Rosalía and Manager Rebeca León Amicably Part Ways: Exclusive
Written by djfrosty on February 1, 2023
Rosalía and her highly-regarded manager, Rebeca León, have amicably parted ways, Billboard has learned. The split comes after an almost six-year stint that saw Rosalía rise from unknown flamenco artist to global superstar. Prior to working closely with Rosalía, León helmed the careers of fellow superstars J Balvin and Juanes.
The split, which sources say was agreed upon under good terms, leaving both parties with “gratitude and pride for everything they have accomplished together,” allows both León and Rosalía to explore new paths. Rosalía has yet to announce new management.
León will focus her energy on her production company, Lionfish Studios, with which she closed a content deal with Sony Music last year. Projects in development include Alice with Gunpowder & Sky; Redemption Song with Fifth Season and director Jessica Kavanaugh; Mona Carmona with José Ignacio Valenzuela, Paul Pérez Pictures, Malule Entertainment and Lucas Akoskin; and Biscayne Baby with Sebastian Ortega and Enrique Murciano, in addition to a project León is developing with Steven Levinson for HBO.
Last year, León was also a co-producer of the Father of the Bride remake starring Andy García. León will also continue working in music projects, including management of st. pedro and a partnership with BRESH via her music company, Lionfish Entertainment.
Rosalía, fresh from performing at the Louis Vuitton men’s show in Paris in January, is in the midst of prepping a series of festival dates, including headlining Lollapalooza in Argentina and Chile and playing the main stage at Coachella in April. She is also close to announcing a deal with Coca-Cola, according to sources.
The León-Rosalía manager-client partnership was widely regarded as one of the most successful in the music industry. In a narrative that closely mimics the movie-like storyline of how a brilliant manger takes a hugely talented unknown artist and makes her a star, León signed Rosalía after watching her perform in Madrid in 2017, at the urging of her then-client Juanes.
At the time, Rosalía was a highly respected and unorthodox flamenco artist, little known outside Spain. Rosalía told Billboard in 2019, “I had never met any manager nor had I had a manager.”
Rosalía told León she was looking for someone to internationalize her and her music and help her grow.
León was hugely impressed.
“I’m never looking for another artist,” she told Billboard in the same interview. “But she was captivating. She was inspiring.” The following day, she watched Rosalía’s videos and saw yet another realm of possibilities.
“She sang flamenco and then she sang hip-hop. Her movement, her attitude, I thought, that’s going to change everything. She had reinvented something.”
Rosalía was in the process of signing with Sony Music Spain, and under León, moved to Columbia in a joint deal with the label.
In the five years that followed, she became perhaps the most elite Latin artist in recent history, recording with the likes of Billie Eilish and The Weeknd, and becoming the first artist that sings in Spanish to ever be nominated for best new artist at the Grammys. She went on to best Latin rock, urban or alternative album for El Mal Querer, which also won album of the year at the Latin Grammys.
Last year, her Motomami also won album of the year at the Latin Grammys and is once again nominated for the since-renamed best Latin rock or alternative album award at the Grammys.
All told, Rosalía has placed six songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and 17 on Hot Latin Songs, including six top 10s.