BARCELONA, Spain — When Rosalía, a Spanish singer and songwriter, released her debut album, “Los Ángeles,” in 2017, she was largely unknown outside of Spain. In the years since, she has won two MTV Video Music Awards and five Latin Grammys, garnered nine million Instagram followers and made a cameo in Pedro Almodóvar’s film, “Pain and Glory.” Her 2018 genre-bending sophomore release, “El Mal Querer,” also earned a Grammy nomination for best new artist: The 26-year-old musician from Sant Esteve Sesrovires, a small town north of Barcelona, is the first Spanish-language recording artist to break into the category. (The award ceremony takes place tonight.)

But the album has ignited a heated debate about cultural appropriation.

Rosalía, whose full name is Rosalía Vila Tobella, was 13 when she first became spellbound by the music of Camarón de la Isla — a legendary Spanish Romani flamenco singer. She went on to spend a decade training with the flamenco virtuoso, José Miguel “El Chiqui” Vizcaya, before releasing “Los Ángeles,” which she described as “it’s flamenco and it’s not.” The vocal-driven concept album, which melds traditional styles with modern influences, propelled the genre forward.

While the origins of flamenco are unknown, the style is linked to the Spanish Romani, who have long been marginalized and discriminated against. The Catalan singer, who weaves the Spanish Romani language and Roma imagery together in some of her work, has been accused of profiting from Roma culture. Her Latin Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best Urban Song, for the single “Con Altura” or “With Style” (an hommage to classic reggaeton), also invited cries of appropriation, given her white European heritage.

The controversies illustrate why it’s problematic to lump all Spanish-speaking musicians together. And while the critical opprobrium directed at Rosalía has been unfair, there’s still a debate worth having.