La Perla (Rosalía and Yahritza y su Esencia song)

The lyrics present a deeply personal confrontation, born from a process of healing rather than a direct call-out: Rosalía stated that "there's no need to point fingers for the message to truly sink in".^[2] Musically, the track combines a minimalist but emotionally potent production with pointed lyrical metaphors: she refers to the subject as a "ladrón de paz" (peace thief), a "terrorista emocional" (emotional terrorist), and "rompecorazones nacional" (national heartbreaker).^[3] While she did not name anyone, media and fan speculation point toward Rauw Alejandro, her former fiancé. The song's title, "La Perla", alludes both to the famous neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Rauw's place of origin) and serves as a Spanish phrase often used ironically to mock someone who stands out for negative reasons.^[4] In promotional interviews, Rosalía explained that writing "La Perla" was part of learning to let go and forgive, although she admitted: "forgiving is very hard for me — it takes me years."^[2]

On 30 October 2025, prior to the album's release, a special edition of the podcast Popcast by The New York Times aired a preview of several songs from the upcoming album, Lux. During the Popcast interview, Rosalía added that "there's always a villain" in the story, and expressed disillusionment with traditional masculinity, stating: "the faith in masculinity is lost".^[5] Further discussion around "La Perla" arose after Rosalía shared an Instagram photo showing a whiteboard used in the creative planning of Lux, where the name "Bey" appeared next to the song's title. The image sparked speculation about Beyoncé's potential involvement in the track, either as an early intended collaborator, a possible feature on an upcoming version, or simply an artistic reference in the creation process to Beyoncé's lyrically ravaging 2016 studio album Lemonade.^[6]

Rosalía performed "La Perla" solo live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 16 November 2025 as promotion for Lux. The staging was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea".^[7]

Rosalía announced the music video for "La Perla" on social media hours before its release on 16 December 2025. The video was directed by Stillz (Matías Vásquez), an American-Colombian director who previously collaborated with the singer on visuals for Motomami and the video for "La Noche de Anoche".^[8]

The video features scenes of fencing and ice skating, alongside luxury imagery such as high-end cars, Doberman dogs and smoking, elements that have appeared in Rosalía's previous visual work. Reception to the video was mixed, with some viewers praising its aesthetics while others expressed disappointment over its perceived lack of narrative depth.^[9]

Credits adapted from the Lux credits page on Rosalía's official website.^[10]

Performers

• Rosalía – primary artist, vocals
• Yahritza y su Esencia – primary artist
• London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra
• Daníel Bjarnason – conductor

Songwriting and production

• Rosalía Vila Tobella – composer, lyricist, producer, vocal producer
• Noah Goldstein – composer, producer
• Dylan Wiggins – composer, producer
• David Rodríguez – composer, vocal producer, additional production
• Ryan Tedder – composer
• Vanessa Amara – arranger

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