"Di mi nombre" is a song by Spanish singer Rosalía. It was released on 30 October 2018 by Columbia Records as the third single from her second studio album, El mal querer (2018). It was written by the singer herself and C. Tangana with a part inspired by a Spanish song used in gypsy weddings. The track was produced by El Guincho and co-produced by Rosalía herself. It reached number one in Spain the same week the album was released, becoming Rosalía's first number-one song in the country, and also making Rosalía the first artist to reach, at the same time, the top position of singles, album sales and album streamings, with Aitana being the second artist to do so weeks later.
| "Di mi nombre" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rosalía | ||||
| from the album El mal querer | ||||
| Language | Spanish | |||
| English title | "Say My Name" | |||
| Released | 30 October 2018 | |||
| Studio | El Guincho Studio (Barcelona, Spain) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Rosalía singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Di mi nombre" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editIn September 2018, the singer was asked by Spanish actor and internet personality Brays Efe about the album's third single in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine.[1] Rosalia responded that "it can not be revealed yet, I can't say anything by now." On 29 October, the singer finally revealed its name alongside the video's concept on her social media.[2]
Music and lyrics
editThe song begins with "gypsy-inspired choirs", which forms a hook throughout the song, and a simple backing of claps.[3]
Following the release of the song and its video, several listeners accused Rosalía of appropriating the culture of Gitanos (Spanish Roma), believing she sings "el yeli" in the song, which is traditionally sung to brides at Gitano weddings.[4] Rosalía later clarified on social media that she is actually singing "ay ali", and said she based the song on the tangos of the 1950s Spanish gypsy cantaora La Repompa de Málaga.[4]
Critical reception
editTom Breihan of Stereogum called the song "gorgeously thrumming".[5] Salvatore Maicki of The Fader described the song as "intoxicating and gritty", saying Rosalía "whisks the deceptively simple production into a universe of her own with syrupy autotune and uncoy demands".[6]
Music video
editThe video was directed by Henry Scholfield and is presented as a single take. It features Rosalía dancing in various rooms with colorful lighting. Stereogum called the video another of Rosalía's "gorgeously produced freaked-out fantasias that do fascinating things with symbols of Spanish identity" and likened its lighting to a 1970s Italian horror film.[5] Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork compared the opening shot of Rosalía lying in bed to Francisco Goya's painting La maja desnuda/La maja vestida (The Naked Maja/The Clothed Maja) and named it one of the six best music videos of October 2018.[7] This was also noted by Celia Cuervo of Harper's Bazaar, who treated it as a deliberate homage due to the choice of clothing.[3]
Charts
edit| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[8] | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[9] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[10] | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Brays Efe entrevista a Rosalía | COSMOPOLITAN ESPAÑA". YouTube. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "R O S A L Í A on Twitter". Retrieved 22 November 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Cuervo, Celia (31 October 2018). "Rosalía es 'La maja vestida' de Goya en 'Di mi nombre'" [Rosalía is 'La maja vestida' by Goya in 'Di mi nombre']. Harper's Bazaar (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ a b Prats, Por Marina (31 October 2018). "Rosalía aclara la letra de 'Di mi nombre' para evitar polémicas con la comunidad gitana" [Rosalía clarifies the lyrics of 'Di mi nombre' to avoid controversy with the Roma community]. HuffPost (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (31 October 2018). "Rosalía – 'Di Mi Nombre' Video". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ Maicki, Salvatore (30 October 2018). "Watch Rosalía's new video for 'DI MI NOMBRE'". The Fader. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ Moreland, Quinn (6 November 2018). "The 6 Best Music Videos of October 2018". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "Rosalía – Di mi nombre" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 3 January 2023. Type Rosalía in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Di mi nombre in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Rosalía – Di mi nombre". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 22 November 2021.