The anticipation for Rosalía’s third studio album was overwhelming, now it’s finally here. Rosalía’s “MOTOMAMI” has been released to the public for about a couple months now, during the release it was difficult to interpret this album in a particular way.
It's definitely her most complex and most versatile body of work yet, due to this reason it was complicated for me to construct proper opinions about the album. After listening to the album for multiple months, I finally had the privilege to give my perspective on MOTOMAMI, and what I appreciate about this overwhelming but fascinating album.
Background and creative process:
Before we even knew what a “MOTOMAMI” was, Rosalía dropped multiple droplets, these do not necessarily have a connection with the project. One song in particular could be considered as a taste of what “MOTOMAMI” could be, which is A Palé.
The song perfectly embodies the sound of the album, it’s experimental, unconventional. Something that perhaps isn’t immediately comprehended at first glance, this is what MOTOMAMI is all about.
It was clear that she wanted to proceed with this musical direction, this became even more evident when she showed a teaser of the title track and the music video for it. This proved that her upcoming album would not be comparable with her 2018 release “El Mal Querer”.
After she announced the album title along with the teaser, she decided to create a separate Instagram account in which she shares exclusive footages about the process of the album called “holamotomami”.
If you’ve compiled all the pieces together, you would quickly understand what her sources of inspiration were, she was inspired by literature, art, and music from various artists.
Some references were also shown on the “holamotomami” account, the account was created before the release of the album, so that fans could have a glimpse into her personal world.
Just like the album, the account tended to be very confessional, which was the approach that Rosalía was going for.
Her references were also noticeable throughout the album, especially when it came to particular songs with direct references, like the bombastic “SAOKO”, for instance. She drew inspiration from Daddy Yankee’s and Wisin’s “Saoco”, which she sampled on the record.
The same song also inspired the undeniably catchy song “BIZCOCHITO”, which has a very intriguing twist which I will elaborate on later. Other artists like Björk and Kate Bush were also prominent inspirations for MOTOMAMI, another artist who has inspired Rosalía is Frank Ocean.
An artist who Rosalía really adores and worships, she posted a picture of Frank Ocean in her studio. There was a lot of speculation behind the album after that.
Most thought that there would be a collaboration between the two artists on MOTOMAMI, but unfortunately that was not the case.
However, Frank still had a very honorable contribution to the album, because he helped Rosalía to get out of her creative block. She eventually wrote “SAOKO” once she was emancipated from her mental block.
How MOTOMAMI is her most experimental body of work to date
It should be a bold statement, but when you really investigate this album from within, you will soon realize why this project might be her most experimental album to date. There were a lot of expectations regarding the quality of MOTOMAMI, and these are still being questioned today.
Her previous album “El Mal Querer” was also experimental, but there’s a big distinction between these two albums, the context.
On her second album “El Mal Querer, Rosalía was channeling the narratives of someone else, or a book to be more specific. The entire album is based on an old novel called “Flamenca”, she was channeling the experiences of these characters, rather than her own story. Contrary to El Mal Querer, MOTOMAMI tackles Rosalía’s own stories and experiences.
Such as her relationship with fame and wealth, how she copes with the negativity that fame has brought to her, her sexuality, and heartache. These were topics that were perhaps addressed before, but never from her own perspective.
MOTOMAMI brings a difference to this, she writes about the things that she went through, her own legitimate story, or in her own words “a personal self-portrait”.
This makes the album incredibly versatile, and not only from a lyrical aspect, but also production wise.
Despite the fact that the album consists of repetitive elements, each song still sounds significant from each other, the same instruments are present in each track.
Which is another thing that defines MOTOMAMI, that being “minimalism”. All the unnecessary elements have been stripped out and only the things that were required remained present, an example are the backwards drums on “Hentai” which emulates gunshot sounds. On “CUUUUuuuuuute” these same drums are being recycled.
