Rosalía Says Bono Invented New Spanish Words For U2’s Tribute Song About Her

On Wednesday night, Rosalía appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Fallon brought up U2's upcoming album Carnaval de Luz, which features a song about the Spanish pop star. Rosalía nodded and said "Bono," before stating that it was "crazy." Fallon then asked if Rosalía knew Bono, to which she replied, "I don't know Bono, but he texted me." He told her that he had created a new song called "The Mirror Maker" and asked her if the words made sense.

Rosalía recalled that Bono wanted to use the word "marmolé" in the song. Fallon mistook it for "marmolade," but Rosalía emphasized that she had never heard of this word and had not heard of it in standard Spanish. She told Bono that she didn't know if the word existed, but suggested that he "feel free to invent your own language." It is uncertain if these invented words made it into the final recording of the song, which went through numerous iterations.

Producer Jacknife Lee has recently stated that this is the 196th version of the song. Rosalía also shared a story about visiting a church in Harlem, where she stood in line for a while before being turned away. She questioned the man at the door about her exclusion, but he merely told her that the church was full. Instead of leaving, Rosalía bought new shoes. She will be appearing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend, alongside host Shane Gillis.