19 things you didn't know about Rosalía, the Spanish singer who's shaking up the VMAs' best new artist race

• Rosalía is the singer-songwriter behind the smash hit "Con Altura" featuring J Balvin and El Guincho, and the Latin Grammy award-winning song, "Malamente."
• She was recently nominated for the best new artist award at this year's MTV VMAs, making her the first artist who primarily records in Spanish to be nominated for the award, according to Billboard.
• We've compiled a list of 19 things you probably didn't know about her.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

By blending genres and offering a modern spin on the Spanish flamenco tradition, Rosalía Vila Tobella — known simply as Rosalía — has become one of the most exciting artists to watch.

Many people might know her for her most recent smash hit with J Balvin and El Guincho, "Con Altura," but she's been recording music for a few years now.

Thanks to her rule-breaking musical style, her growing list of collaborations, and praise from music powerhouses like Madonna, Frank Ocean, and Pharrell Williams — Rosalía's international fan base continues to grow. She's even nominated for best new artist at this year's MTV VMAs, making her the first artist who primarily records in Spanish to be nominated for the award, according to Billboard.

Here are 19 things you probably didn't know about the singer-songwriter.

SEE ALSO: 17 best reggaetón collaborations that need to be on your playlist

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She's from El Bail Llobregat, a small town in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, which is near Barcelona, Spain.

In an interview with MTV International, Rosalía talked about being surrounded by both the natural and manmade growing up, and how that plays a big part in her music and imagery.

"My house was near a town that was near the woods so I was always in contact with nature, but at the same time there was a lot of industries," she said in Spanish. "I think that influenced me."

She also said she was surrounded by motorcycles, and that her parents also owned them, so she uses them in several music videos.

She used the sound of a motorcycle's revving engine to represent aggressiveness in one of her songs, "De Aqui No Sales" ("From Here You Won't Leave"), which she revealed in a radio interview with "La Ventana."

 

She can speak Spanish, Catalan, and English.

She sings in Catalan, a language spoken by many in Spain, in one of her most recent singles, "Millonária" ("Millionare"). She also recently released a two-part music video titled "F------ Money Man," in which she combines "Millonária" and "Dio$ No$ Libre Del Dinero" ("God Free Us From Money").

She knew she wanted to dedicate herself to music by the time she was 10 years old.

In an interview with the newspaper, EL PAÍS, Rosalía recalled the time that her parents asked her to sing in front of her family when she was about seven years old, and how she moved them all to tears.

"I didn't understand what happened," Rosalía said. "But I knew that I could do something in music."

By the time she was nine years old, her parents gave her a guitar as a gift. She then started studying music and dance when she turned 13.

It was around that time that she became infatuated with flamenco as well, after discovering it blasting from car stereos while she was out with friends at a park.

She told the New York Times that back then, flamenco was a "street thing, it wasn't mainstream."

She appeared on the talent competition, "Tú Sí Que Vales," when she was 15 years old and lost.

She didn't advance in the competition, though.

Rosalía sang the classic "Como En Un Mar Eterno" ("Like in an Eternal Sea") by Hanna and even made some audience members cry, but the judges weren't very impressed. One told her she "shouldn't have performed that song" and another told her that she had "a lot of potential" but didn't know how to use it yet.

When another judge told her she "needed to give more personality and more voice," she sang a snippet of "No One" by Alicia Keys and received cheers from the audience. 

She tried one more time to woo the judges by covering "Leave" by JoJo, but again, they didn't budge.

Throughout her short time there, though, Rosalía's confidence stood out and she demonstrated that she could take any criticism.

"I came here to accept criticism and learn from professionals like you, and I accept your opinion," she said.

Watch video of Rosalía on the show here.

She studied flamenco under a prestigious instructor at the Catalonia College of Music, which only accepts one student per year for the program.

Rosalía studied the traditional style of singing called cante flamenco under José Miguel "El Chiqui" Vizcaya.

She graduated with a bachelors degree in flamenco and music production in 2017, according to Billboard. That same year her first album, "Los Ángeles," which is acoustic and closer to traditional flamenco than her second one, was released.

In an interview with Europa Press in 2018, Rosalía revealed that her second album, "El Mal Querer" ("Bad Love"), was actually her thesis project in college.

She wrote and recorded both of her albums, 2017's "Los Ángeles" and 2018's "El Mal Querer," without the help of a record label.

In an interview with Pitchfork, Rosalía stressed that she plays a major role in her music, and always has.

"I compose, produce, arrange — I don't just perform," Rosalía said. "I'm playing keyboards, playing bass, doing everything. At the end of the day, I'm the one working my fingers to the bone."

Rosalía signed a record deal with Sony Music Spain in August 2018, and another global record deal in June 2019 with Universal Music Publishing Group, according to Variety.

She dated rapper C. Tangana and co-wrote their 2016 song, "Antes de Morirme" ("Before I Die").

In a 2016 interview with EL PAÍS, Tangana revealed that he was the one who approached Rosalía with the idea of working together.

"I heard her sing and, from the first moment, I knew that I wanted to do music with her ... I had a little bit of game and I convinced her," he said in Spanish.

Tangana is also credited as a writer on eight out of 11 of her songs on her critically acclaimed album, "El Mal Querer."

The two split up in 2018 after dating for two years, according to Billboard. But, Tangana still speaks fondly of Rosalía. In another recent interview with EL PAÍS, he said that she's "the most exciting thing to happen to the culture."

