Madre mía, ESTO ’TÁ ENCENDIDO.
The hiccuped baseline smoothly sandwiched between Rosalía’s signature flamenco-inspired handclaps will sound familiar to folks who have seen her live on the El Mal Querer tour or private shows prior. Though she’s had this juicy fruit of a summer bop in her back pocket for over a year now, the Spanish, seemingly carefree reina is nothing if not strategic—and she picked the perfect moment to blow this up and make it pop.
“Aute Cuture,” the intentionally misspelled title for this fun, funny, and cocky track, is a self-assured reflection of Rosalía’s background and persona. From her bedazzled talons depicted in their most extravagant form to eagle-rising, post-breakup lines, like, “Su nombre en el cora’ ya no está clavado/Manos en el aire, si te lo han rasga’o” (Their name on my heart is no longer clawed/Hands in the air if you’ve been scarred), this is a celebration of her glow-up. The video was directed by Bradley and Pablo (previously known for their work with Charlie XCX, Migos and others) while she and her sister Pili, who has a handy art degree and is largely responsible for the rising pop star’s aesthetic, created the world and story inside the petit video. Meanwhile, long-time creative partner and “Con Altura” collaborator El Guincho produced and cowrote this one along with Rosalía and Spanish author Leticia Sala.
Vamos a ver…
*taps ear* I’m getting word that flip phones are back?!
Yup, confirmed. Meanwhile, here I am speaking to rude customer service agents.
And pretending I’m sad after my friend tells me she broke up with her trash boyfriend…
…then cutting him.
I just had a vision of people at chipotle picking their toppings.
Meanwhile, managing editor Megan Reynolds is asking for blogs.
OH, what’s that? Is that… an ad?
I don’t know, I’m too busy going yeehaw to care.
HELLO.
As many Latin artists brazenly throw their sticks in for a shot at a Latin Grammy consideration (deadline is this Friday!), the Catalan-born cantante is making a bet at that and backing up her already chart-friendly single with reggaetonero J Balvin to almost surely assure herself a seat at the table.
Similarly to others on my list of potential Song of the Summer contenders like “Caro” by Bad Bunny or “Otro Trago” by Sech, this is a mood and self-esteem booster that’s impossible not to dance along to. What more do you need?
¡Bajalé!