Spanish musician Rosalía has been awarded the 2026 National Current Music Award by Spain's Ministry of Culture and Sports, receiving a prize of 30,000 euros.
The ministry announced the honor on Monday, pointing to the artistic impact of her 2025 album Lux and her broader contribution to international music.
In its official decision, the judging panel praised Lux as an ambitious, innovative, and transformative project that pushes creative boundaries while earning unanimous acclaim from critics and listeners alike.
The jury highlighted her international career, noting her focus on artistic research, willingness to take creative risks, and search for a distinct sonic identity that bridges genres, eras, and styles.
Panel members commended her ability to combine avant-garde innovation with cultural heritage, while also praising her contribution to promoting Spanish music globally and collaborating with fellow artists.
National recognition for contemporary music
The 30,000 euro distinction is awarded annually by the Spanish government to recognize outstanding contributions to contemporary music. Organizers highlighted Rosalía's 2025 album release as a milestone in her creative evolution.
Spain's Ministry of Culture and Sports oversees the national awards program through the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music. The agency manages state funding for the arts, national performance centers, and official prizes across musical genres.
Born in 1992 in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, a municipality in the Baix Llobregat region near Barcelona, Rosalía began her professional recording career in 2017 with her debut album Los Ángeles.
The album developed from her formal background in flamenco studies and won the Premio Ruido for best Spanish album of the year, an annual distinction awarded by Spain's specialized music press association.
Traditional flamenco, rooted in southern Spain, combines specialized vocal styles with intricate acoustic guitar accompaniment, serving as the foundation for her early recording work.
Career milestones and international acclaim
She built on that early success in 2018 with her second studio album, El mal querer, which combined traditional flamenco influences with urban music and pop sounds.
Driven by hit singles such as Malamente, the project attracted international attention and featured prominently on end-of-year best album lists compiled by global publications.
Her experimental approach continued with her third studio album, Motomami, released in 2022. The record received widespread acclaim from critics and the public alike.
Over the course of her career, Rosalía has accumulated major music honors, including two Grammy Awards and 13 Latin Grammy Awards, capped by an Album of the Year win for Motomami.
The Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards are presented by the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy, representing the highest international honors in the music industry.
Jury members and previous honorees
The judging panel for the 2026 award was chaired by Javier Monsalve, the Director General of Performing Arts and Music. Paz Santa Cecilia, the Director General of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music, served as vice president.
The panel also included deputy director general of music Ana Belén Faus, along with Nuria Sempere Comas, Isabel Villanueva Benito, Rubén Gutiérrez del Castillo, José Luis Sevillano Romero, Almudena Heredero Borreguero, and musician Antonio Serrano, who won the National Current Music Award in the previous edition.
Rosalía joins a prominent group of past recipients of the national distinction. Previous winners include Catalan singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat, pop-rock duo Amaral, singer Luz Casal, musician Kiko Veneno, hip-hop artist La Mala Rodríguez, singer Rozalén, and folklore performer Rodrigo Cuevas.