Even though the songs sound completely different, and have other purposes on the album, these same ingredients are being reused through the album. Which makes it cohesive in a way, even though there are so many genres and topics on the album, they collectively makes sense.
Which is another reason why you can’t listen to this album on shuffle during your first listen, the album is technically divided into two parts, MOTO being the aggressive side of the album, and MAMI being the vulnerable, sentimental side of the album.
There’s a lot of personal exploration present, all the tracks are basically a part of the journey.
Now you might wonder what this journey is, but it’s basically the “emotional rollercoaster” that MOTOMAMI is. The album is deliberately crafted in a way that it’s going up and down, the next song is more sentimental, and the other is very carefree and humorous, or the next song could be very aggressive.
That’s what makes MOTOMAMI so exciting, it’s an never ending journey of Rosalía’s personal exploration. All of this unfortunately caused the album to be misunderstood as well, causing a lot of misconceptions around her lyrics, her new and evolving sound, and some of the decisions she has made. This will be tackled in the next paragraph.
The commotion that MOTOMAMI has caused
There are always a lot of expectations that come with the release of a rising star, and this is no different with Rosalía. People had other ideas in mind of what the album could’ve potentially been, some will say that it’s not experimental, but just a hard attempt which ended up being “incohesive”.
Others expected the album to be flamenco influenced again, and others didn’t understand why she was experimenting with multiple genres on the album.
Despite the positive reception the album has gotten from critics and fans, some were not so satisfied with the exceptional MOTOMAMI album. This has caused a lot of commotion surrounding the album, especially on its release date.
A lot of discussions have occurred, from her experimenting with genres, or her appropriating specific genres. There was a lot going on in the background, which wasn’t a delight for Rosalía, there are a lot of standpoints regarding those topics.
I personally do not think that it was disrespectful to experiment with genres you happen to love, especially not when the artist always acknowledges its authentic roots, which Rosalía has done.
Music remains music at the end of the day, and it’s only good for a genre to expand further than its original roots. But it is understandable that people have different opinions on this, however I’d rather do not want to turn this article into some political statement. But, I do want to say that opinions should be expressed respectfully, from both sides.
It’s important to mention that all the genres that’ve been incorporated into the album are genres that Rosalía has enjoyed for years, she knows the background of these genres, and always appreciates the legends, and the upcoming artists of those genres.
This is another thing that is noticeable on the album, from the booklet in which she thanks and mentions all her inspirations, to the samples she has used on the album, it’s basically an ode to all the things she so dearly loves.
This is something that a lot of people did not take into consideration, they’ve immediately judged her artistic decision without investigating or even trying to research her intentions with this project, some have not even listened to the whole body of work, but just a selection of songs that only tell a fraction of the story.
The commotion has definitely been bitter-sweet, there were a lot of compliments and a lot of people appreciated the experimentation of the album, but there were also a group of people who’ve been against this new approach and her trying to discover new things.
Fortunately enough this hasn’t stopped Rosalía from achieving what she wants to achieve.
She even addressed this issue in her song “Bulerías” which basically is a flamenco term for “mocking”.
In this case the ones who were mocking Rosalía was the public, she’s basically writing an empowering message to herself to stay in her ground, regardless of the circumstances.
She knows who she is, and what her intentions are, but this is not always clear to the public, at the end of the day, MOTOMAMI has had some tremendous success.
All of this despite some of the despicable comments she has received, this only goes to show that she’s consistent and won’t let the public’s perception alter her self-image, another important topic that is present throughout the album.
Sexuality, fame, self-discovery
MOTOMAMI is truly an audio guide through Rosalía’s life, and the album is very detailed in that department. Just like a portrait, Rosalía bares herself to the audience (literally on the album cover) to showcase who she authentically is. As a woman, as a rising star, as a devoted girlfriend, and as a sister and aunt.
She confesses her story and not an interpretation of someone else, the album mostly revolves around fame. However, there are a lot of subtopics that also have a connection with the main topic, but are just a bit different. Regardless, most of the songs still relate to her struggles with fame in a way.
