An ocean of recording phones rose to the air as 2,300 fans caught their first glimpse of the Spanish singer-songwriter after waiting in anticipation from a 30-minute delay. The stood on a dimly lit stage as the baseline of ‘La Que No Se Mueve’ vibrated through the floors and walls of the O2 Forum. The soft reflections of strobe lights outlined her glistening silhouette and signature 24” sleek blonde hair, setting the atmosphere for the seductive, opulent, and melancholy sounds of ‘La Joia’ (the jewel in native Catalan).
Opening the show in a diamanté two piece and white cowboy boots, Bad Gyal was the jewel that her fans had come to see, bringing her unique blend of dancehall, reggaeton and heavily auto-tuned trap vocals to the sold-out venue.
Known for her hard-hitting club anthems, Bad Gyal’s repertoire that night radiated an electric energy that made it irresistible for the audience not to dance along with the music. The crowd was kept moving on their feet for most of the performance, interrupted by a few awkward intervals where her stage crew were visibly running around to prepare for the next segment of the show. Powerful basslines were matched with equally dazzling pyrotechnics and fans could be heard reciting every lyric of the biggest hits from her new album, namely ‘Perdio Este Culo’ and viral double feature with Tokisha and Young Miko, ‘Chulo pt.2’.
The biggest crowd reaction came during the revision of her throw-back hits like ‘Blin Blin’, ‘Fiebre’ and ‘Pai’ - a Catalan cover of Rihanna’s ‘Work’ which marked the beginning of her rise to stardom. The dancers, two male and two female, also received avid praise from concertgoers. The choreography was mainly dancehall inspired and included themes of intricate afro-beats, hip hop, and house footwork for her faster paced tracks such as her electronic house hit ‘Sexy’ and afro-drums fusion ‘Give Me’.
She closed the show in a statement Union Jack dress, desolate on the stage as fans swayed their torches and shared an intimate moment with the star while performing her heart-break anthem ‘Otra Vez Mas’.
Overall, the show was an unapologetic expression of the sexuality, empowerment, and self-love fundamental to the Bad Gyal brand. The LGBTQ+ ally shared various erotic dance breaks and perreo with both her male and female dancers. But in the moments where the choreography demanded more than a demonstration of the sensual themes at the surface of reggaeton and dancehall as genres, the contrast between her and her dancers was undeniable - and not in a way that favoured the artist.
Against a backdrop of performers who were profoundly connected to transmitting the afro-disporian rhythms laced throughout her music, Bad Gyal lacked the ability to communicate the same authentic bond and enjoyment of her own sound. There was a sentiment of imitation and commodification of the cultures that she uses to differentiate herself in the Spanish-speaking music market.
When attempting to relate to and engage with a global audience artists should pay mind to the implications of their art and Bad Gyal, as a fair skinned European having established herself under a stage name influenced by Jamaican slang, will continue to stir the conversation around cultural appropriation. She can be credited for her ability to get the world’s attention by bring a refreshing and catchy sound to Reggaeton, but is it at the cost of harmful misrepresentation and the erasure of credibility, opportunity, and remuneration for the communities that created the initial success of the Dancehall and Reggaeton music as art forms?
The intention behind the sounds that she has chosen to characterise her debut album and the ‘La Joia - 24 Karats’ tour presents as a lazy attempt to grow her fan base and connect to a wider audience. The same can be said about the display of the Union Jack on her dress: a nod to an iconic UK pop culture moment from the Spice Girl’s 1997 Brit awards performance, yet an oversight of Britain’s complicated relationship with the flag and its various right wing and imperialist undertones. The irony cannot be missed in this creative choice as she performed to an auditorium full of London’s Latino, native Spanish-speaking and ethnic minority population…
As her career continues to develop, I hope that she can use her platform as an opportunity to purposefully interact with and uplift the cultures that inspire her music, becoming the pioneer for a new sub-genre of Reggaeton as she continues to experiment with sound and find a narrative that is authentic to her.
