El mal querer

El mal querer (English: The Bad Loving)[1] is the second studio album by Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía, released on 2 November 2018 through Sony Music.[2] The album was written by Rosalía and co-produced with El Guincho.

El mal querer
Studio album by
Rosalía
Released2 November 2018 (2018-11-02)
RecordedJanuary 2017 – July 2018
Studio
Genre
Length30:13
LanguageSpanish
LabelSony
Producer
Rosalía chronology
Los ángeles
(2017)		 El mal querer
(2018)		 TBA
(2020)
Singles from El mal querer
  1. "Malamente"
    Released: 30 May 2018
  2. "Pienso en tu mirá"
    Released: 24 July 2018
  3. "Di mi nombre"
    Released: 30 October 2018
  4. "Bagdad"
    Released: 4 December 2018
  5. "De aquí no sales"
    Released: 22 January 2019

Presented as experimental and conceptual, revolving around a toxic relationship, the album was inspired by the anonymous 13th-century Occitan novel Flamenca.[3] The concept was thought-out by the singer herself and friend Ferran Echegaray.[4]

Promotion prior to the album release encompassed the release of three singles: "Malamente", "Pienso en tu mirá"—both accompanied by viral videos due to their elaborate aesthetics and poetic symbolism[5]— and "Di mi nombre". Two other singles, "Bagdad" and "De aquí no sales", were released after the album's release to promote it. Other promotional initiatives included the display of a billboard on Times Square,[2] as well as live performances at several Spanish festivals, the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards.

The album received critical acclaim for its experimental production, the use of flamenco elements and Rosalía's vocals. It became a commercial success, reaching the top of the Spanish Charts and the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart. Following the release of the album, the first four singles were in the top ten of the Spanish Singles Chart at the same time, with "Di mi nombre" becoming her first number-one single.

At the 19th Latin Grammy Awards, "Malamente" was nominated for five awards including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Short Form Music Video, Best Urban Fusion Performance and Best Alternative Song, winning the latter two, and at the next year's ceremony, the album won for Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album and Best Recording Package, while the song "Pienso en tu mirá" was nominated for Best Pop Song With six awards, it became the most awarded album by a female artist. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[6]

Background and release

The album was originally supposed to be released in November 2017, with the lead single "Malamente" preceding it in July 2017. For unknown reasons, the album was delayed by a full year, even though mixing, engineering, and mastering had already been done since August 2017. As of what the vinyl edition of the album says in the credits, the album was recorded in Spain between January 2017 and July 2018. It was mastered in various studios in Los Angeles.

At the end of April 2018, Rosalía published a short documentary video to her social networks where she talked about her new album. She said: "Everything I have I am leaving it here; I'm in the red, I'm risking a lot. This project is what I've always wanted to do, I've been thinking for a long time about making an album like the one I'm going to release. The flamenco inspiration is still there but, at the same time, it is something else." Three days after the international release of the song "Brillo", composed by herself and in collaboration with Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin, the Barcelona-native singer announced on her social networks that she was going to release a new single in the coming days. Finally, on 29 May 2018, "Malamente" was released. Rosalía confessed that El mal querer is actually her final bachelor's degree project, graduating from flamenco studies.

Music

El mal querer is a flamenco pop,[7] experimental pop[8] and Latin R&B[8] album that mixes flamenco music with contemporary urban sounds drawn from pop and reggaetón.[9] Critics noted the experimental tendencies in the production.[7][8][10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic89/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Crack Magazine7/10[10]
The Guardian[7]
Mondosonoro9/10[12]
Pitchfork8.8/10[8]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]

El mal querer was widely acclaimed by music critics;[15] at Metacritic, the album received an average score of 89, based on five reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Writing for The Guardian, head critic Alexis Petridis highly commended the album, giving it the highest rating and describing it as "the calling card of a unique new talent." He praised Rosalía's vocals for giving the album "a head-turning freshness", noting that her singing style "is audibly rooted in a different musical tradition to the usual styles in which pop vocalists perform."[7]

Pitchfork ranked El mal querer as the sixth best album of 2018, with Philip Sherburne complimenting its combination of traditional and modern styles, and praising Rosalía's voice, saying, "Whether breathy or belting, she's as commanding a presence as Spanish-language pop has encountered in ages—less an ambassador for flamenco than the inventor of her own fascinating hybrid."[16]

Conversely, Rosalía has been accused of cultural appropriation by some Spanish publications, due to her use of gitano symbology.[17][18] She is from Catalonia, which has underlying "cultural and political tensions" with Andalusia, the home of flamenco. Paula Ibieta of Phoenix New Times cited "the questionable nature of Rosalía's aesthetic and use of Andalusian slang".[19] Rosalía has responded that the controversy is positive, and that flamenco elements will always be present in her work.[18]

Year-end rankings
Publication List Rank Ref.
GQ (Russia) The 20 Best Albums of 2018
2
[20]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2018
6
[16]

Tour
Main article: El Mal Querer Tour

The Spanish singer embarked on her first big festival tour, which she named "El Mal Querer Live", from March to July 2019. The tour began on March 29, 2019 in Buenos Aires, as part of the 2019 Lollapalooza Argentina music festival. Rosalía later visited Chile, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Portugal, among others, as well as the United States where she took part in the Coachella and Something in the Water festivals. The singer also visited her home country, Spain, where she performed at the Primavera Sound, O Son do Camiño, Noche Blanca, BBK Live and Doctor Music festivals. Rosalía also performed at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival.

