As the summer begins, ROSALIA’s dropped a banger perfect for the weather. With the hot-streak she’s been on since the critically-acclaimed release of El Mal Querer, the Spanish star has been fighting the urge to steamroll forward.
ROSALÍA’s been sitting on the Travis Scott collab for a while, but didn’t initially feel “it was connected with what was going on in the world in that moment.”
With life starting to return to normality in her homeland following Covid-19 measures, and summer beginning, the lively dance tune couldn’t wait any longer.
The pair previously collaborated on Scott’s Highest in the Room remix, which saw ROSALÍA adapt seamlessly to the Houston rapper’s signature trap sound.
“TKN” sees a role reversal as Scott auto-croons over the type of syncopated bouncy beat that ROSALÍA fans are used to her showing off her vocal talent over.
Scott even drops a couple of lines in Spanish, although if you listen carefully, you might be able to clock his lack of familiarity with the language. The ill-fitting “Leche con azucar” (milk with sugar) line will pick up a few laughs with Rosalia’s Spanish-speaking listeners.
For the most part, though, the pair stick more serious topics. ROSALÍA focuses on secrecy and trust before Scott’s verse directs those themes at someone he’s trying to seduce.
Vocally, the pair complement each other well. ROSALÍA’s natural singing talent is complemented well by the autotune undercurrents when they harmonize between mic exchanges.
Between them, these artists have created countless styles of top-quality hooks, whether they be catchy, vibey, or epic modern ballads. On “TKN” though, the chorus will underwhelm some listeners. The percussive chant of the title doesn’t give room for either to create something as distinctive as their fans have come to expect.
There won’t be many other complaints though. ROSALÍA choice of beat as always will make you want to dance. Travis flows over the new style well and hearing trap adlibs over something with flamenco origins is hopefully just the beginning of a new sound to be explored.