For "Reliquia", she sang almost motionless while standing en pointe, sparking debate among professional dancers about what clever stage machinery was involved to make that possible. Later, she performed "Magnolias" beneath a downpour of artificial rain, her white gown becoming sheerer and clingier as the song went on. Oh, and she sounded great, too.
The "SNL" stage famously offers artists a high-stakes opportunity: a few minutes with millions of eyes on them, and exactly one chance to get it right. Every note, camera movement, and stage trick has to work in real time, with no second takes. And once the broadcast ends, the internet gets its turn to dissect the whole thing.
Rosalía is hardly the first artist to see those few minutes as an invitation to get ambitious, get weird, or just show off. Here are nine of our favorite performances that prove she’s in good company!
Radiohead, "The National Anthem" (2000)
Fresh off the divisive release of Kid A (2000), Radiohead brought their new sound to the "SNL" stage, complete with a blaring brass section. Having traded much of the guitar-driven identity of OK Computer (1997) for something more electronic and atmospheric, the band was accused of abandoning rock ’n’ roll. But if rock ’n’ roll is about making a racket and defying expectations, this performance shows Radiohead hadn’t abandoned it at all.
Prince, "Fury" (2006)
Prince didn’t need an elaborate stage production to put on a spectacle. He could do it with his voice and a guitar, tearing through solos so casually that he took a hand off the instrument to fix his hair. After making the whole thing look insultingly effortless, he laid down his guitar, knocked over his mic stand, and strutted offstage with a sly grin. He knew he ate that.
Beck, "Clap Hands" (2006)
You can perform a song, or you can reinvent it. Beck chose the latter, strumming his guitar while his band sat around a dining table, keeping the beat with silverware and plates. And because that apparently wasn’t enough, miniature marionettes of the musicians mimicked their every move. Who said the sketches get to have all the theatrical fun?
Lady Gaga, "LoveGame"/"Bad Romance"/"Poker Face" (2009)
In 2009, Lady Gaga’s theatrics had some critics questioning her musical talent. For her "SNL" debut, she performed "LoveGame" inside an enormous rotating metal contraption, then sat down at a piano — still wearing the thing — for a stripped-back mashup of "Bad Romance" and a jazzy "Poker Face". Serious musicianship and glitzy showmanship aren’t mutually exclusive, and Lady Gaga made sure that was undeniable.
Kendrick Lamar, "i" (2014)
Watching Kendrick Lamar perform "i" raises a reasonable question: When does he breathe? Armed with blacked-out contacts and limbs in constant motion, he lacerates his way through rapid-fire verses without sacrificing a syllable, even throwing in an unreleased verse that would later appear on "Momma" (2015). There’s a whole band behind him, but good luck taking your eyes off Lamar.
Childish Gambino, "This Is America" (2018)
With a handful of young dancers and flashes of red-and-blue light evoking police cruisers, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) visualizes the contradiction behind "This Is America": a country that can’t get enough of Black music and dance but is awfully good at looking the other way when it comes to Black pain. And if you get caught up in the dancing, you might just be proving his point.
Halsey, "Eastside" (2019)
It seems doing double duty as host and musical guest wasn’t enough to keep Halsey busy. While singing "Eastside", she painted a massive self-portrait on the floor of the stage — upside down, no less! — completing it by the time the song ended.
Billie Eilish, "bad guy" (2019)
At just 17 years old, Billie Eilish made a memorable splash on the "SNL" stage by defying gravity. Performing "bad guy" inside a rotating room with a camera attached, she walked up walls and across the ceiling, contorting her body to make the illusion all the more convincing. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, she pulled the whole thing off with two sprained ankles!
Jack White, "Ball and Biscuit"/"Don’t Hurt Yourself"/"Jesus Is Coming Soon" (2020)
Jack White wasn’t even supposed to be on "SNL" that week, taking over with days’ notice after another artist violated COVID-19 safety protocols. He worked Blind Willie Johnson’s "Jesus Is Coming Soon" — a 1928 gospel song about the 1918 flu pandemic — into a blistering medley of "Ball and Biscuit" (2003) and his Beyoncé collaboration "Don’t Hurt Yourself" (2016). At a time when live music had all but disappeared, White reminded everyone just how badly we needed it.
