Rosalía's album 'Lux' has sparked controversy among Catalan nationalists for featuring the Escolanía de Montserrat singing in Spanish on the track 'Magnolias'. The collaboration is seen as a betrayal of Catalan identity, echoing criticisms of the royal visit to the abbey in June. Defenders note the choir's tradition of singing in multiple languages.
Rosalía's fourth studio album, 'Lux', was officially released on November 7, 2025, though it leaked online two days earlier. The 33-year-old singer from Sant Esteve Sesrovires (Barcelona) has faced harsh criticism from Catalan nationalist sectors over the song 'Magnolias', which closes the album and deals with death and a funeral in the first person.
In this track, the Escolanía de Montserrat—one of Europe's oldest children's choirs and a symbol of Catalanism—collaborates by singing in Spanish. This has triggered backlash on social media and in the press. Josep Lluís Alay, head of Carles Puigdemont's office and leader of Junts per Catalunya, posted: "La decadencia españolizadora de Montserrat es de las peores noticias que sufre este año el país".
The controversy echoes criticisms of the Montserrat Abbey for the visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in June 2025, marking the monastery's millennium. Puigdemont called it a "provocación" and part of a plan to "españolizar el país", while Oriol Junqueras, president of Esquerra Republicana, described it as "una falta de respeto a Cataluña".
However, Bernat Vivancos, former director of the Escolanía, defended the practice on Rac1: "Como cualquier otro coro catalán, la Escolanía no sólo canta en catalán, sino también en latín y en otros idiomas". He added that there are recordings of works in Spanish composed by ancient masters and frequently sung at Montserrat.
Another critique came from Juliana Canet on Catalunya Ràdio, who stated: "Es una humillación para los catalanes y para ella misma, es una falta de respeto y es comprar un marco españolista hasta el fondo". Canet had also rebuked Rosalía for announcing the album in Madrid. Despite this, 'Lux' features Catalan in 'Divinize', combined with English, and Rosalía recorded her first Catalan single, 'Milionària', in 2019. The album includes songs in 13 languages, and Rosalía held a listening party at Barcelona's MNAC.