When we wrote the article three years ago 2022, the year in which the flamenco It brokeWe were cheating a little (or rather, quite a lot). Because the flamenco It has always been evolving and there isn't really a date – not even the one it was published on the legend of timeThere were many more innovations before, of Marchena a El CaracolTo give two obvious examples—nor a specific context that marks a catharsis, but rather a constant progression punctuated by significant moments. And could 2025 be one of them? That's difficult to see without a time perspective. Nor do we have any reference point as universal as the publication of Omega in 1996 or Evil wanting in 2017. But there are examples that this approach is becoming more established. flamenco from various perspectives, which some may consider a break with tradition and others, an evolution.
This article does not intend to resolve a debate that cannot be settled without a broader historical perspective, but rather to portray a flourishing scene that is enjoying less niche support. Whether we should celebrate this or not, only time will tell.
We would like to highlight two names that, in our opinion, have clearly been prominent figures over the last twelve months. Firstly, the guitarist from Alicante. Yerai Cortes, who released her debut album in December 2024, and by January she was already reaping the first rewards with the Goya Award for Best Original Song for Los Almendros, the song included in the soundtrack of the documentary directed by Anton Alvarez, in which he provides the voice The TanyaAnd his subsequent tour, received with far more positive than negative feedback, which this publication has already covered in this review.
And on the other hand, Maria Terremoto, which, with ManifestoThis great album, backed by a label as prestigious as Universal and produced by Yerai Cortés himself, has managed, with the utmost respect, to reach a wider audience and become one of the names of the year. Furthermore, it has cleverly separated the album's concept from the more modern and disruptive side of the single. Dragging, performed alongside Faenna and produced by Lost Twin (also a contributor to Maria Jose Llergo), which is steeped in urban rhythms.
But they are not the only ones. That's why in this article we have selected a total of twelve names, represented in twelve songs with very different themes, which can be a good introduction to what these 365 days of 2025 have been like:
Judeline and Yerai Cortés – A bridge across the bay, the Cruz del Campo
The collaboration of the urban artist judeline Yerai Cortés is the best example that flamenco The more unorthodox approach has found some commercial success. Not surprisingly, the song was commissioned by the beer brand that previously used none other than... Camarón to promote themselves.
With a joyful flourish and a final flourish of bulerías, Judeline adapts to a world that isn't her own, yet she respects it without trying to do what isn't hers to do. And Yerai repeats his success in a year he shouldn't forget. A bridge across the bay that we should all celebrate.
Rosalía – New World
The peteneras of The Girl with the Combs They bathe in the interpretation of Rosalia with a lyrical nuance in keeping with the style of his album LUXThe debate about appropriation is now obsolete. It's been a long time since... flamenco It's not the artist's musical roots, but she hasn't forgotten her influences and pays tribute to them whenever she can. There's no longer any self-serving exploitation, but rather a sincere homage from someone who, even after reaching the status of a global megastar, still remembers what was part of her musical development.
Open Front – I think I can see you (soleá)
Open Front It is a heterogeneous collective of musicians, who have sought to color the flamenco of other sounds, essentially brought from rock and metal, and for this he has relied on the voices of Lela Soto, Israel Fernandez, Sebastian Cruz, Angeles Toledano e Ines Bacán, who participate in the different songs that make up War on everythingAnd so we find ourselves with the palos more classic, imbued with the musical diversity of the band members Orthodox y Altair Metal, as well as the guitar of Raul Cantizano and the schedules of David lamb.
Angeles Toledano and Dalila – The seguiriya remix
Ángeles Toledano's seguiriya travels towards the dance floor in the remix that makes DALILA on the topic of Dirty blood, the album with which the Jaén native debuted in 2024. Thus, one of the palos The more rancid one gets dirty with breakbeat in what was one of the highlights of Toledano's live performance, which has ended up having a studio version.
Soleá Morente – Mercury and silk
Yes, initially use Enrique Morente It might be considered sacrilege. But if anyone has the authority to do it, it's his daughter. SoleaFurthermore, we all know about the transgressive spirit of the man from Granada, so this Mercury and silk Born for the club, it may be shocking, very much so, at first, but time ends up proving Soleá right in her collaboration with the producer Guille Milkywaybehind its brand La Casa Azul.
María José Llergo – Good of Loves
The memory of the grandfather, who sings tangos to his granddaughter Repompa, is the start of Good lovewhere María José Llergo elaborates on what has already been shown in her album UltrabeautyHis style is pop or even urban music, yes, but with the omnipresence of his learning. flamenco.
This song is a hymn to resilience (“everything I loved you for, now I love myself”, “being without you is good for me, because I no longer let anyone change me”) with a certain fondness for tangos, which continues to place her among the most interesting names on the current scene.