She has a wide range of musical influences, including Björk, Johnny Cash, Camarón de la Isla, Héctor Lavoe, Kanye West, and Destiny's Child.

She often talks about the many artists from across genres and generations that have inspired her in interviews.

In an interview with Time magazine, Rosalía talked about how her many influences contribute to her creative process.

"I have so many references in my head — flamenco, classical, Latin, too many," she said. "I come in and put it all on the table, with no prejudice, and just start working, working, working."

She met Spanish pop star Alejandro Sanz a few years ago, and performed one of his songs at the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Gala honoring him.

In an interview with EL PAÍS, Sanz said that they met through the producer Javier Limón.

"I liked her very much. I found she had a great sense of humor, but was a little shy at the same time," he said in Spanish. "I was very surprised when I first heard her voice. It had a groan, a very peculiar cry. I loved it from minute one because it didn't sound like anyone."

Sanz went on to talk about the connection they share with flamenco.

"Flamenco is in my roots and I recognize a peer when I see them, someone who feels the same things as me," he said. "It's very legitimate that someone who's not Andalusian sings flamenco. Rosalía does it very well. It doesn't matter where she was born because she feels it, and if you feel it, you're flamenco. "

She has, however, received some pushback from some flamenco purists and from some members of the Romani community.

Almost as soon as she began to gain prominence, Rosalía was criticized by many people for not following the strict rules of flamenco and for singing it when she's not from Andalusia, where it was created.

The Association of Feminist Gitanas for Diversity in Spain also accused her of "appropriating" gypsy culture and for not crediting them for the "fundamental contribution" that they made to flamenco, according to PRI.

In response to those comments, Rosalía told El Mundo that music doesn't belong to one group.

"Music has nothing to do with blood or territory. Never," she said in Spanish. "I have studied flamenco for years, I respect it more than anything and I know its origins. I know it comes from the mix of ethnicities, which is a fusion of gypsy, black, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish sound ... Flamenco is not owned by gypsies. It is not owned by anyone, in fact. And there's nothing wrong with experimenting with it. It's healthy."

Rosalía's lyrics tend to be about women empowerment, which also translates into her women-led team.

Rosalía's team includes her managers Rebeca León (the CEO and co-founder of Lionfish Entertainment, and former manager of J Balvin) and Rosalía's mother Pilar Tobella, her sister and creative director Pili (or Daikyri, her artistic name), and choreographer Charm La'Donna.

Rosalía's sister, Pili, is her style consultant and is often times the person behind the singer's fierce Instagram photos.

She reached out to Justin Timberlake to ask if she could sample his 2002 hit single, "Cry Me a River," for her song, "Bagdad."

On Beats 1, Rosalía talked about how happy she was that he approved of the sample.

"He heard the song and said, 'Yes, you can use the melody,'" she said. "I was so excited because he never approves anything."

Madonna tried to book her to perform at her Moroccan birthday party in 2018.

In an interview with "Los 40 Principales" in 2018, the pop icon talked about how she "admires" Rosalía's uniqueness.

"Over a year ago I discovered her," she said. "I tried my very hardest to try to get her to come to Morocco for my birthday and perform for me and at that time, nobody knew who she was and I thought I was the only person who knew and thought I discovered someone."

Madonna then said it all got too complicated so she didn't make it to the party, but she continued to gush about Rosalía in the interview.

"I admire her because, in a world full of pop stars that sound the same and look the same, I feel that she is truly unique and true to herself. I like it. There is something special about her," she said.

Rosalía joined Colombian singer-songwriter Juanes at the Hollywood Bowl in 2018 — her first performance in Los Angeles.

She's performed with the iconic singer on a few other occasions.

She has a small role in the film, "Dolor y Gloria" ("Pain and Glory"), which stars Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz.

The Pedro Almodóvar-directed film already premiered in Spain, and is set to premiere in the US on Oct. 4. Rosalía has a small role in the drama, and even sings "A Tu Vera" ("You Will See") with Cruz in one scene.

In a 2018 Instagram post with pictures from the set, Rosalía expressed how thrilled she was to work with the director. 

"As a child I watched Pedro's films with my mother and my sister and the women who starred in them seemed to me from another world and at the same time so familiar," she wrote.

She received the "Antonio Banderas" performing arts award from Banderas himself in June 2019.

Banderas gave a speech before presenting Rosalía with the award, and said that she is "not only the present but also the future of the performing arts" in Spain.

Rosalía was all smiles, gave Banderas several hugs and made an emotional speech about "having faith" in what you do.

The award was created by ESAEM, a school of performing arts located in Bandera's hometown of Malaga, Spain.

She was the only musician featured in Time magazine's list of "Next Generation Leaders" in 2019.

Time recognized her as a "Latin pop phenomenon," and highlighted how she's been hailed as a "a complicated genius" and a "rule-defying renegade" by critics.

She was featured with A.Chal on the 2019 album, "For the Throne (Music Inspired by the HBO Series 'Game of Thrones')."

Their Spanish-slash-English song, "Me Traicionaste" ("You Betrayed Me"), has elements of Rosalía's trademark flamenco palm clapping, with A.Chal's rapping adding a modern twist.

The album included artists like The Weeknd, SZA, Ellie Goulding, Chloe x Halle, Mumford  Sons, and many more.

Her song "Malamente" was featured on an episode of HBO's "Euphoria."

The track, which was one of the first singles from her "El Mal Querer" album, was playing in the first few minutes of episode five.