After A Designer Refused To Work With Her Due To Her "Silence" On Palestine, Rosalía Responded
Last week, designer Miguel Adrover posted a screenshot seemingly between himself and a member of Rosalía's team, who was asking for a "custom look" for the artist. In the caption, he wrote, "Doing 'The Right Thing'….Silence is complicity, and even more so when you have a big loudspeaker where millions of people listen to you when you sing. That's why you have the responsibility to use this power to denounce this genocide. Rosalia, this is nothing personal. I admire you for all your talent and for everything you've achieved. And I think you are much more than those artists who only dedicate themselves to show business and entertainment. Now we have to do 'The Right Thing.'"
Related:
Yesterday, Rosalía herself responded via a series of Instagram stories, which can be translated to, "In today's world, we all live in constant contradiction — myself included. And although I personally always try to do 'the right thing,' I probably don't always succeed, but in the process I try to learn and improve."
"Unfortunately, this text is not and will not be enough in a context of extreme violence like the one currently happening. That's why I want to end with deep respect and gratitude for the people who truly take action, like NGOs, activists, volunteers, healthcare workers, laborers, cooperatives, associations, and journalists who are dedicating their lives to helping with this cause and many others," she continued.
Related:
Emphasizing her "sadness" over what had been said, she continued, "The fact that I haven't used my platform in a way that aligns with others' styles or expectations absolutely does not mean that I don't condemn what is happening in Palestine. It's terrible to see, day after day, how innocent people are being murdered and how those who should be stopping it are not doing so."
Related:
"I don't see how shaming one another is the best way to move forward in the fight for Palestinian freedom. I believe the blame should be directed upwards (toward those who make decisions and have the power to act), not horizontally (among ourselves)," she concluded.
The designer isn't the only one to have drawn a line regarding professional collaborations and comments on Palestine. Children's YouTuber Ms. Rachel recently wrote on Instagram, "To anyone asking to with work with me who hasn't spoken out about Gaza: Thank you for the request. I'm not comfortable working with anyone who hasn't spoken out about Gaza. Much love and God bless, Rachel."
Related:
After Israel cut off aid in March, mass starvation has taken hold in Gaza, with the UN saying that one in three people are now going without food for days at a time. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, 'Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. This is not a warning. It is a reality unfolding before our eyes.'
For information on how you can help those in Gaza, click here.
Also in Celebrity:
Also in Celebrity:
Also in Celebrity:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Sixers legend Charles Barkley golfs with Knicks star Jalen Brunson
It's deep into the offseason in the NBA so now is the time for random players and legend to link up and participate in a random activity. New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson and Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley fell into that category on the golf course. Barkley, who is considered one of the best players in the history of the league, is famous for his unorthodox golf swing. He was on the golf course posing with Brunson, his father Rick Brunson, and legendary Villanova coach Jay Wright via the younger Brunson's Instagram account. The legendary Sixers forward certainly like he avoided any lowlights when considering there was no other video clip on Twitter. Brunson and the Knicks have to be considered the favorites in the Eastern Conference in the 2025-26 season. They are currently the healthiest team and have their core intact from a conference finals run the previous season. The Sixers will look for their own clean bill of health to take down the Knicks in the coming season.
New York Post
30 minutes ago
- New York Post
Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of Tejano music, dies at 86
Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano, and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. He was 86. Jimenez's death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social media. He was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio home of his son Arturo Jimenez. 6 Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano, and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. AP 'Dad was in peace when he left. He started saying his goodbyes several days before. He said he was proud of himself for what he had done, and he just leaves memories for the public to enjoy. He said he was ready to go,' Arturo Jimenez told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Friday. Arturo Jimenez said a cause of death has not yet been determined. His father had been hospitalized in January after getting a blood clot in his leg. Doctors then discovered he had some vascular issues. Born Leonardo Jimenez in 1939, he was known to his fans by his nickname of Flaco, which means skinny in Spanish. He was the son of conjunto pioneer Santiago Jimenez. Conjunto is a musical genre that originated in South Texas and blends different genres and cultural influences. According to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, the development of conjunto 'began more than a century ago when Texans of Mexican heritage (Tejanos) took an interest in the accordion music of German, Polish, and Czech immigrants. 6 Flaco Jimenez accepts the Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist Award during the Americana Music Honors and Awards show Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. AP The ensuing Tejano accordion music, accompanied by the bajo sexto (replacing the European tuba), soon came to represent the Tejano way of life, which was closely associated with working in the agricultural fields. The music remains unchanged and serves as a symbol that binds many Tejano communities in South and Central Texas.' Jimenez refined his conjunto musical skills by playing in San Antonio saloons and dance halls. He began performing in the 1960s with fellow San Antonio native Douglas Sahm, the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Jimenez would later play with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Ry Cooder, and the Rolling Stones. Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences to conjunto music, including country, rock, and jazz. 6 Jimenez (pictured) was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio home of his son Arturo Jimenez. / MEGA 'He always wanted to try to incorporate the accordion into all sorts of different genres and how to make the accordion blend in. That was always a fascination of his, and he was able to,' Arturo Jimenez said. In the 1990s, Jimenez was part of the Tejano supergroup the Texas Tornados, which included Sahm, Augie Meyers, and Freddy Fender. The group won a Grammy in 1991 for the song 'Soy de San Luis.' Jimenez also won another Grammy in 1999 as part of another supergroup, Los Super Seven. 6 Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences to conjunto music, including country, rock, and jazz. AP Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. Arturo Jimenez said his father was a humble man who never wanted to be a showman and was focused on playing music for his fans. 6 Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. AP 'I've seen where fans come up to him and they literally cry and they thank my dad for all the good music and how dad's music has been there for them in multiple situations, either happiness or sadness,' Arturo Jimenez said. When Jimenez was named a 2022 National Medal of Arts recipient, the White House said he was being honored for 'harnessing heritage to enrich American music' and that by 'blending Norteño, Tex Mex, and Tejano music with the Blues, Rock n' Roll, and Pop Music, he sings the soul of America's Southwest.' 'We appreciate the gift of your musical talent, which brought joy to countless fans. Your passing leaves a void in our hearts,' the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum said in a post on social media. 6 Jimenez was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. / MEGA Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, said Jimenez 'was a paragon of Tejano conjunto music' who 'drew millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own.' Jimenez lived all his life in San Antonio, a city that was 'very close to his heart,' his son said. 'They call him 'el hijo de San Antonio' and my dad always was proud of that,' Arturo Jimenez said, quoting a Spanish phrase that means the son of San Antonio. His family plans to have a private funeral service followed by a celebration of his life with the public.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Trump White House ballroom: A look back at Grand Ballroom Trump built at Mar-a-Lago
Twenty years after the opening of the Grand Ballroom at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Trump announced another new ballroom on a grand scale — this time at the White House. The Trump Administration on July 31 said construction on a $200 million, roughly 90,000-square-foot White House State Ballroom will begin in September. The project will be paid for by donors including Trump and have a seating capacity of 650 people, the White House said. The U.S. Secret Service will oversee security features of the new structure, officials said. "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail," Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said in a White House news release. "The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come." The style and architecture of the exterior of the new ballroom will be "almost identical" to the rest of the White House, Trump officials said. The work will include major renovations to the White House's East Wing, where presidents have historically held large receptions. Trump has frequently complained the White House lacks a proper large-scale ballroom for entertaining. While the outside of the new ballroom at what is known as the people's house will feature the same iconic styling as the rest of the property, renderings released by the White House show that the interior style is undoubtedly reminiscent of the Versailles-inspired Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom that was completed at Mar-a-Lago in late 2004 and had its grand opening in 2005. Here's what to know about Mar-a-Lago's large ballroom and its history. When was Mar-a-Lago completed, and what are some of its features? Construction on Mar-a-Lago began in 1922. The house was designed for cereal heiress Marjorie Meriweather Post in the Spanish-Moorish style by architect Joseph Urban, who also designed the nearby Bath & Tennis Club and the Paramount Theatre farther north in Palm Beach. When completed in 1927 on its 17-acres, the crescent-shaped main house had 115 rooms, with 58 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms. Urban drew on classical designs, looking to the Thousand Winged Ceiling at the Accademia in Venice as inspiration for the 34-foot ceiling in Mar-a-Lago's living room, and the Palazzo Chigi in Rome as inspiration for the hand-painted ceiling in the dining room, according to a 2002 Daily News report about Mar-a-Lago's history. After a major redecoration in 1956, Post added Mar-a-Lago's White and Gold Ballroom as a venue to host to her popular charity events and the square dances for which she was so well-known, according to the 2002 profile. She also added three bomb shelters during the Korean War. What has Trump added to Mar-a-Lago? Trump paid a reported $10 million for Mar-a-Lago in 1985: $5 million for the property itself, an additional $3 million for the furnishings, plus $2 million for the beachfront stretch that years prior was sold to a neighbor. When Mar-a-Lago's club opened in 1995, it had amenities such as a spa, tennis courts and nine-hole golf course. In 2000, construction began on the $3 million beachfront project at Mar-a-Lago that added a new swimming pool, a pair of two-story buildings with cabanas and a snack bar, a spa, fountains, and ramps and stairs down to the beach, the Daily News reported in 2002. In 2004, Trump received approval from Palm Beach to tear down an aging slat house on Mar-a-Lago's property to build a kitchen to help serve the estate's new ballroom, which opened in 2005. Over the years, some of Trump's plans for Mar-a-Lago have been shot down by state and town officials, including a proposal for a 120-slip marina and, before opening the club, a concept that would have subdivided Mar-a-Lago's acreage to build estate homes. What about Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom? The Daily News first reported in 1996 that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was reviewing plans for a new ballroom or expansion of the dance pavilion at