Bad Bunny Fans Accuse Rosalía of 'Colonizer Privilege' After Controversial Interview: She Fights Back

MIAMI – Spanish superstar Rosalía is moving quickly to clarify remarks that ignited social-media controversy and accusations of cultural insensitivity. After a recent appearance on the New York Times Popcast where she discussed her upcoming album LUX, Rosalía faced a wave of online criticism, some of it branding her a "colonizer" or saying she was "pretending to be Latina."

In the podcast, while describing her ambition to sing in multiple languages for LUX, in contrast to Bad Bunny's decision to sing only in Spanish, Rosalía stated: "I think I'm the opposite of Benito. I care. I care so much that I'm definitely going to make the effort to sing in a language that's not my language."

The remark triggered strong reactions, especially among fans of Bad Bunny, who interpreted it as a jab at his earlier comments about Spanish lyrics and international audiences.

The Colonial Accusations

As the clip circulated online, a new layer of controversy emerged. Critics questioned her positioning as a Spanish artist solidly rooted in global Latin music, accusing her of leveraging colonial history and Latin identity for commercial gains. Posts across Latin-American social-media channels labeled her a "Spanish colonizer" or claimed she was "acting Latina" while distancing the Caribbean/Latino-urban roots that fuel the genre. This backlash touched on deeper debates about cultural representation, language, power and authenticity in global pop.

Rosalía's Response

Rosalía took to social-media to address the reaction head-on. She wrote:

Hey, I understand your point of view, but I think this is being taken out of context. I have nothing but love and respect for Benito; he's a great colleague whom I admire and with whom I've had the good fortune to collaborate. In fact, getting to know him has helped me understand better why he does his projects the way he does.

In the same way, I do mine, and in one of the songs I'll sing in Catalan, which is the language of the place I come from, and I do it because it's important to me.

I've always been grateful to Latin America because, even though I come from another place, Latin people have supported me so much throughout my career. I empathize with what you're saying, and that's exactly why it makes me so sad that this is being misinterpreted, because that was never the intention.

Language, Identity and LUX

LUX marks one of Rosalía's most ambitious projects yet: songs spanning 13 languages, including Catalan (her native regional language), Arabic, Ukrainian, Latin and more. The album took more than two years to craft, with Rosalía stating she spent months studying phonetics and collaborating with linguistic coaches.

Her multilingual shift reflects a broad artistic vision, but amid the controversy, it's also being interpreted through the lens of identity and appropriation.

During her romance with fellow artist Rauw Alejandro, Rosalía dove deeply into urban Latin genres, reggaetón and bachata, and released the EP RR in collaboration with him. That period reinforced her presence in the Latin-urban sphere. Now, as LUX rolls out, Rosalía appears to pivot from that chapter, reiterating her European roots and multilingual trajectory, which has fueled both her creative evolution and parts of the backlash.

What It Means for Latin Pop

This moment is more than a publicity hiccup. It underscores the tug-of-war in Latin pop between global reach, language politics, cultural belonging and power legacy. Whether Rosalía's statement resolves the tension or fans continue dissecting the line remains to be seen, but it has clearly amplified the stakes around her next musical chapter.

As Rosalía prepares to launch LUX, the world will watch both the music and the response. Because in 2025's hyper-connected pop landscape, a single phrase can become the headline, the argument, and the album's defining moment.

Originally published on Music Times