CHICKEN TERIYAKI Lyrics in English by ROSALÍA
Pentagrama translates to 'musical staff', which refers to the five horizontal lines used to read and write sheet music. It is a fascinating word for English speakers to learn, as many might mistakenly think she is singing about a magical five-pointed star.
In the track, Rosalía sings, "Leo pentagrama', pero no los escribo" (I read sheet music, but I don't write it), cleverly using this term to flex her formal musical education while pointing out that her own creative process breaks traditional rules.
CHICKEN TERIYAKI is pure flex from Spanish artist ROSALÍA, and it does not take itself too seriously. She zooms through New York City, visiting her private jeweler to dump physical cash (Solo quiere cash, yo le doy mi dinero [He only wants cash, I give him my money]) and roller-skating all the way up to Washington Heights with her Dominican friends (patinando para los heights / Todas mis domi' saben la que hay [skating to the Heights / All my Dominican girls know what's up]). She wants a chain expensive enough to wipe out her entire bank account (Quiero una cadena que me arruine toda la cuenta [I want a chain that ruins my whole bank account]), comparing her expensive taste to supermodel Naomi Campbell in the 1990s and singer Julio Iglesias in the 1970s.
The wordplay is snappy and intentionally absurd. She uses the Spanish street slang naki (a playful distortion of nada, meaning 'nothing') purely to set up the ridiculous rhyme with food and motorbikes: Para ti naki, chicken teriyaki / Tu gata quiere maki, mi gata en kawasaki [For you, nothing, chicken teriyaki / Your girl wants sushi rolls, my girl is on a Kawasaki]. While she admits that fame is a drag (la fama es una condena [fame is a sentence]), she quickly shrugs it off with practical humor, asking what else is going to buy dinner. People throw shade at her like drag queens, but she just keeps strutting between Queens and Tribeca, completely unbothered.