Mar-a-Lago. Because Mar-a-Lago is a national landmark, all major changes must be reviewed and approved by the trust. "We're just looking art different concepts, different ideas. It's very preliminary," Trump told the Daily News in 1996. "We need a ballroom because of the success of Mar-a-Lago. It has been so successful that the crowds are potentially hazardous to the facility, and the ballroom could remedy this problem." Mar-a-Lago's team "did a lot of shuttle diplomacy with the National Trust for Historic Preservation," said Wes Blackman, who was Mar-a-Lago's project manager for the ballroom. The trust has easements at Mar-a-Lago, including two to protect the views to the east and west, and one to protect the tree line along the south property line, he said. After Mar-a-Lago opened as a club in 1995, the events coordinator at the time brought Blackman and Trump to the ballroom built by Post and said it would not be able to meet the demand for large events . "There isn't room to put them that is weatherproof," Blackman recalled the coordinator saying. When the ballroom was officially pitched to the town in 1999, it was set to replace a large white tent that Mar-a-Lago had temporarily erected to host large events on the property, Blackman said. Because the structures could not be permanent, air conditioner compressors for events in the tent were placed on trailers, and temporary bathrooms were brought in, he said. The ballroom was "a very large building," he said, with records showing that it was 17,000 square feet, larger than the 11,000-square-foot ballroom built by Post. West Palm Beach-based architect Rick Gonzalez of REG Architects was the lead designer on the project. Blackman said he and Gonzalez took a lot of trips to Washington, D.C., and the trust visited the property as well, as they worked to finalize a design the trust would approve. Together with Gonzalez, Blackman said Mar-a-Lago's team "chased that building all over the property" with the trust until the location was settled. "It's in a hollow, a low spot, and it's behind the wall, and you really have a hard time even knowing the building is there when you pass the property," Blackman said. Before finalizing the architectural plans, Trump sent Gonzalez and Blackman to New York to meet with famed architect Philip Johnson, whose Glass House in Connecticut remains an iconic example of the International Style of design. Johnson, who died in January of 2005, declined to take on the task of designing the new ballroom, which was essentially "locked into the Mediterranean revival framework" because of the rest of the property, Blackman said. "He wasn't into that," Blackman said. "He was in his 'monster phase,' which were a lot of oblique angles, and he wasn't into having to fit into a mold like that." Trump also asked Blackman to consult with another friend: crooner Paul Anka, whom Trump hoped would weigh in on the new ballroom's acoustics. "I did call him," Blackman said. "It was a unique experience." He added that because Trump had already made the decision to have marble floors in the ballroom: "There's nothing you can do with that. It's gonna be a reflective surface," Blackman said of Anka's advice. Trump was adamant that the new ballroom needed to be larger than the 15,000-square-foot Ponce de Leon Ballroom at The Breakers Palm Beach resort, Blackman said. While that was part of the inspiration, he said that Trump also wanted to bring the annual International Red Cross Ball to Mar-a-Lago. Trump was successful, and one of the highlights of Palm Beach's social season soon moved to Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom. "We always thought that it helped getting the National Trust to approve something first, and then that kind of gave us the 'Good Housekeeping' certificate that we could cash in with the Landmarks Commission," Blackman said of the town's approval process. While the project to build the new ballroom received approval from Palm Beach's council in October of 1999, the timeline was pushed back several times because of construction of a new Royal Park Bridge, the Daily News reported in September 2002. The project received final approval from Palm Beach's landmarks board in April of 2002, and construction began the next year, with the building permit issued in August of 2003, Blackman said. While his 10-year tenure with Mar-a-Lago ended soon after receiving the permit, Blackman returned to work on other projects at Mar-a-Lago, including the ballroom's kitchen and the massive flag pole that led to a legal battle between Trump and Palm Beach. What does the Grand Ballroom look like? The exterior of the ballroom building, which is on the property's south side between the main house and Southern Boulevard, was designed by Gonzalez to mimic the Spanish-Moorish style of the rest of the estate, the Daily News reported at the time. But the ballroom's interior was designed with France in mind. The decor drew on Versailles, with shining marble floors, intricate gold leaf designs, crystal chandeliers and soaring 40-foot coffered ceilings. The Daily News reported at the time that the gold leaf alone carried a $7 million price tag, and the overall project cost stood at $35 million. "I modeled the interior after Versailles, and there is nothing like it in the United States," Trump said of the ballroom in a 2005 interview with Florida Design magazine. When it opened, guests were reportedly awestruck by the 17 Stras chandeliers, each with a cost of $250,000 and imported from Czechoslovakia. The first major event in the new ballroom was Mar-a-Lago's annual New Year's Eve Gala to ring in 2005, according to news reports. From a Dec. 31, 2004, Daily News report: "A 1,200-square-foot loggia leads into the two-story foyer through a series of Palladian-style mahogany doors with wrought-iron borders. A staircase leads to a 45-foot observation tower. For New Year's Eve, there will be stages at opposite ends of the ballroom, one for the dance orchestra and one for headliner Vanessa Williams." The next event: a grand party to mark the marriage of Trump to his then-fiancée, Melania Knauss. Their marriage ceremony was Jan. 22, 2005, at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, and celebrants then made the short drive to Mar-a-Lago for the reception. Anka, a guest at the wedding, treated guests to two songs at the reception: "Diana," and a version of the song "Lady Is a Tramp" that Anka dubbed "Donald is a Trump." USA Today contributed to this report. Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@ Subscribe today to support our journalism.
