It is difficult to find adjectives that have not already been used to define Rosalía in a career that continues to grow towards unknown heights. And yet, it is possible that she herself has found the one that fits best, using it as the title of a track from Lux that will endure and can be applied with a strange ambivalence. The Catalan artist is the pearl of the Spanish music scene. She is so due to her relevance, both nationally and internationally. And she is also because the industry itself has decided so.
It was the third edition of the Academy of Music Awards that confirmed this. Rosalía was one of the favorites of the night with eight nominations, and she ended up taking home all eight awards despite not being present at the gala, which dimmed the event held at the Ifema Congress Palace in Madrid and broadcasted on La 2. Prior to the broadcast, in the pre-gala, she had already won five awards in Sant Esteve: Best Pop Album and Producer of the Year for her album Lux, featured on all specialized lists of 2025; Best Pop Song and Songwriter of the Year for La perla, a heartbreak anthem that the tour has solidified, and Best Music Video for Berghain, the first single from her latest work.
Three more awards were yet to come, the main ones of the night, all bearing Rosalía's name. She won Best Song of the Year -La perla recorded with Yahritza and his Esencia-, Best Album of the Year -Lux- and Artist of the Year 2025. Rosalía's clean sweep sets a new record in the short history of these awards, successors to those of the now-defunct Academy of Arts and Sciences of Music. In 2024, in its first edition, Arde Bogotá took home five awards to become the big winners, and in a more evenly distributed second gala, Nathy Peluso, with four awards, was the most acclaimed.
The start of this edition paid tribute to Robe Iniesta, the historic leader of Extremoduro who passed away in December, with a medley of all his stages. Fito Robles, Siloé's singer, delivered a version of Ama, ama, ama y ensancha el alma stripped of the strength that Robe infused into Manolo Chinato's lyrics. The same happened with the flamenco rendition of Stand By by Lela Soto with Rafael Riqueni on guitar and the Nada que perder, from the final solo stage of the Extremaduran artist, by the freestyler Walls. Xoel López's performance of Si te vas... closed that tribute to the singer-songwriter, which was remembered by two of his friends, Fito Cabrales and Leiva, while receiving their respective awards.
"I want to share this award with Robe Iniesta, wherever he is, I miss him a lot," stated the Madrilenian upon receiving his award for Best Soundtrack for the original song of his documentary Hasta que me quede sin voz. He was one of the favorites of the night and walked away with three awards: the aforementioned one, Best Tour for his Gigante Tour, and Best Pop-Rock Song with Caída libre, precisely the collaboration with Robe included in his latest album.
The urban music categories were dominated by Lia Kali, whose second album, Kaelis, was deemed the best urban album. The Catalan artist also won Best Urban Song for Chulx -with Eladio Carrión- and Best Rap/Hip Hop Song with En la cuerda floja. Similar success was seen in the alternative music categories with Guitarricadelafuente as the standout. The artist from Castellón won Best Alternative Music Album with Spanish Leather and Best Alternative Song with Babieca.
The gala, hosted by Leonor Watling, started off strained, with a script that seemed to stall, some sound issues, and further deepened during a transition where the presenter had to improvise while the stage was being set for Amaral's powerful performance. Following the duo's presence, a tribute to the late Jorge Martínez, leader of Ilegales,, was performed by Ultraligera and Juanma Montoya with the song that perhaps best defines the Asturian band: Tiempos nuevos, tiempos salvajes.
It took Joan Manuel Serrat, preceded by a rendition of his Romance de Curro El Palmo performed by María Terremoto and Andrés Suárez, to deliver the highlight of the night. The singer-songwriter took the stage to receive the Academy's honorary award and delivered a speech that was both ironic and emotional, stirring the audience gathered at the Congress Palace. "This is an award for survival and usually comes at an advanced age. I would prefer to receive the revelation award, but things have gone this way," highlighted the Catalan artist, adding that he "never" imagined being in "such a pleasant situation with 60 years of experience" or "being able to decide the moment to leave the stage to enjoy that precious thing which is being alive."
"I am the son of workers and the grandson of peasant workers, people who had nothing to do with the music world, but they were singing people. I sang with my mother when we made the bed or when I had to shell peas and separate lentils. So many things we did in the sacred atmosphere of the kitchen at home," emphasized Serrat. And he concluded: "They welcomed us with singing, and they will bid us farewell with music as well."
There was still time for Sanguijuelas del Guadiana, one of the brightest newcomers of 2025, to win the Best New Artist award or for Luz Casal, who closed the gala singing ¿Qué has hecho conmigo?, to prevail in the Best Traditional Pop Album category on the night that crowned Rosalía as the pearl of our music scene. Even though she wasn't there to witness it.