Spanish musician Pablo López will release his fifth studio album, titled El Cuatro, on September 18, marking his first solo studio recording in six years.
The new album features ten songs preceded by an introductory track designed to establish the soundscape for his return. Listeners have already been given a preview of the upcoming material through released tracks including Como soy, El niño del espacio, and Esdrújula, the latter of which has been featured on Spanish radio station Cadena 100.
López, a singer-songwriter and pianist born in Málaga in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, first achieved national prominence in 2008 on the television contest Operación Triunfo. Over the past decade, he has established himself as a central figure in Spanish pop music, known for combining piano compositions with melodic pop-rock arrangements. Cadena 100 is a major Spanish radio network focused on modern adult contemporary pop music.
Meaning behind the album title
In an interview with Elle magazine ahead of the album launch, López explained the reasoning behind naming the record El Cuatro. He noted that although this project represents his fifth solo studio album, it could also be considered his sixth release if counting Victoria, a joint album he created in close collaboration with legendary Spanish singer Raphael.
Raphael, born Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez, is a veteran Spanish romantic ballad singer whose music career has spanned more than six decades. Elle is an international fashion and lifestyle publication that conducts cultural and entertainment interviews.
López described the title El Cuatro as an encrypted yet vocal expression of gratitude. He explained that it pays tribute to being allowed to remain the child who, when lost, could only say he lived at number four rather than explaining the full details.
He added that the title also serves as a homage to the tetralogy formed by his first four studio albums. López revealed that his brother had insisted he listen through those four earlier records from start to finish, something he had never previously done because he had only ever performed the tracks on stage.
After listening straight through from his debut album La mejor noche de mi vida to his fourth release Unikornio, a total sequence of 47 or 48 songs, López said the experience impacted him deeply. He described El Cuatro as a healing project that honors the foundation of his career, the journey he has taken, the freedom to pause on an ordinary afternoon, and the four records he wrote, emphasizing that those early works were deeply significant to him.
Final dates of national concert tour
The album launch coincides with the closing stretch of López's concert tour, which has taken him across Spain since the beginning of the year. The tour shares its name with the album track El niño del espacio, which was released on digital streaming platforms on November 21 of last year.
In El niño del espacio, López steps away from his traditional reliance on the piano to focus instead on guitar strings, delivering a rhythm described as cheerful melancholy. The song reflects the paradoxical themes that López frequently explores in his songwriting, leading industry commentators to regard him as a major creative talent within Spanish music.
López has six remaining concert appearances scheduled on his tour before taking a break. His next performance takes place this Saturday in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, followed by a show on September 11 in Sariñena, located in the province of Huesca.
The tour continues on September 13 in the Mediterranean port city of Alicante, followed by a performance in Cáceres on September 18, coinciding directly with the day El Cuatro arrives in stores and on streaming services. López will complete the tour with two consecutive dates in the Canary Islands, performing in Fuerteventura on October 30 and in Gran Canaria on October 31.
Recent medical issues and television roles
The conclusion of the tour follows a difficult period for the singer, who was previously forced to suspend his most recent concert after suffering health problems that resulted in a hospital stay. At the time, López expressed regret to his audience, explaining that he had fought until the last possible moment to perform.
Alongside his recording and touring commitments, López is also set to return to television screens as a coach on the 2026 edition of La Voz, the Spanish adaptation of the international talent show franchise The Voice. He will join fellow coaches Mika, the Lebanese-British pop star, Spanish artist Lola Índigo, and Asturian singer-songwriter Melendi on the panel.
