Released earlier this year, Rosalía’s major label debut Motomami established the Spanish popstar as a genre-bending force of progressive nature. The thirty-year-old had already made a cult name for herself by cutting classic flamenco with mainstream pop but Motomami introduced industrial rock, free form jazz and smirking indie to the mix, with Rosalía unafraid to take risks. It’s little wonder it found fans in Cardi B, Lorde, David Byrne and Dua Lipa.
Live, Rosalía continued to challenge the expectations of pop with a reckless, brilliant show that felt more like a piece of visceral performance art than a polished arena pop show.
During her 90-minute, 31-song set at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday night, Rosalía rode her trope of backing dancers like they were a giant motorbike, cut off her own hair extensions before lobbing them into the crowd [a more original souvenir than a t-shirt] and politely asked a security guard to move before pouring a bottle of water over her own head. Smirking and swaggering, Rosalía played guitar, piano and even managed to make riding a micro-scooter look cool during the giddy charm of Chicken Teriyaki.
There were no costume changes, and one of the only times Rosalía left the stage was to pass the microphone to audience members on the front row so they could sing the swaying La Nonch De Anoche. Later, a stage invasion during DESPECHÁ made the venue feel like an electrifying nightclub.
On stage, she described the gig as a “full circle moment” because she apparently used to dream of playing the Royal Albert Hall when she first started out. At four times the size, her O2 Arena show was beyond her “biggest dreams”.
Still, throughout the precise chaos of her Motomami show, Rosalía championed intimacy. The entire gig took place on a platform that jutted out into the crowd, with much of the action filmed by backing dancers then beamed onto giant video screens. It gave the spectacle a genuine sense of closeness, despite the cavernous surroundings.
A show of glorious contradictions, Rosalía bounced between the chirping TikTok smash of BIZCOCHITO, the nu-metal inspired opera of De Plata (delivered with tears in her eyes) and the gut-wrenching G3 N15. She had the confidence to amplify the raw emotion of The Weeknd’s megahit Blinding Lights during a stripped-down rendition of it, before she gave the audience a chance to “slay” during a decadent, urgent Con Altura. They didn’t need to be asked twice.
Rapid and percussive one moment, calm and serene the next, it was impossible to second guess what surprises Rosalía had up her motorcycle jacketed sleeve but the crowd embraced them all. Rosalía always said that she wanted Motomami to feel like an emotional rollercoaster and live, that fearless, breathtaking ride offered nothing but pure exhilaration.
