Rosalía and C. Tangana, Stars in Elite Sports: How Their Songs Have Sneaked into Official Competitions
Rosalía and C. Tangana, in a file image Although the artistic paths of Rosalía and C. Tangana may never cross again due to their complicated romantic past, elite sports have been the glue that has merged their discographies. In different cities and championships, the songs of two of the most important Spanish artists in the industry have sounded, and will continue to sound, in the water and on the mat. The song G3 N15, included in Motomami, the third studio album by the Catalan singer that elevated her as one of the most iconic contemporary artists, has been the presentation card of Portugal at the European Artistic Swimming Championship. The song, dedicated to her nephew Genís, contains a delicate lyric written during confinement that makes it one of the most sensitive ballads on the album.
Antón Álvarez, C. Tangana in artistic terms, will sound, on the other hand, at the Paris Olympics starting on July 26th in the French capital. Gymnast Alba Bautista will seek her first Olympic medal with a clubs routine to the rhythm of Demasiadas Mujeres, one of the standout songs from his album El Madrileño. Bautista already used this song in the routine of the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship held in Budapest earlier this year, and now she is preparing to make it sound on the mat in Paris.
«It is an honor to be at the Olympics, but I also like the idea of inspiring an athlete,» the singer said in an interview with TVE’s Telediario. «That what I do serves someone is fantastic,» added the artist on La 1’s cameras. The first time music broke what united Rosalía was with C. Tangana. Theirs came from mutual admiration, but the first time they were seen together was in 2016, when the Catalan accompanied El Madrileño on stage to sing Llámame más tarde together. However, their musical (and personal) relationship was strengthened with the release of Antes de morirme, the song that all teenage couples have dedicated to each other since then.
Their relationship would last until May 2018 and, by then, Pucho was better known. Rosalía had released her first studio album, Los Ángeles, the most flamenco and with which she gradually made a name for herself in the industry. After the breakup with Antón Álvarez (C. Tangana’s real name), the artist released Malamente, the single that changed and revolutionized her career and also included a dig at her ex-partner. With the release of El Mal Querer (2018), an album that featured the collaboration of Álvarez himself, Rosalía expressed everything she had inside, elaborating a treatise on heartbreak that made her the artist of the moment in and out of Spain. During the promotion of the album, and when it was already known that their relationship was history, Rosalía did not mention C. Tangana except on one occasion. It was on El Hormiguero. Pablo Motos asked the singer if she had thanked anyone for loving her badly, and her response was clear: «Of course. In fact, I thank him in the album.»