Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)

Episode Title: Breaking Down Rosalía’s New Album, LUX
Date: November 21, 2025
Featured Guests:

• Nate Sloan (Co-host, Switched On Pop)
• Rihanna Cruz (Producer, Switched On Pop)

Episode Overview

This episode offers a deep dive into Spanish musician Rosalía’s ambitious and genre-defying album LUX, which recently made chart history with simultaneous number one debuts across five different Billboard charts. Host Alison Stewart, joined by music experts Nate Sloan and Rihanna Cruz, explores the album’s musical complexity, sweeping collaborations, thematic intentions, and the critical and listener reactions that mark LUX as a groundbreaking work at the intersection of classical, pop, and experimental genres.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Rosalía's Historic Chart Accomplishments

• [00:39] Alison Stewart opens by highlighting that Rosalía became the first artist to land number one debuts on five different charts simultaneously (Top Latin, Top Latin Pop, World Albums, Classical Crossover, and Classical Albums) and debut in the Billboard Top 10 with LUX.
• The album showcases Rosalía’s expansive approach: 13 languages, collaborations with Björk, Pharrell, Yves Tumor, Patti Smith, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Album Intent and Expansiveness

• [03:49] Nate Sloan explains Rosalía’s goal: “Her goal with this album was to be as expansive as possible. She sings in 13 different languages. She works with collaborators from all over the world, and she merges different genres—classical, pop, reggaeton—in these surprising ways.”
• The diversity is intentional and central to its impact: “That’s not a bug—that’s a feature of this album.” (Nate Sloan, [04:07])

Describing the Album: Adjectives & Mystique

• [04:44] Rihanna Cruz shares her impressions: “Expansive is definitely one of them. ...classical definitely comes to mind. I think mystic...Rosalía has gone on record to say this is an album inspired by feminine mysticism in all of its guises...and I honestly will say elusive; it kind of evades understanding in a way that I find quite beautiful.”
• The team agrees on the album’s “elusive” quality ([05:36]).

Rosalía Primer for New Listeners

• [05:46] Nate Sloan provides context: Rosalía is a Spanish artist “classically trained at conservatory,” who broke out with El Mal (merging hip hop and flamenco), then Moto Mami (her pop/urban breakthrough), before surprising fans by “going in this classical operatic direction.”
• “I think that’s very exciting.” (Nate Sloan, [07:01])

Musical Analysis: Standout Tracks & Elements

“Divinize”

• [07:04] Rihanna: “It sounded a lot like Björk...it’s kind of a mix between traditional pop...and something so beyond, and classical and operatic.”
• The track features “Jersey club-ish beat, Aphex Twin electronic synthesizers...Rosalía singing in this vocal that is really compelling.” ([07:19])
• Memorable quote: “There’s all these elements that are coalescing together on this song—I find it to be one of the standout tracks from the album.” (Rihanna Cruz, [07:50])

Odd Meter: 5/8 Time Signature

• [10:00] Nate highlights the unusual 5/8 meter: “This is probably a deliberate choice by Rosalía...it maybe indicates she’s trying something a little more avant garde on this album.”
• The off-kilter rhythm “keeps you on your toes as a listener.” ([10:45])

Light, Dark, and Vocal Spectra

• [10:53] Rihanna discusses the blend of “churning, menacing, dark” instrumentals and “very light, spectral” vocals:
  • “I’ve used the word spectral...like a theremin—it has a warbling quality, a little spooky.”
  • “On every song...she’s kind of combining the light with the dark in the instrumental and the way her voice comes across.” ([11:46])

“Porcelaina”

• [12:11] Nate notes orchestral timpani functioning as a hip hop 808: “You’d typically hear like an 808 programmed bass drum, but here you get an orchestral kettle drum.”
• Multilingual lyrics enhance the immersive experience. Rihanna: “You really need to give your full attention to this music, which I love.” ([14:46])

Cross-Cultural Influences & Listener Participation

The Concept of 'Ida y Vuelta'

• [15:35] Caller Pedro discusses the Spanish music tradition of "ida y vuelta" (round-trip cultural exchange), relating Rosalía’s global influences to artists like Oludara:
  • “There’s something about trying to reach out to listeners across a global diaspora—that is really powerful.” (Nate Sloan, [17:16])

