Francisca Valenzuela’s album Maldita is presented as a candid, cathartic exploration of her experience of early motherhood, exhaustion and postpartum depression. The review argues that its importance lies in rejecting idealised expectations of maternal happiness while pairing painful self-examination with carefully composed, elegant music.

The Chilean singer-songwriter, 39, initially considered making an upbeat, Raffaella Carrà-inspired party record after becoming a mother, but instead focused on her emotional turmoil. Songs including “Maldita”, “Malacara”, “Buganvilia” and “No Te Aburras De Mí” depict doubt and distress through orchestral and piano-led arrangements, before the album moves towards hard-won contentment in “Nací Necesitándote” and “Komorebi”.