In SAOKO, the Spanish singer basically expresses how tired she is of being one thing, she doesn’t want to be conventional. She doesn’t want to remain in one box, which she clearly states in the song with lines like “Fuck el estilo”. She doesn’t want to appeal to everything and everyone, but just wants to do her own thing. On other songs like CANDY, COMO UN G, SAKURA, DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA, and G3 N15, she also expresses how fame changes her perception of love, of life, of being a family member, and how it has affected and altered her life.
She reclaims her power on songs like DIABLO and BULERÍAS, BULERÍAS being a message to herself to remain resistant despite the circumstances.
And on DIABLO, she’s basically mocking herself with the perception of some of her haters.
Which showcases a woman who’s bold enough to address and accept the fact that people think differently of her. Instead of it affecting her mental state of mind, she decided to turn it into a body of work, which is truly remarkable.
The other songs have a strong, feminine, sexual narrative with a confident sound. Songs like “BIZCOCHITO” in which Rosalía makes it abundantly clear that she isn’t bowing down for the opposite sex, but will be everything that is considered “diabolical”.
Or the beautiful yet explicit “HENTAI”, which the title already explains on its own. Rosalía is embracing her sexuality on this track, in a very unconventional way.
Instead of using a sensual R&B or reggaeton instrumental, Rosalía decides to do it the Lana Del Rey way. With beautiful piano melodies and a soft violin in the middle of the song and towards the end a gunshot like drum.
She’s unapologetically singing about the sexual desires she has for her partner. Any non-Spanish speaker (or someone who isn’t a hardcore Rosalía fan) wouldn’t be under the impression that the song would be about intercourse, but she’s definitely not holding back according to the lyrics!
Another song in which Rosalía embraces her sassiness is “LA COMBI VERSACE”. As the title suggests, it’s named after the exquisite fashion house Versace, and it features the rising Dominican dembow artist “Tokischa”.
The two power ladies are singing about a good time in the city, wearing expensive garments, and both mention some references from the 90’s (Gianni Versace, Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni).
This collaboration was a perfect decision, Tokischa’s musical chemistry with Rosalía is just immaculate, and I really hope these wonderful ladies collaborate again in the future.
As you can see, this album is the epitome of self-exploration in all aspects. She’s not just generally talking about fame, but is explicitly confessing how it affects her, what it is to be a woman, and how to empower yourself even when others are attempting to destruct you.
BIZCOCHITO also has an empowering message, the song’s title is inspired by Daddy Yankee’s and Wisin‘s “Saoco”, which she sampled on “SAOKO”. She explained how the line “¿Quien tú ere'?, Tu bizcochito” inspired her to switch the narrative.
On Daddy Yankee’s song, the woman is submissive, she names herself after a biscuit, something that the man has control over.
In comparison with Rosalía’s “BIZCOCHITO”, this is the complete opposite. She’s assuring herself that she isn’t anyone’s sweet desire, she’s not adjusting herself for the satisfaction of anyone but herself. The song is humorous in a way, but it’s subliminal message is definitely something that deserves to be noticed.
Also, the title track “MOTOMAMI” is another song where Rosalía’s confidence is being shown, she’s telling herself that there is no other competition than the one she has with herself, she’s bragging about her artistry and her sophisticated mind.
She does the opposite on the diabolical and almost witchcraft like “CUUUUuuuuuute”. She humbles and reminds herself that fame is not always as pretty as it seems, and that the only real artist will always be “god”, meaning that he is the one who has provided her with this talent.
Conclusion/final thoughts
There are multiple things that I appreciate about the album and its bravery, but one of the things that I appreciate the most is the fact that Rosalía had the audacity to experiment with different sounds. Even though the public is very fond of her signature flamenco style.
She wanted to differentiate herself from her other projects. As a rising star, this is controversial, because people might have another idea of what your evolution could or should be.