Rejecting AI—Humanity in the Album

• [19:10] From a listener text: Rosalía’s emphasis on human instrumentation and production is “a strong, concerted rejection of AI in art.”
  • Rihanna confirms: “She just flat out says, no, no way [to using software for pronunciation]...You really have to devote your full human attention.”
• Nate adds: LUX is “so intentional...Everything about this record is intentional. Some people like music because it comes from emotion...But when you listen repeatedly, you might find yourself...coming away with your own unique interpretation and relationship to this record. And I think that can be really, really rewarding and validating to put in that work.” ([20:38])

Lyrical & Thematic Innovations

“Jugular” (feat. Patti Smith)

• [22:53] Rihanna: The lyrics employ comparative, nesting metaphors—“like a country fits in a splinter, a splinter takes up the whole galaxy, and so on...She has these metaphors that really take you aback because they’re so stark and distinct.”
• “I don’t think anybody has used the devices in this way.” (Rihanna Cruz, [23:14])

“Berghain” (feat. Björk & Yves Tumor)

• [24:42] Nate explains the shock value of releasing this as the lead single: “It was meant to shock, honestly...I'm giving you something you didn't see coming.”
  • Title references Berlin's iconic techno club, but song defies expectations with dense, orchestral sound instead of dance beats.

“La Perla” (The Diss Track Waltz)

• [27:01] Rihanna explains: “The diss track is a waltz...very grand, like you’re playing it in a ballroom...It gives a classy atmosphere to lyrics that have lines like ‘emotional terrorist’ and ‘walking red flag.’ ...It’s presented in this environment that—like you should be sipping a cup of tea with your pinky up.”
• Notable for its bold lyrics aimed at ex-fiancé Rauw Alejandro and unusual juxtaposition of anger with waltz form.

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “I think her goal with this album was to be as expansive as possible.”
  — Nate Sloan ([03:49])

• “It kind of evades understanding in a way that I find quite beautiful.”
  — Rihanna Cruz ([05:00])

• “The off-kilter rhythm keeps you on your toes as a listener.”
  — Nate Sloan ([10:45])

• “You really need to give your full attention to this music, which I love.”
  — Rihanna Cruz ([14:46])

• “You really have to devote your full human attention.”
  — Rihanna Cruz ([19:37])

• “Everything about this record is intentional...you might find yourself coming away with your own unique interpretation.”
  — Nate Sloan ([20:38])

• “I don’t think anybody has used the devices in this way.”
  — Rihanna Cruz ([23:14])

• “It gives a classy atmosphere to lyrics that have lines like ‘emotional terrorist’, you know, ‘walking red flag’...”
  — Rihanna Cruz ([27:17])

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:39] – Intro to Rosalía’s album and chart feat
• [03:49] – Expansive intent & multi-genre ambitions
• [04:46] – Album adjectives: “expansive”, “elusive”, “mystic”
• [05:46] – Rosalía’s musical background & earlier work
• [07:04] – Discussion of “Divinize” & musical analysis
• [10:00] – Unusual time signature; rhythmic innovation
• [10:53] – Light and dark motif in music
• [12:11] – “Porcelaina”, language, and immersive experience
• [15:30] – Listener: Transnational influences (“Ida y Vuelta”)
• [19:10] – Album’s “human-ness” as an anti-AI statement
• [20:38] – Intentionality vs. emotional spontaneity in songwriting
• [22:53] – Lyrical complexity: “Jugular” feat. Patti Smith
• [24:42] – “Berghain” feat. Björk & Yves Tumor; genre-bending as mission statement
• [27:01] – “La Perla”: The diss waltz

Overall Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is thoughtful, deeply analytical, and enthusiastic, reflecting both admiration and intellectual curiosity about Rosalía’s creative process on LUX. The album is depicted as a work that rejects easy categorization: it’s simultaneously global and intimate, classical and contemporary, deliberate and mysterious. Listeners, whether new to her or long-time fans, are invited to approach LUX as an immersive project that rewards close attention and open ears.