Meet DannyLux, the Mexican-American Singer Opening for Coldplay
For those who have seen photos or were lucky enough to attend the opening day of the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the set design for Anitta’s performance was a special one.
That’s because Anitta enlisted the help of Joe Rohde, who is the former Executive Designer and Vice President, Creative at Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs Disney’s theme parks and resort hotels.
“I was watching this documentary of Disney World and I saw this guy Joe, he built the Animal Kingdom park,” Anitta told Nylon magazine during a recent interview. “There is so much fantasy – nature and magic. I managed to bring him to this stage. Walt Disney was a dreamer, and that’s how I am… I’ve got to bring my country [to Coachella]. Somehow.”
With Rohde’s leadership on the project, Anitta was able to bring to the popular music festival the look of Brazil’s favelas, where she grew up. Anitta was born and raised in the Honório Gurgel favela in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
During her performance at Coachella, Anitta took the stage to sing tracks like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Faking Love.” She even shared the stage with rap legend Snoop Dogg, rapper Saweetie, and DJ Diplo. Serving as the backdrop were Rohde’s creations, which changed throughout the 45-minute show. They included a wall covered in colorful graffiti, another covered in speakers and another that was painted to look like the housing units found inside a favela.
“[Joe Rohde] and [Kley Tarcitano], thank you for making my Favela on stage possible,” Anitta tweeted the following day. “Thanks [Coachella] for treating me and my team and all the artists equally with so much respect and support no matter who they are or how big they are.”