Rosalía makes apearance at Palestine benefit concert in Barcelona
Rosalía made a surprise appearance at a Palestine benefit concert in Barcelona, where she sang her song, ‘La Perla’.
An all-star fundraiser for Palestine took place on January 29th at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi. The show featured performances from Bad Gyal, Tinariwen, Amaia, and Morad.
As a surprise for the nearly 18,000 people at the venue, the ‘Berghain’ singer was the last star to take to the stage.
‘La Perla’ is the seventh song from her latest album, Lux, which was released on November 7th through Columbia Records.
On the track, Rosalía primarily sings in Spanish, exploring themes of faith and the feminine divine. Across the whole full length, she speaks 14 languages, including French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and English.
On the climactic chorus, the singer-songwriter belts, “The local disappointment, national heartbreaker, an emotional terrorist, the greatest disaster in the world,” in the track’s English translation.
All profits raised from the show will go to the Palestinian Performing Arts Network and to several cultural centres in Palestine, including the AJEE/Lajee Center and Dar Qandeel.
Last year, the musician faced backlash after the fashion designer Miguel Adrover publicly refused to work with her because she hadn’t spoken out about Palestine.
In response, Rosalía wrote online, “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…”
She added at the time, “I do not see how shaming each other is the best way to move forward in the fight for Palestinian freedom.”
Writing in praise of Lux upon its release last year, Far Out wrote, “The blending of different genres and historical figures from a wide range of human epochs shows her range and her dedication to developing her art. The avant-garde pop star carried flamenco into mainstream music with her 2018 album El Mal Querer, and now, Pop’s first symphony will bring opera into the modern age.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.