At first I was also confused by the first few singles. Not because they were necessarily bad, but rather the fact that I wasn’t conscious of the direction that she was taking.
After the album was released, I could make proper observations, and ended up loving the initial singles even more. The singles connect well with the context and sound of the album.
This is Rosalía’s most confessional album yet, she constructed her own narrative surrounding her fame, her life, her own experiences.
Some songs reveal her story in the most detailed way ever, on songs like “COMO UN G” she confesses about her heartbreak and what it has done to her, potentially about a previous lover.
The song sounds dark and depressive in a beautiful way, the autotune towards the end along with the aggressive fade out only make this sentimental song even more beautiful, or on the gospel like “G3 N15”, she sings about missing her nephew.
Who she hasn’t seen in a while due to the isolation period in Spain when the pandemic was at its worst, she expresses to him and her family what she sees, what she has witnessed, and what she misses. Along with gorgeous organ instrumentation which becomes stronger during the second half.
These songs remind me of one of the droplets, called “Dolerme”, this is another emotional song about heartache. She uses autotune to aggravate her sadness, she doesn’t need this as an exceptional vocalist. She just adds an additional effect to the song to give it an edgy sound, which she loves to do.
Another song that tackles her perception of life and fame is “SAKURA”. A beautiful flamenco ballad in which she expressed how fame, and life in general doesn’t always last forever and that everything on this earth is given temporarily.
It's not only one of the other sentimental songs but is also vocally one of the strongest songs from the record.
Another thing that I appreciated about the album is not only the diversity in terms of genres, but also how she incorporated them and how she infused genres.
A track like “SAOKO” is a great exhibit, she infuses reggaeton with jazz. Or a track like “DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA”, where she infuses a classic bolero cover by Justo Betancourt with a hip-hop song, Soulja Boy’s “Delirious”.
What she does is interesting, she takes something that existed before and turns it into something refreshing.
This is to me one of the most exciting releases of the year, Rosalía showcases a more vulnerable, open, and authentic side of herself. The album could be considered to be her personal diary which describes her journey as an international star, this is something that Rosalía didn’t sing about before. The reason being that she hasn’t established herself around that time.
But with an album that went 1# on Spotify’s Global charts, with multiple certifications, and the prospering “MOTOMAMI World tour” in support of her album only brings new experiences in her career.
The most exciting thing is that this era isn’t even finished yet, the deluxe version with additional songs is rumored to be released soon this year. She already released one of these tracks, being the summer anthem “DESPECHÁ” which has met an abundant amount of success already, even though I’m obsessed with DESPECHÁ.
I’m more excited to hear tracks like “AISLAMIENTO” and “DINERO Y LIBERTAD”, because these songs tackle her struggles with fame, isolation, and loneliness even more. She has performed these songs during her tour dates including DESPECHÁ before its release.
I’ve been a fan of Rosalía since 2019, her music was different around that time. Rosalía has changed a lot, with the MOTOMAMI era, I see an artist who’s more confident, more empowered, more carefree, and more determined than ever before.
It's fascinating to see how much she has evolved and how she keeps improving herself, this is not to say that MOTOMAMI is necessary better than El Mal Querer. It’s more to say that she never stays in one box, she goes beyond and does the things some wouldn’t dare to do, especially when you just rose to fame. It was some of an adjustment to get into the album at first, because there was so much to discover, to comprehend, and to explore. But after a while the album rapidly had a hold on me, and this only makes the album better. Because there are so many things that you wouldn’t recognize during your first listen, this makes the album so intriguing. You constantly encounter something different or something that you didn’t understand beforehand.
As someone who’s still studying the Spanish language, it was very interesting to listen to an album in a foreign language. Especially to dissect all the definitions behind the songs. Despite the language barrier, I still very much enjoyed the album and understood the album after doing some proper research.
I would recommend MOTOMAMI to anyone, if not the best, it’s definitely one of the best and outstanding records of the year. I’m excited to see what the Spanish singer has in store for us next.