Rosalía Is Ready

It might seem like the Spanish sensation emerged out of nowhere as a global pop star. But in reality, rosalía has been preparing for this moment for a very long time

- Carina Chocano

I meet Rosalía a few days before the world stops, just as things are starting to get weird. When I arrive in her hotel room at the West Hollywood Edition, she is multitasking: working on a new ballad, her first song in that format, while getting her hair styled. Her instructions for the sound engineer are as assured and precise as her feedback for the hairstylist, who is fastening rows of rainbow-colored butterfly clips to rows of pulled-back hair. A pause in the song needs to be a beat longer, and the twists in her hair should be fuller because every detail matters when you’re on your way to taking over the world.

Rosalía is scheduled to fly back home to Spain, where the Covid-19 crisis is spiraling, a couple of days later, but the lockdowns force a sudden change of plans. She posts a photo on her Instagram and Twitter feeds of herself smiling in the hotel room, surrounded by recording equipment, above a caption that reads, “I’ll set up my studio anywhere!” Followed by a tweet with a sad-face emoji, then prayers.