Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or are just somehow blessedly offline), you’ve seen Spanish popstar Rosalía’s handwriting. Her script — all caps, wavy, delicate yet imposing — became the communicative mode du jour on Instagram since it launched in late June (inspiring equal parts delight and groans from users). Look, ubiquity lends to discourse.
Rosalía’s scriptural collab with the social media platform was part of her wider work with Instagram, which included a collaborative short film as part of their ANYWAY video series, which features artists like Tyler, the Creator, Fred again.., Cole Bennett, Clint 419, Nadia Lee Cohen and Slawn reflecting on the benefits of taking creative chances.
In Rosalía’s film, the prolific musician harps on the benefits of “failure,” an idea she expands on with PAPER. “I think it’s very important not to take failure too seriously: failure can turn into success if you know what to do with it!” she writes. “Many times in the studio, a mistake brings with it a new possibility, opens a new path.”
Fans of Rosalía will recognize this ethos in the multi-modal artist’s output, which blends wide-ranging experimentation with a striking clarity. Her last album, 2022’s MOTOMAMI, blurred the lines between the human and the mechanic, crafting a set of songs that swing wildly between Reggataeton, jazz, pop purity and the swirling sound collage of sounds like “CUUUUuuuuuute.”
The world is waiting for her next album with bated breath. When asked if she can tease anything about her next album’s sonic or visual world, she responds coyly: “I already did, you just didn’t notice yet eeheheh.”
A cursory glance of the artist’s socials signal some clues. Rosalía posted in late June this carousel featuring her in a musical-note decked crop top and beanie (and ascending to the heavens). Included in the post were also videos of her in the studio (synths galore). PAPER fav Doechii commented, “Album coming Iktr,” joining in our collective excitement. So putting the pieces together, we’ll take the forthcoming project as having an electronic and ethereal bend? Seated. Or maybe that’s wrong. The headline remains, though: new music forthcoming.
PAPER chatted with the global superstar over email to talk about her creative process, love of literature and her relationship with the internet.
In the video you made with Instagram, you discuss embracing failure. How do you define failure with something as subjective as creativity?
I don’t think failure is a result, nor a success. Both are beliefs, relative ideas. Both success and failure are imponderable — something can be considered successful individually or collectively. [Success or failure are not] a truth unless you choose to see [them] as such.
Also, failure and success can change over time depending on how you perceive them. Things aren’t fixed in our inner and intimate space — something you once thought was a monumental failure, later you might think: phew, thank goodness that happened!
In the end, this is just my opinion, but for me, success is when I feel aligned between what I think, feel, and do: when I know who I am and live according to that as much as possible.
Is there a time in your creative life where you feel like you “failed” that wouldsurprise your fans?
I think it’s very important not to take failure too seriously: failure can turn into success ifyou know what to do with it! Many times in the studio, a mistake brings with it a newpossibility, opens a new path.
Also, when you’re producing in the studio, it’s often a collective effort, a shared trialand error. I believe that the ideas that work are celebrated — and those that don’t work too — because sometimes it’s those very ideas that lead you to where you wanted to go. I’m grateful, as a producer, to be able to produce alongside others, because many timesyou bounce ideas off each other, and as a human being, you need a receiver — someonewho motivates you to throw out your best ideas. And many times you produce betterwhen you’re sharing with your peers.
In your interviews, you mention that you have to be motivated by an “urge” to createan album. I know you’re working on a forthcoming project, so I’m curious: what’sinspiring that “urge” to create these days?
Nothing can inspire an urge — it’s the urge that inspires something instead.
MOTOMAMI was such an incredible world. Is there anything you can tease about the musical and visual world that your forthcoming project will exist in?
I already did, you just didn’t notice yet eeheheh.
You’ve mentioned how reading books is a strong source of inspiration for you. Whathave you read recently that sparked something within you creatively?
I really enjoyed this Juan Mayorga book called El chico de la última fila. So much sensitivity, sense of humor, and layers in a book that isn’t even long — [it was] such a pleasure to read it!
The internet is a tool for expression, but it can also be a distraction. I’ve seen you talk about going offline during moments of creation. What’s your relationship with the internet these days? How do you balance the pros and cons of constant connectivity?
Constant online connection creates distraction, and in order to create or do something, it’s necessary to set that aside (among many other things). Especially with technology and social media, you need to know when to stop — but personally, I don’t (for an obvious reason we all know), so I have a box with a timer where I can put my phone inside, and it won’t open until the time runs out. [It’s] veryuseful hahah.
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