To the question of whether Rosalía would be dancing during her “Saturday Night Live” appearance or not, that depends on how you’re looking at it. The acclaimed singer stood in place, perfectly still, during her first number, “Reliquia” — but appeared to be standing en pointe for the entire four-minute performance.
For her second “SNL” number, “Magnolias,” Rosalía didn’t assume such a difficult position, but the equally gorgeous performance had a different set of physical demands, as an in-studio rain shower erupted midway through the song, dampening her hair and face and turning her white dress clingy and sheer.
On social media, viewers immediately marveled at Rosalía’s ability to deliver her usual powerful vocals during the first song while striking the pose — and some wondered if she was somehow being propped up through unseen means. Fans who have seen her balletic prowess on display on her global “Lux” tour testified to her ability to pull off something that athletic without resorting to artificial measures. She was joined at the very end of “Reliquia” by a dozen dancers, who lined up on either side of her as a strobe effect took over.
In her subsequent singin’-in-the-rain performance of “Magnolias,” the singer’s undergarments became visible as her dress got more drenched. But viewers had already seen Rosalía in them minutes earlier, at the conclusion of her one appearance in a comedy sketch. The skit had the singer appearing in a thought bubble and and encouraging host Shane Gillis to abandon his gravely ill mother’s bedside to go to a Jelly Roll concert at Las Vegas’ Sphere.
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For some viewers, Rosalía’s classy and elegant performances were a beautiful balm that helped make up for Gillis’ monologue, in which he said his weight gain made him “look like a lesbian,” ended on another gay joke, and had a bit making light of women who dress like “whores” at the gym — and that was before he dropped an F-bomb in a Dr. Seuss sketch (for which he apologized at the end of the show). But his monologue also had its strong defenders on social media, with some of the debate seeming to break down between conservatives’ approval and liberals’ disdain for his act..
Positive response for Rosalía’s “SNL” performances comes at an opportune moment for her Grammy chances, as first-round voting for that awards show opens on Monday. Rosalía is already heavily favored to get an album of the year nomination for “Lux,” among other possible noms. She is already up for seven awards at the upcoming Latin Grammys.
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