Madrid’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, said on Wednesday that Spanish pop star Rosalía’s surprise album presentation in the city centre earlier in the week caused major public safety issues.
The singer, who livestreamed her arrival on Monday evening to more than three million followers as she drove into central Madrid with friends, drew huge crowds around the plaza of Callao, spilling onto the traffic lanes of Gran Vía.
‘This could have be done without endangering people’s physical safety,’ the mayor said, noting that ‘municipal police riot squads had to be deployed to prevent pedestrians from crossing Gran Vía’.
According to reports, the Barcelona-born artist gave fans roughly an hour’s notice on social media before showing up on Monday night to promote her upcoming album, Lux.
Thousands rushed to the area to catch a glimpse of the Grammy winner as the new album cover appeared on a giant screen. Witnesses said fans chased after Rosalía as she ran from her car into a nearby hotel.
Martínez-Almeida confirmed that City Hall is considering whether to fine the singer for holding the unapproved event. She ‘could have done things differently’, he said, stressing that she ‘put in jeopardy the physical safety’ of both her fans and passers-by.
Rosalía, 33, has previously won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year twice — for El mal querer in 2019 and Motomami in 2022. Her fourth studio album, Lux, is due for release on 7 November.
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📽 | Almeida ha acusado a Rosalía de “poner en peligro la integridad física de las personas” el lunes por la noche, cuando llegó por sorpresa y sin autorización a la plaza de Callao para presentar su nuevo disco ‘Lux’ https://t.co/6WwVU88lkd pic.twitter.com/P7xFTEAEsF
— EL PAÍS (@el_pais) October 22, 2025
Almeida, sobre la presentación del nuevo álbum de Rosalía en Callao: “Creo que es compatible que lo presente sin poner en peligro la integridad física de las personas” https://t.co/1y627b50Q4 pic.twitter.com/EfMWTpA6qQ
— Europa Press (@europapress) October 22, 2025
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