This article looks at two Spanish composers active in France—Carlos de Castellarnau and Ramon Lazkano—to develop a reflection about how national belonging is used in contemporary art music, specifically for its evaluation and the discourses that are created around it. We see that despite both composers rejecting any essentialist definition of themselves as ‘Spanish’, ‘Basque’, or ‘Catalan’ composers, these labels are continually used to describe them and their music, even though these labels have no specific aesthetic meaning. We reflect on why national origin is used to categorise composers, even in light of their typically transnational career paths. The conclusion addresses the tension between universalism and authenticity that is present when evaluating the work of composers who have followed migratory paths.