“Rosalía reached out to me two years ago, on Instagram, in a very beautiful way. She expressed interest in collaborating while her album Lux was still in its early stages,” Dimitris Papaioannou says over the phone from Lyon. By Tuesday morning, March 17, social media was already filled with footage from the tour’s opening show at Lyon’s LDLC Arena, where the Catalan superstar performed “La perla.” The concert marks the launch of a world tour in support of her latest album, spanning 56 dates across Europe and the Americas, before concluding on September 3 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The staging of the song bears all the hallmarks of Papaioannou’s distinctive visual language. At moments, it even echoes one of the most lyrical scenes from his work Nowhere, first presented in 2009 at the National Theatre of Greece.

“Let’s put it this way: I’m offering Rosalía a world that is distinctly my own,” he says. “I created a new variation of my visual language. We worked together to build a scene – light in spirit – based on the physical ideas I explore, in service to her beauty, freshness, and talent.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη Dimitris Papaioannou (@papaioannou_d)

The result is a subtle yet unmistakable Papaioannou signature that bridges his choreographic language with Rosalía’s evolving pop aesthetic. References emerge to iconic female archetypes: the Venus de Milo, evoked as Rosalía’s black gloves dissolve into darkness; Rita Hayworth in Gilda, recalling the famous “Put the Blame on Mame” performance; and even religious imagery, such as the Virgin of Lourdes and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Asked about Rosalía as a dancer, Papaioannou says: “She has talent and star quality – and like all people who reach great heights, she knows how to work hard.”

By the time Rosalía approached Papaioannou, she had already begun work on Lux, an album that marked a shift toward more experimental territory. The change has been widely noted by critics as a turning point in her career, while also resonating strongly with audiences.

 

 

 

 

 

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As for how the collaboration came about, Papaioannou remains unsure. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t ask. She must have seen my work online – certainly not live,” he says. Coordinating schedules took nearly two years, until they finally met in person in New York City last November. “We immediately liked each other, and at some point she asked me to create something for some of the songs in her live show.” They eventually chose “La perla.” “I hope the result is charming,” he adds. “And that people enjoy it.”