Angeles-based multidisicplinary artist Raphael Rosalen, shared the announcement of his debut album, Monte Casanova. Our first introduction to the world of Monte Casanova was the fierce and hypnotic lead single “AMERICAN NIGHTMARE.”
Today, Tutafarel shares the newest taste of Monte Casanova, in the form of the fun, seductive, and hyperpop-esque new single “Passenger princess.” The accompanying video aims to visually define the ethos of the modern-day passenger princess by showing voyeuristic displays of love reminiscent of romantic dynamics in the digital era. The video follows Tutafarel in intimate moments: lounging in bed, taking selfies (both analog and digital), showering, and riding his bike through the city, complementing the vibey, playful energy of the track.
“The track mixes some of my soft rap influences for the album, like Brockhampton and Doja Cat, with a bit of a fun K-pop energy in the back,” he shares. “
The idea came from one night out with this guy I was seeing. He picked me up in a two-seat convertible, music blasting, speeding through the Hollywood Hills, with city lights glittering in the back. He had one hand on the wheel, the other on my thigh. It was hot, cinematic, and I wanted to save that confident and sexy feeling before it flew away. I’d been wanting to write a song titled ‘Passenger princess’ for a while, and all of this just came together. The song is sexy, fun, and perfect for a late-night drive.”
Though Tutafarel had been quietly building the world of Monte Casanova for some time, the LP truly began to take form in 2025 after a road accident left him recovering in bed for several months. Immersed in 90s action movies, Greek tragedies, and the legend of Giacomo Casanova, he began piecing together a world that could hold both the chaos and the beauty of modern everyday life. Sonically, he pulled from a wide range of male pop, turning to artists like Michael Jackson, Brockhampton, KAIRO, and Justin Bieber, pairing it with softer, more playful influences like PinkPantheress and Addison Rae. Notably, the entire LP was self-produced by Tutafarel in GarageBand, giving the record an instinctive, deeply personal edge.
As Tutafarel explains, “There’s sex, drugs, and rock & roll, sure, but underneath it’s about accepting imperfection: yours, mine, everyone’s. We live in a culture obsessed with surface, so opening up the messy parts can feel wrong sometimes. This record says forget that. It’s okay to dance through it, stay home and cuddle to a black-and-white-movie, or just be. Monte Casanova is a moment of escape—a big, cathartic sigh—but dressed in pop.”
The album Monte Casanova is part of a larger multimedia project that includes Tutafarel’s debut book of the same name and an ongoing TikTok/serialized video series.
The book is set in a near-future, crumbling Los Angeles ruled by media spectacle — think Succession meets Romeo & Juliet. This two-act queer tragedy follows Monte, a fallen icon born into power, as he confronts intimacy, betrayal, and the politics of influence. Told through a Chorus of journalists, influencers, and digital onlookers, it’s a sharp portrait of identity, power, and intimacy in a digital age. It lays out the emotional universe that the album builds on.
The TikTok series expands that world into a serialized narrative for a younger, online audience. Together, the three formats create a single interconnected world that blends music, literature, and digital storytelling.
“Passenger princess” is out today on all DSPs. The “Passenger princess” video is out this Friday, Octover 24th. Tutafarel’s debut album Monte Casanova is due for release on December 5th.
MONTE CASANOVA TRACKLISTING
1. Sunrise
2. AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
3. Passenger princess
4. PINEAPPLE DIESEL
5. A glitch in the matrix
6. Let it unfold
7. Numaraiva
8. Hi are you free next week i could do wednesday or saturday if you want to sleep over
9. Does he write about you on his alt
10. Sky won’t break
11. Can’t wait (feat. róbi)
12. Norman fucking bates
13. DOUBLE DUTCH (feat. Violet Chachki)
TUTAFAREL BIO:
Tutafarel is the creative alias of Brazilian-born, Los Angeles–based artist Raphael Rosalen, and Monte Casanova is his debut album. Raised in the small town of Piracicaba, a few hours from São Paulo, Tutafarel was surrounded by art from an early age, thanks to his academic and painterly mother, who frequently took him to art museums. That early exposure sparked his interest in visual arts, which later extended to film, leading him to earn a BA and MA in Cinema and Media Studies at USC, and he is now completing a PhD at UC Irvine.
Music had always played in the background, but grad school became the turning point — he started writing songs to explore ideas about culture, identity, and desire. His first EP, flaming heaven and perpetual ecstasy, was a love letter to Los Angeles and nightlife romance. That was followed by the double EP FREUD AGAIN.. and FREUD AGAIN AND AGAIN.., a campy, queer-studies-inspired twist on pop music, blending Brazilian and American sounds. Its 2024 release party at O-Town House Gallery also served as a fundraiser for the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Immigration Services.
Now, with Monte Casanova, Tutafarel fully steps into a world he has been creating across different media — one that combines Brazilian rhythms like bossa nova and baile funk with the polished textures of electronic pop and a love for storytelling. His sound palette references artists like Rosalía, PinkPantheress, Frank Ocean, and Julian Casablancas, seamlessly blending masculine and feminine energies. But his inspirations go beyond music and tap into his past experiences working at MoMA and Academy Film Archive. He draws a lot of inspiration from cinema and contemporary video art, noting Doug Aitken and 1980s East Village artists like Klaus Nomi and Kestutis Nakas for his multimedia approaches.
Looking ahead, Tutafarel hopes to bring the “Monte Casanova” universe to life with an intimate, house-party-style tour. Alongside that, he plans to publish new books outside of this project and begin production on his sophomore album. Just months after the debut’s release, he’ll also complete his PhD in digital media studies, closing one chapter while opening several more.