"From the work of Rocío Márquez, the boom that was Rosalía's arrival, the consistency of La Tremendita, the now-regular Soleá Morente and María José Llergo, and the new works of names like Ángeles Toledano or María Terremoto. One of the great news stories in what Mario Pacheco once defined as New Flamenco and we need to start assessing whether we can call him right away flamenco simply
The Little Square – 18010
Second album by the square where they continue with their merger of flamencoDance music and funk are amplified in this work with elements of jazz, Japanese city pop, salsa, and Easter music, but without losing their essence and that contagious "flow" that they then so enthusiastically bring to their live performances. We already said it in 2022, and we weren't wrong: they continue to be at the forefront of those who hybridize the flamenco with good taste and, above all, respect.
Maria del Tango – Soleá from the other shore
We loved this soleá (por bulerías) which is a preview of her next album scheduled for February 2026, in which we hope that the evolution of this artist will be confirmed and which she herself says in the lyrics of this song: “I am the bridge of the two shores / I am the road and the border / And in Granada I have the land / in Cadiz I have the foam / and between the two I am pursued / by the flamenco that cradles me.”
Las Migas and Tanxugueiras – Shout (Cantes abandolaos and Malagueña de la Trini)
So we go to the folk extreme of this list of flamenco peripheries and add to our list this exquisite hybrid between the recent Latin Grammy winners Flamenco for her recent album and the Galician women tanxugueiras, which lead to an intermediate ground these cantes abandolaos and malagueña de the trinityNothing more and nothing less, with a magnificent result that we encourage you to taste.
The Tremendous One – The exit
Rosario couldn't be missing from our list of highlights, because she, better than anyone, represents the essence and foundation of flamenco by right, to which she adds her diverse musical interests, which, as those of us who follow her know, can range from Persian music to electronica, rock, or whatever comes to mind, but always with a foundation and unique results in the fusion. This track is a preview of her new album (Transit) which has already been presented in the Andalusia- cycleFlamenco and in which he collaborates with Dani de Moron y Manuel Queen; which still has us shocked and, above all, expectant.
Cristian De Moret and Rocío Márquez – Stone Fandango
We have taken advantage of this collaboration between the two artists to include them in our list, although we could perfectly well have done it separately because both have talent and work that allows them to appear on their own. Dewwith a new, risky, and almost experimental album like Vertical Anthemwhich we're sure we'll see transformed as soon as it's filmed live. And CristianWith the magnificent advance singles they've released while we await their new album, we've included a few more tracks from both artists on the list so you can hear them as they deserve. The burgeoning flamenco scene of Huelva in recent years couldn't be left out of this list because with so much young talent, it's inevitable that these kinds of projects will emerge.
Maria Earthquake – To death, Romance, Solitude
And we close with what for us has been the best album flamenco of the year, both in terms of tradition and innovation, and, of course, with the help of the renowned Yerai Cortes, who serves as producer and guitarist. María has made a strong commitment to advancing her career, starting from her comfortable position as a leading figure on posters and in theaters. She has been courageous and hasn't done what she could easily have done, and with the support of a major company like Universal, she has released ManifestoAn album with only eight tracks that needs no more than 25 minutes to make a clear statement of intent on how to do the best. flamenco At its core, it's still very much alive, but with other innovative and exquisite echoes in its form. A good example of this is this song, which, with just María's voice and a light accompaniment of percussion and shouts, fills everything with the aftertaste of those primitive yet modern echoes that this album synthesizes. And with it, we want to end this list in the most complete and profound way possible, yet innovative in its form, which also complements the visual presentation accompanying the singles.
And as we've already hinted, although his album was released in December 2024, you can see it in the track with Judeline, the production of this Manifesto And with a couple of previews of his new album, scheduled for February 2026, the name of Yerai Cortés hovers over our list, whom we can also find in the credits of La Tania's album, and surely next year he will surprise us with more collaborations like those he already did in past years with La Tremendita, Elche NiñoAngeles Toledano, Incarnate Ring o Juanfra Carrasco.
But the year isn't just about these twelve names, so we've expanded the twelve tracks reviewed to include many others we consider interesting in the vein we've discussed, and we're presenting them in this list so you can listen to them and judge for yourselves. Or even suggest any we might have missed, or give us a little red face if necessary—that's what these articles are for.
Something that was far less common in the last century now seems to be the dominant trend. From the work of Rocío Márquez, the boom that was Rosalía's arrival, the consistency of La Tremendita, the now-regular Soleá Morente and María José Llergo, and the new works of names like Ángeles Toledano and María Terremoto. One of the biggest news stories in what was once Mario Pacheco placeholder image defined as New Flamenco and we need to start assessing whether we can call him right away flamenco Plain and simple. ♦
Text: Manolo Dominguez y Fede Calderón
