Pitingo, with his unmatched fusion of flamenco and soul, has taken his art to stages that few could imagine. He has shared the stage with the greats of music and has had a very select audience, including Obama themselves.
It is not every day that one sings bulerías in front of a former president of the United States, but Pitingo did it, and the most curious thing is that in the middle of the show he had to ask him to stop applauding because, without Barack Obama wanting it, it was bothering him.
It was a nuisance, but with all the good intentions
The anecdote, which was told to Rubén Ochandiano on MasterChef Celebrity, occurred during a private performance, when Obama decided to accompany the music by clapping. The problem is that he didn’t do it exactly well. “When I started singing he started clapping and his hands are very big,” he recalled, gracefully imitating how the former president could not keep up. In this way, out of rhythm and making too much noise, Obama began to complicate the Huelva native’s interpretation.
Far from losing his temper, Pitingo decided to manage the situation with humor and approached the former president with great politeness to ask him not to continue clapping. “I got off the stage and told him: Don’t applaud, please,” he told Ochandiano, who was completely amazed.
Pitingo with the Obamas
Obama, who seems to have as good a disposition as is reported, accepted the Andalusian singer’s suggestion with a smile and stopped accompanying the music with his clapping. In this way, Pitingo was able to continue with the performance without further interruptions.
Pitingo has not been left alone with this nice anecdote, he has also had words of affection towards the former US president and the rest of the Obamas: “He is a very good person. I like him very much. And his family too. And Michelle is wonderful.”