Last year, Rosalía responded to an accusation that she's been silent on Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinian people. After Spanish fashion designer Miguel Adrover posted about refusing to work with her because of her reticence to speak on the issue, Rosalía wrote, "The fact that I have not used my platform in line with other people’s style or expectations does not mean that I do not condemn what is happening in Palestine... I do not see how shaming each other is the best way to move forward in the fight for Palestinian freedom." On Thursday night, she put in a surprise performance at a big Palestine benefit in her Barcelona hometown.
Last night, Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi was the site of Concert-Manifest x Palestina, an all-star fundraiser. As Catalan News reports, the show featured performances from Bad Gyal, Tinariwen, Amaia, and Morad, among others. But you have to imagine that the Rosalía performance was the evening's high point.
Late last year, Rosalía released her astonishing orchestral album LUX. She's given a few TV performances to promote the record, and she'll head out on a global arena tour in March. Rosalía often turns her performances into grand spectacles, but this one was simple. She sang the LUX song "La perla" with a few flamenco musicians behind her. She didn't need anything more than that because she is a star. The crowd gave her a huge ovation when she arrived onstage, and they sang along loudly. Watch the performance below.
