Bichota
"Bichota" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G. It was written by Karol G, Lenny Tavárez, J Quiles, Cristián Salazar and Ovy on the Drums, and produced by the latter. The song was released on October 23, 2020, through Universal Music Latino, as the third single from her third studio album KG0516.
Background
In mid-October 2020, "Bichota" was first teased several days prior to its release through Karol G's social media accounts, with a post captioning the letter "B" and an emoji of "coming soon". A subsequent letter was released each day until the word "bichota" was spelled-out. The song was officially announced on October 19, 2020. The single's cover artwork, shot by photographer Alfredo Flores, was revealed the following day. The song was released on October 23, 2020.Composition
The word "bichota" is a play-on-words, a feminine form of the Puerto Rican term "bichote". Pronounced with a slight Spanish accent; specifically in the context of Puerto Rican underground culture, a "bichote" is someone affiliated in drug trafficking, a top-ranking member of a gang, a mobster, or "capo". The bichote is considered highly regarded, very important and influential, a reputation he has typically earned through repeated success on the black market, namely in the moving of large amounts of illegal drugs, jewelry or firearms, among other activities.Despite its initial meaning, Karol G decided to make it her own, giving the word a slightly new meaning. However, rather than the context of illicit activities, Karol G described it as empowering, stating:
Critical reception
Billboard stated how the song set the tone for the album, saying: "She came headstrong on the Billboard Hot 100-charting banger with a fierce attitude, fierce beats, and fierce lyrics."Commercial performance
"Bichota" debuted at #97, on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated for December 5, 2020. The song reached its peak in its 10th week at #72, for the chart dated February 13, 2021. At the time it became the highest-charting Spanish-language song by a female soloist on the Billboard Hot 100.On the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart dated for November 7, 2020 the song debuted at #7, and reached its peak at #3 on the chart dated for December 5, 2020. On the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart, the song reached #1.
The song received a double Latin diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 24, 2021, for sales equating to over 1.2 million units. In Mexico, the song was certified 21× diamond and 3× platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas, for sales equivalent to 6.4 million units, becoming the highest-certified song by a solo act in the country, and second overall behind her other hit single, "Tusa" with Nicki Minaj.
Awards and nominations
Music video
The music video for "Bichota" was directed by Colin Tilley and was released on Karol G's YouTube channel on October 23, 2020.A second music video was released exclusively on her Facebook page on November 12, 2020. As of January 2023, it has over 337 million views.