About TKN

Rosalía ushers Travis Scott into her circle of trust on “TKN.” She sings, in a snappy tone, about family business, bosses, and omertà—mafia talk. The hook suggests a Drake approach to keeping strangers at arm’s length, but the song suggests otherwise. This is the second meeting between Rosalía and Travis Scott; she joined Lil Baby on a remix of Scott’s “Highest in the Room” last year, and he returns the favor here. While their first meeting felt like two artists trying to force their styles together for a brand merger, this joint effort works toward harmony. They sing in unison, meet on neutral ground, and disavow all potential interlopers. “No more new friends, don’t bring the hype here,” Scott raps, backing her obstructive play. As they isolate themselves from backstabbers, the two seem to discover they are kindred spirits. Rosalía was born on 25 September 1993. She began her professional musical formation at age 16 at the Taller de Músics in Barcelona, Spain. She did a 6-year course at the academy. She began attending class at the Raval school. Due to her high grades and multiple recommendations, she transferred to the Superior School of Music of Catalonia in order to finish her course. There she received lessons from Chiqui de La Línea, a flamenco teacher who only accepted one student per year.

“TKN” sounds a world away from the flamenco pop and quiet R&B of recent Rosalía singles “Juro Que” and “Dolerme,” swinging closer to her 2019 collaboration with J Balvin, “Con Altura.” Co-produced by Rosalía and Scott with frequent collaborator El Guincho and Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneer DJ Nelson, “TKN” is a vibrant cross-cultural exchange that makes use of urbano’s trap flavor and dembow pulse. Rosalía sounds like she’s at home and exudes swagger, but as partners go, Scott is no J Balvin. He’s not a comparable charmer, and his raps have less character, but he performs admirably here, flaunting the range of his voice and even dabbling in a little Spanish. The beat bottoms out and glitches, blurs in and out of focus, yet these changing textures and constant modifications keep it fresh; its groove remains inescapable. Both Rosalía and Travis Scott have come under fire for being culture vultures in the past, but they work through those characterizations in collaboration. By banding together on “TKN,” they prove that relying on new friends can be constructive.

Rosalía was born on 25 September 1993. She began her professional musical formation at age 16 at the Taller de Músics in Barcelona, Spain. She did a 6-year course at the academy. She began attending class at the Raval school. Due to her high grades and multiple recommendations, she transferred to the Superior School of Music of Catalonia in order to finish her course. There she received lessons from Chiqui de La Línea, a flamenco teacher who only accepted one student per year. At 15 years old she competed on the television show Tú sí que vales, although she wasn't selected. Rosalía worked as a duo with Juan "Chicuelo" Gómez at the 2013 Panama International Film Festival and at the Festival Grec de Barcelona for the contemporary dance work De Carmen. In 2013, she participated in the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Conference in New York, and was the lead voice in the culmination of the Año Espriu 2014 at the Palau de la Música. In 2015 she collaborated with La Fura dels Baus on a show premiered in Singapore. She was the opening act for Catalan flamenco artist Miguel Poveda, accompanied by Alfredo Lagos, at the International Music Festival of Cadaqués, and also at the 2016 Jerez Jazz Festival. She worked with Rocío Márquez on the presentation of her album El Niño, produced by Raül Refree, at Primavera Sound 2015. In 2015, she also worked with clothing brand Desigual and sang the single for their 2015 campaign jingle "Last Night Was Eternal". That same year, she released "Un Millón de Veces". The song was part of the benefit album Tres Guitarras Para el Autismo. All proceeds benefited studies on autism. Through her teenage years and early twenties, she performed in musical bars and weddings. At age 20 she worked as a flamenco teacher.