Track listing

All tracks produced by Rosalía and El Guincho.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Malamente" (Cap.I: Augurio)
2:29
2."Que no salga la luna" (Cap.II: Boda)
4:29
3."Pienso en tu mirá" (Cap.III: Celos)
  • Vila
  • Álvarez
3:13
4."De aquí no sales" (Cap.IV: Disputa)
  • Vila
  • Álvarez
2:24
5."Reniego" (Cap.V: Lamento)
  • Vila
  • Public domain
3:28
6."Preso" (Cap.VI: Clausura)
  • Vila
  • Ferrán Echegaray
  • Rossy De Palma
0:40
7."Bagdad" (Cap.VII: Liturgia)
3:02
8."Di mi nombre" (Cap.VIII: Éxtasis)
  • Vila
  • Álvarez
2:42
9."Nana" (Cap.IX: Concepción)
  • Vila
  • Díaz-Reixa
  • Public domain
3:17
10."Maldición" (Cap.X: Cordura)
2:55
11."A ningún hombre" (Cap.XI: Poder)
  • Vila
  • Álvarez
1:34
Total length:30:13

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[21]

  • Rosalía – arranger, producer, conceptualization, vocals, handclaps, keyboards, bass, sampler, guitar
  • El Guincho – arranger, producer, drum machine, synthesizer, tambourine, handclaps, sampler, bass, keyboards, harmony vocals, recording
  • Las Negris – backing vocals in "Malamente", "Que no salga la Luna" and "Di mi nombre"
  • Lin Cortés and Nani Cortés – backing vocals in "Malamente" and "Que no salga la Luna"
  • Juan Mateo – backing vocals in "Que no salga la luna"
  • Las Melli – backing vocals and handclaps in "Que no salga la luna"
  • Los Mellis – backing vocals in "Pienso en tu mirá" and "Di mi nombre", handclaps in "De aquí no sales" and "Di mi nombre"
  • Milagros – backing vocals in "Pienso en tu mirá"
  • Brian Hernández – recording in "Pienso en tu mirá" and "Bagdad"
  • Jesús Bola – arranger in "Reniego"
  • David Hernando Rico – conductor in "Reniego"
  • Bratislava Symphony Orchestra – orchestra in "Reniego"
  • Joan Albert Amargos – arranger in "Bagdad"
  • Orfeó Català – choir in "Bagdad"
  • Laura Boschetti – harp in "Di mi nombre"
  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing
  • Jacob Richard, Rashawn McLean and Mike Seaberg – mixing assistants
  • Ferrán Echegaray – conceptualization
  • Filip Ćustić – artwork

Charts
Chart (2018–2019) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 76
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] 138
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 95
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[25] 20
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 56
US Latin Albums (Billboard)[28] 10
US Latin Pop Albums (Billboard)[29] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[30] 2× Platinum 80,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. "Rosalía: The Pop Star Bringing Flamenco to a New Generation". Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  2. Guillén, Raúl (13 September 2018). "Rosalía revela la portada y la fecha de publicación de 'El mal querer' con un anuncio en Times Square". Jenesaispop (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  3. Linés, Esteban. Rosalía: 'Ni yo ni mi música hemos cambiado' (In Spanish). La Vanguardia. Retrieved 31 October 2018
  4. López-Egea, Sergi (16 November 2018). "Rosalía, una musa en el bar Xapakó". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. Alonso, Sebas E. Rosalía, número 1 en Youtube España con 'Malamente' y en los virales de Spotify con 'Brillo' (In Spanish). Jenesaispop. Retrieved 31 October 2018
  6. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2020-grammy-awards-complete-nominees-list
  7. Petridis, Alexis (1 November 2018). "Rosalía: El Mal Querer review – flamenco-pop star is a formidable new talent". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  8. Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (8 November 2018). "Rosalía: El Mal Querer". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  9. Jurek, Thom. "El Mal Querer – Rosalía". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  10. Welsh, April Clare. "Rosalía – 'El Mal Querer' review". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  11. "El Mal Querer by Rosalía Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  12. Iborra, Yeray S. (31 October 2018). "Rosalía, crítica del disco El Mal Querer". Mondosonoro (in Spanish). Spain. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  13. Snapes, Laura (January 2019). "Rosalía: El Mal Querer". Q (393): 113.
  14. Leight, Elias (2 November 2018). "Review: Rosalía Stuns With 'El Mal Querer'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  15. Ceballos, Noe (5 November 2018). "Así es cómo 'El mal querer', de Rosalía, ha sobrevivido al hype". GQ (in Spanish). Spain.
  16. Sherburne, Philip (11 December 2018). "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  17. Terrasa, Rodrigo (18 September 2018). "La polémica de la apropiación cultural: ¿Es el éxito de Rosalía un robo a los gitanos?". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  18. "Rosalía cree que la polémica por la apropiación cultural es positiva". El País (in Spanish). 5 April 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  19. Ibieta, Paula (18 December 2018). "Why Rosalía's El mal querer Is Being Accused of Cultural Appropriation". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  20. "Лучшие музыкальные альбомы 2018 года" [The Best Albums of 2018]. GQ Russia. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  21. El mal querer (LP Record). Rosalía. Spain: Sony Music. 2018. 190758879710.CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. "Ultratop.be – Rosalía – El mal querer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  23. "Ultratop.be – Rosalía – El mal querer" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rosalía – El mal querer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  25. "Portuguesecharts.com – Rosalía – El mal querer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  26. "Spanishcharts.com – Rosalía – El mal querer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Rosalía – El mal querer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  28. "Rosalía Chart History: Top Latin Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  29. "Rosalía Chart History: Latin Pop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  30. "Rosalía – El mal querer" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
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