Rosalía Roams the Glittering Streets of Tokyo for ‘Tuya’
After the success of Motomami and last year’s summer hit “Despechá,” Rosalía is back with an all-new single: “Tuya,” and its music video, which was filmed in Japan.
“Exploring is part of who I am as a musician and in the case of ‘Tuya,’ inspirations such as reggaeton, Japanese instruments, flamenco and gabber techno coexist at the same level,” she said in a press release about the track.
More from Rolling Stone
'Enough Excuses': Troye Sivan Teases First Album in 5 Years With Single Announcement
If You F-ck With Sam Smith, You F-ck With Madonna: Duo Drops Sexy Collab 'Vulgar'
PJ Harding Captures the Joy and Cost of Love in 'A Dangerous Thing'
In the visual, the singer walks the streets of Tokyo, her dog in arms, and roams the city with solo stops to eat ramen, bathe at a sentō, and more.
“Lo que quiero lo tengo sin perdón y sin permiso/Bebé tú ten cuidado, no sé si tú estás listo,” sings Rosalía on the track.
A thread about the song speculated that the track — in which Rosalía uses female pronouns to refer to a lover — was written about and for Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer, who has long been a close friend of the Spanish singer. The thread included footage of Rosalía meeting up with Schafer for dinner, and thanking her during the Billboard Women in Music event in 2019. Neither Rosalía or Schafer have confirmed that they were ever in a relationship.
The singer started teasing her new song on TikTok this week, sharing a video of herself — wearing a light pink button-up and braids — with the track playing in the background. “??????,” commented her fiancé Rauw Alejandro on the TikTok.
She also shared a carousel of photos of her visit to Japan on Instagram Tuesday. “A few weeks ago I returned to Tokyo to film the video for ‘Tuya’ and because this city has me in love, ‘Tuya’ is out on Thursday,” she wrote in Spanish. “I’m dyinggg.”
“Tuya” follows the release of EP RR, made up of three songs — “Beso,” “Vampiros,” and “Promesa” — alongside her fiancé Alejandro. She also dropped “LLYLM” earlier this year, following 2022’s Motomami.
“It’s a chaotic record,” she told Rolling Stone in a cover story earlier this year. “I wanted the record to feel like an emotional roller coaster, which is what I was feeling at that point in my life. I wanted that dynamic, that constant sensation of toma y daca, give and take.”
Best of Rolling Stone