Who Is Rosalía, the Grammy-Nominated Latin Music Sensation?

From Seoul's Bangtan Boys to the beloved internet troll-turned-viral sensation Lil Nas X, it's been a huge couple of years for new artists making waves in the mainstream. The past 12 months has given us a plethora of amazing new music from these talented musicians, and we're looking forward to seeing several of them, including Latin music star Rosalía (opens in new tab), hopefully win big at the 2020 Grammys on January 26.

While you may or may not recognize Rosalía now, you will soon. With seven unique albums under her belt and numerous hits with Latin music heavyweights, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter won big at the Latin Grammys with Best Album Of The Year for her second studio album, "El Mal Querer." Before she hits the red carpet at the Grammys to honor her two nominations, here's everything you need to know about Rosalía.

She's nominated for two GRAMMYs this year.

As previously mentioned, Rosalía is up for two awards at this year's awards show. Along with the album"El Mal Querer" up for the award for Best Latin Album, the flamenco star has also been nominated in the category for Best New Artist. Her nomination in this category maker her the first-ever best new artist nominee recognized by the Recording Academy for music entirely recorded in Spanish. (opens in new tab)

She's got a bit of competition in the category though; the Best New Artist category includes  (opens in new tab)the likes of Maggie Rogers, Billie Eilish, and Lizzo. However, Rosalía's music is burning up the charts, so she's got a real chance of walking away with the prize.

She was born and raised in Spain.

Rosalía hails from a small town called Sant Esteve Sesrovires in the beautiful city of Barcelona, which explains the pervasive presence of the flamenco sound in her music. Rosalía's love of flamenco first began when she was 13, and from then on, she channeled her energy into creating music in the genre. At age 16, she started studying under flamenco legend José Miguel “El Chiqui” Vizcaya, and she graduated years later from the Catalonia College of Music with a bachelor's degree in flamenco vocal performance.

“I’m always excited to share my passion about flamenco, so other people can discover this music—which is amazing—and discover the culture," the singer told EW (opens in new tab). "I’m so proud, and that’s why I share it in this way, and that’s why I put so much heart in it.”

She got her start on a Spanish singing competition.

When Rosalía was 15 years old, she auditioned for the Spanish singing competition Tú sí que vales. Considering the fact that she's now a huge star, one might think that Rosalía's audition was a success, but it didn't go as well as she'd hoped. When it was her turn to sing, teen-Rosalía performed an acoustic flamenco song followed by a rendition of Alicia Keys' "No One," but the judges weren't moved. She didn't let it break her stride, though. "It doesn’t matter,” she can be heard saying after receiving the judges' harsh feedback. “I’ve come here to accept critiques and learn from professionals like you. I accept your opinion.” Talk about mental fortitude.

She's a huge deal overseas.

If you're not tuned in to Latin music, there's a fair chance that you haven't yet become acquainted with Rosalía's music, but the flamenco-fusion singer is totally killing it on an international level. Since starting her music career as a teenager Barcelona, Rosalía has been booked and busy, performing her original music around the world; she's performed in front of huge audiences in Singapore, Argentina, and Panama, and right now, the singer is taking her talents on the road in a European tour.

FYI, she's already worked with some of the biggest names in music—Pharell, Dua Lipa, Bille Ellish, and J Balvin are just a few of her past collaborators—and Rosalía's star is shining so brightly that she even landed the coveted July 2019 cover of Vogue Spain. Like I said...she's a big deal.

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