Rosalía performs on stage at The Accor Arena on March 18, 2026 in Paris, France.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Liv
Houston’s Rothko Chapel is one of the city’s greatest landmarks. People from around the world come to pray in its multifaith space and soak in Mark Rothko’s contemplative, brooding works. Besides art critics and locals, it has also impressed one of the most popular Spanish-language artists working today.
On Tuesday night, Spanish pop star Rosalía performed at the Toyota Center as part of her massive 2026 tour in support of her newest album, Lux. And during the show, Rosalía got emotional while talking about being back in Houston for the first time since 2022 when she performed at 713 Music Hall.
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“I’m so happy to be back here. I remember coming to Houston… I think it was a few years ago. I don’t know, maybe about four years ago or something like that. And I performed at a venue called… 700-something? Music Hall or something like that?” Rosalía said. “And I remember you all supported me. And I realized more than ever that you still do.”
One place that left an impression on her back in 2022 was the Rothko Chapel.
“I remember here in Houston going to the Rothko Chapel,” Rosalía said of the multifaith art installation. “It’s the coolest place on Earth. I really liked it and it made me feel so connected.”
The people at the Rothko Chapel themselves were starstruck, posting a video of the shoutout on their Instagram.
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“It is always meaningful to see artists connect with spaces dedicated to reflection, creativity, and the shared human experience,” the chapel wrote on social media. “Moments like these remind us how art, music and reflection can connect people across cultures and communities.”
Rosalía’s album Lux is an experimental outing that recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra that explores her relationship with God through songs inspired by various historical female saints. The cover shows Rosalía wearing a straight jacket-like outfit that resembles a nun’s habit and veil. The Lux Tour features Rosalía accompanied by a full orchestra and back-up dancers and Rosalía sings in several languages including her native Catalan, Spanish and English, which she only recently learned. There are also parts of the show with Arabic lyrics.
David Leslie, the former executive director of Houston’s Rothko Chapel, has retired after a decade of serving the community. His successor is an imam named Abdullah Antepli, hand-selected to carry on the Chapel’s mission of inclusion in its next era.
Elizabeth FelicellaElizabeth Felicella
That Rosalía would love the Rothko Chapel makes sense. It’s always been intended as a place of inspiration, a space to think not necessarily to think of a specific God or religious doctrine, but to bask in the pureness of the divine.
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Houston oil scions and art collectors John and Dominique de Menil asked the storied abstract painter Mark Rothko to create 14 paintings for the space in various shades of black with the goal of creating a meditative space around Rothko’s work. The de Menils then commissioned the legendary postmodernist architect Philip Johnson (who designed Uptown’s Williams Tower) to design the physical building and its surrounding campus.
Since it opened to the public in 1971, Rothko Chapel has been home to various academic and religious gatherings dedicated to the intersections of faith and social justice. In 1991, the chapel hosted Nelson Mandela as a keynote speaker and gave him an award to commemorate both the chapel’s anniversary and Mandela’s human rights work. To this day, Rothko Chapel hosts various interfaith panels, celebrations and vigils, like one last fall for Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Besides the Rothko Chapel, Rosalía also paid tribute to another Houston icon: Beyoncé.
“You’re so lucky,” Rosalía told the screaming crowd at Toyota Center. “Because Beyoncé is from here.”
“Bey is incredible, she’s such a creative force,” she continued. “She’s the f–king best, we’ve all learned so much from her. She’s such a great artist, and I’ve looked up to her since a lot of years ago.”
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Toyota Center was packed for Rosalía’s stop on the LUX tour, which will see her visit Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland to close out. But it was clear that Houston meant something special to her.
“There are almost 20,000 people here tonight. It’s crazy,” Rosalía said. “Thank you for showing up for me, for my team, and for this project. It means a lot, it really means a lot.”