How Rosalía Blended Sex and Spirituality to Create ‘Hentai’, the Year’s Most Erotic Ballad

Rolling Stone’s January cover star Rosalía sat down to discuss her ballad “Hentai” for the latest episode of “The Breakdown.”

Rosalía had been in the studio with Pharrell, working on what would become her acclaimed third album Motomami. She set out to make a ballad, but she didn’t want to make one with typical emotional themes. She wanted hers to be more sexual and erotic, inspired by the daring careers of Madonna and Björk. Pharrell and Rosalía first began working on the song in Miami and finished it in New York at the iconic Electric Lady Studios, where Rosalía recently sat down with Rolling Stone and shared exactly how they came up with the track.

Early on, Pharrell played her the chord progression that immediately interested Rosalía — she says she was struck by how “delicate” and “very tasteful” it sounded. It reminded her of Disney and Frank Sinatra, which offered a stark contrast to the song’s explicit lyricism. Those chords went on to become song’s the chorus.

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