Rosalía’s Lux Album: An Exercise in Language Learning
Rosalía is a musician from Catalunya, Spain whose latest album, Lux, is of particular interest from a language perspective; languages and language learning played a significant role. In this album, she takes inspiration from the lives of female saints originating from different cultures and continents. She not only delves into their lives by recounting their stories, but writes in the languages of the figures themselves. The album features songs about saints including Saint Olga of Kyiv, Saint Joan of Arc, and Saint Rosalía. The artist sings in 13 different languages including French, Arabic, and German, as well as her native Catalan and Spanish. The title itself, Lux, has different meanings in different languages. It means ‘light’ in Latin, while luxe in Catalan can mean ‘luxury’. This shows how our language becomes a lens through which we understand and interpret a message. The visual images in the album’s cover and foldout also carry their own meanings and possible interpretations. Some have […]