others that are younger than Iglesias and continue to pull millions to them.
She's not Buika, nor even close.
Flamenco is not one of the world's oldest art forms. It developed in the late 19th century and came to fruition in the early 20th century, around the same time jazz was developing in the U.S.
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As an Andalusian that has been playing flamenco all his life: Rosalia is NOT a flamenca. She does not know flamenco and can't sing flamenco for the life of her. She is just a commercial sham that uses the word "flamenco" to make her product more exotic and sellable. Please stop spreading this lie and do some real research.
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