How Rosalía Chewing On Stage Made Her A Meme Girl
Real Motomamis can perform and chew at the same time.
A star (and a smirk) have been born. On July 6, Rosalía kicked off her Motomami World Tour in her native Spain. Though she’s only performed a few times on the tour that’s in support of her new album Motomami, the Spanish singer’s shows are already an internet success.
Over the past few weeks, clips of the “Chicken Teriyaki” singer cocking her hip and exaggeratedly moving her jaw have taken over stan corners of the internet. She’s achieved the elusive feat of becoming a tour meme. Dua Lipa did her “pencil sharpener” dance, Lorde shushed her fans, and now Rosalía chewed. What’s a pop star without an iconic viral moment?
The first clip of Rosalía chewing came from her show in Seville, Spain, on July 9, which was the second show of the Motomami World Tour. As the cartoon-like screeching of her song “Bizcochito” played behind her, Rosalía stood with her hand on her hip as she passionately chewed — literally.
The sheer chaos and confusion of the moment were enough for one performance, but it quickly became apparent that the timed pose might just be part of her Motomami choreography. Rosalía was caught hitting the same stance at her July 12 show in Granada, Spain.
And again on July 14 in Fuengirola, Spain. Though sporting different looks, all three times she put her hand on her him and exaggeratedly chewed while “Bizcochito” began.
Clocking in at 1 minute and 49 seconds, “Bizcochito” is a high-pitched, fast-paced song where Rosalía sings about not being someone’s “bizcochito.”
“Bizcochito” is the diminutive form of the word “bizcocho.” Bizcocho refers to various pastries, cakes, and sweets in the Spanish-speaking world. In Spain, where Rosalía is from, it largely refers to sponge cake, but it’s also used as a term of endearment — hence her insisting she won’t be anyone’s bizcochito. Given the meaning of the song and the origins of the slang, it’s possible her onstage chewing symbolizes her chewing sponge cake.
Rosalía’s popularity (She’s got over 18 million monthly listeners on Spotify) and her polarizing persona (She's one of the most popular Latin music artists, but the Spanish singer doesn't have Latin American heritage) made the chewing clip a potent meme.
One viral video stitched together the three instances of Rosalía hitting her iconic pose. As she donned red, blue, and greenish white outfits, one Twitter user likened the mashup to choosing a starter Pokémon.
Influencer Harry Hill meme’d that Rosalía in her blue look was “Violet Beauregarde eating the piece of gum Willy Wonka told her not to eat.”
Another noted that the three clips resembled Rosalía as the Powerpuff Girls.
And those are just a sampling of the many memes. Here are a few more:
After the first three meme’d moments went viral on social media, Rosalía hit the same pose during at least two more concerts on the tour. At her show in Madrid on July 19, she sported a red leather look different from her first; the following night at her second Madrid show, she opted for a similar black and beige look.
Naturally, some fans couldn’t resist memeing the new clips:
For Rosalía’s fans, the pose may be a physical manifestation of the confidence that Motomami is all about. The album title combines the words “motorcycle” and “mami.”
“Motomami is an energy. Anyone can be a Motomami, Motopapi. It’s the way you feel. And also, it’s doing as much as you can with what you have,” she told Billboard in March.
For her part, the “Bulerías” singer has not addressed the popular meme. But seeing as the Motomami World Tour just started, more chewing clips may be on the horizon. If there were ever a moment for her to secure an endorsement deal with a cake brand (or even a gum brand), now would be the time.
