Rosalia rides a motorcycle on a stage consisting entirely of dancers. Dressed in glamorous black and white leather clothes, like a biker in the front row at a fashion show, the Spanish superstar sits on a mass of bodies that are carefully lined up. Behind her, a colossal screen fuels fantasy, showing desert landscapes rushing by, as if the artist is rushing at breakneck speed — this is a sight worth seeing.
This physical theater, an accompaniment to the title track from Rosalia’s third studio album “Motomami”, which blew up genres, absorbs a full house at Lisbon’s Altice Arena with a capacity of 20,000 people. After the flamenco-inspired melodies of her 2017 debut album Los Angeles and 2018 Grammy-nominated El mal querer, the 30-year-old singer revealed her sound in Motomami, incorporating industrial beats, reggaeton, R&B, alt-pop and more in an experimental triumph that NME proclaimed “an incendiary pitch from the mastermind of the left field.”
“Motomami’s vast and bold musical palette shines even brighter on stage than on the record; his bold sound combined with an impressive theatrical production that never stops. This is a physical demonstration of Rosalia’s clear artistic image for this project, which is dominated by creative choreography, an unusual choice of props and well-thought-out visual effects.
Despite the long setlist of 31 tracks, there will be no costume changes and backstage breaks. Even makeup in the middle of the performance is prescribed in the show: Rosalia sits in the styling chair and continues to perform “DIABLO” while her glamorous team gets to work. However, their efforts are ultimately in vain: Moments after they finish, Rosalia pours a bottle of water over her head.
Throughout the show, Rosalia is accompanied by dancers performing amazing choreography and her videographer, who twists and turns in the chaos to be closer to the action. The footage is broadcast live on big screens, which means that even those people who have nosebleeds can see the show live, and Rosalia actively performs in front of the camera. The impact of these visual effects is supported by a minimalistic production, which consists of an L-shaped white stage (the back of which also acts as a large screen), flanked by two more colossal monitors. At certain moments of the show, the dancers also take pictures of what is happening on portable devices: their shots, which are also shown throughout the hall, give the impression that you are watching excerpts of the performance on social networks. This is a sure effect, given the viral success of tracks such as the swirl of the audacious “BIZCOCHITO”, which causes the same euphoria when performed live tonight, as TikTok’s endless videos about this song have already demonstrated.
There are a few quieter moments amid the magnificent chaos. In the magnificent “G3 N15”, the dancers physically lift Rosalia; their frenetic dance numbers have been replaced by something more refined, in which the focus is on her stunning melismatic vocals. Nevertheless, the big sound and theatricality return during the fateful version of “Dolerme”, in which Rosalia picks up an electric guitar and then plays the piano for the brilliantly dirty “HENTAI”: this is a wonderful manifestation of light. and it’s dark.
Then there are moments of pure joy: during the performance of “Abcdefg”, she brings a fan to the stage, when the duo continues to exchange phrases of the spoken word together. Rosalia also delights her audience by reading handwritten signs in the crowd (of which there are many, raised high and proud) and walks along the barrier during “LA NOCHE DE ANOCHE”, allowing revelers to sing along to her. These moments of delight also extend to an extended dance section where Rosalia’s team joins her on stage to shake and shake to “Yo x ti, tú x mí” followed by an excerpt from Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina”. through the arena in front of the mambo belt ‘DESPECHÁ’.
This show, quickly moving from soaring ballads to industrial club moments, demonstrates Rosalia’s unique artistic vision. Embracing the genre-changing nature of “Motomami” and allowing each side of the record to shine in equal measure - be it a complex dance program or a moment of catharsis from which tears flow - this testifies to Rosalia’s pure talent as a performer. and a reminder that no one does it the way she does right now.
Rosalía played:
‘SAOKO’
‘CANDY’
‘BIZCOCHITO’
‘LA FAMA’
‘Dolerme’
‘DE AQUÍ NO SALES / BULERÍAS’
‘MOTOMAMI’
‘G3 N15’
‘Linda’
‘LA NOCHE DE ANOCHE’
‘DIABLO’
‘HENTAI’
‘PIENSO EN TU MIRÁ’
‘Perdóname’ (La Factoría cover)
‘De plata’
‘Abcdefg’
‘LA COMBI VERSACE’
‘Relación’ (Sech cover)
‘TKN’
‘Yo x ti, tú x mí’
‘DESPECHÁ’
‘AISLAMIENTO’
‘Blinding Lights’
‘CHIRI’
‘COMO UN G’
‘MALAMENTE’
‘DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA’ (Justo Betancourt cover)
‘Con altura’
‘CHICKEN TERIYAKI’
‘SAKURA’
‘CUUUUuuuuuute’
