Karol G
Carolina Giraldo Navarro, known professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Considered as one of the most influential reggaeton and urban pop artists, she has received awards including a Grammy, eight Latin Grammy Awards and five Billboard Music Awards. She was recognized as Woman of the Year and with a Rulebreaker Award at Billboard Women in Music, with the Spirit of Hope Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, and has eleven Guinness World Records.
Born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, Giraldo launched her career as a teenager, appearing on the Colombian spinoff of The X Factor. She moved to New York in 2014 to learn more about the music industry and signed with Universal Music Latino. In late 2018, her duet "Secreto" became a hit in Latin America, as she and Puerto Rican artist Anuel AA publicly confirmed their relationship via the music video.
In July 2019, she released "China" in collaboration with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, and J Balvin, which became her first music video with over one billion views on YouTube. In May 2019, she released the album Ocean, which served as a stylistic departure from Unstoppable, incorporating a more relaxed and less "pop" sound while incorporating reggaetón influences. Popular singles from the album include the title track. Later that year, her song "Tusa" charted internationally and was certified 28× Latin platinum by the RIAA. In 2020, Giraldo received four nominations at the Latin Grammy Awards. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and into early 2021, she would release successful songs, including some of her most famous, in the lead-up to her third album, KG0516, which was released in spring of that year, topping the U.S. Latin albums chart.
Giraldo released her fourth album, Mañana Será Bonito, in the spring of 2023; the record was immediately recognized as the first-ever Spanish-language album by a female artist to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200. She achieved her highest-charting single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with the song "TQG", a collaboration with fellow Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, reaching the No. 7 position. In early 2024, she received her first Grammy Award, at the 66th annual ceremony, for the recently created Música Urbana Album category.
Early life
Carolina Giraldo Navarro was born on 14 February 1991 in Medellín, the youngest of three children. At age 14, she appeared on El Factor X. Giraldo posted covers of songs by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill on YouTube, in hopes of being discovered like Justin Bieber. Ultimately, she obtained her first record contract with Flamingo Records and Diamond Music and chose "Karol G" as her artistic name. In her first year she was invited by Kio Dj to open for Don Omar's concerts in the city of Cartagena, She performed with J Balvin at a quinceañera party soon after.Musical career
2007–2016: Beginnings
In the following years, Giraldo recorded and released songs sporadically, including "En la Playa" in 2007, "Por Ti" in 2008, "Dime Que Sí" in 2009 and "Mil Maneras" in 2010. She studied music at the University of Antioquia and sang backup for other artists during her studies, including Reykon, recording the songs "Tu Juguete" in 2011 and "301" in 2012. Shortly after, she traveled to Miami to meet with Universal Records, who declined to sign her at the time, insinuating that a woman would not be successful in the reggaetón genre.In response to Universal Music's rejection, Giraldo and her father decided to promote her career independently, touring domestically across Colombia at colleges, clubs, and festivals. She recalled, "I always said that if we'd made money per miles, we'd be millionaires. It was a long process... and because of it, I can truly enjoy what's happening now." The increased publicity through these tours led to her 2013 collaboration with Nicky Jam on the song "Amor de Dos".
However, finding that her music career was not progressing fast enough in South America, a disillusioned Giraldo moved to New York in 2014 to work and stay with her aunt. Feeling somewhat lost over her lack of success at the time, she later said that when taking the NYC Subway each day, to and from work, she would see various advertisements offering educational courses and certifications for the music business. Taking this as a sign, Giraldo eventually decided to enroll in music business administration classes. The decision helped reinvigorate her passion for music, motivating her to continue furthering her career. Her 2014 dancehall song "Ricos Besos" became a hit in Colombia. In 2016, she signed with Universal Music Latino. During that year, she released the singles "Casi Nada", "Hello" with then-rising star Ozuna, and "Muñeco de Lego" as lead-ups to her album release.
In November 2024, Karol G released the single "+57," a collaboration featuring fellow Colombian artists Feid, J Balvin, Maluma, Ryan Castro, Blessd, and producer Ovy on the Drums. The title references Colombia's international dialing code. The track achieved significant chart success, reaching number one on Billboard's Latin Airplay chart and number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
2017–2018: Breakthrough success and ''Unstoppable''
In January 2017, Karol G joined the reality talent show Pequeños Gigantes USA as a judge, offering advice to children 6–11 years of age who performed on the show. In February, she released the breakup song "A Ella", a song inspired by real-life events. In May, her collaboration with Puerto Rican trap artist Bad Bunny "Ahora Me Llama" became regarded as her breakthrough hit. The video garnered more than one billion views on YouTube and reached #10 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. The song was described by Marty Preciado of NPR as a "bass-heavy, unapologetic trap anthem to the power of femininity, soiled in hi-hats and heavy sub-bass challenges hegemonic masculinity, singing about respect, love and sex-positive decisions." According to Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo, of Rolling Stone, "it was then that Giraldo joined the increasingly-global pop urbano wave and established herself as one of its most standout acts". "Ahora Me Llama" was listed on "Alt. Latino's Favorites: The Songs of 2017" as one of the best Latin songs of 2017."Ahora Me Llama" served as the main single for her debut studio album, Unstoppable; the record also contained the three aforementioned singles, and was released in October 2017, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. Thom Jurek of AllMusic called Unstoppable "the first solid entry by a woman in the Latin trap movement". In March 2018, the singer released the jungle-inspired music video for her single "Pineapple". In that same month, she was announced as a nominee for the Billboard Latin Music Awards' Top Female Artist of the Year.
On 6 April 2018, Karol G collaborated with Argentine singer and songwriter Tini on the song "Princesa", from Tini's second studio album Quiero Volver.
In May 2018, she released "Mi Cama", which became a commercial success. This was followed by "Culpables", featuring Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA. "Culpables" peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, and a remix of "Mi Cama", featuring her early collaborators J Balvin and Nicky Jam, peaked at #6 on the same chart.
2019–2021: ''Ocean'' and ''KG0516''
In January 2019, the singer released the single "Secreto" with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA; the song's accompanying music video confirmed the rumored romantic relationship between the two artists. The single reached #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the US Hot Latin Songs charts. The song was inspired by the period of time in which Anuel AA and Karol G were dating but had not yet publicly discussed their relationship. The video's "power couple" aesthetic garnered comparisons to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, as well as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Karol released the album Ocean on May 3, 2019. The album was inspired by a moment of peace and relaxation she experienced at the beach on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife; she traveled to the beaches of the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as Saint Martin, to draw further inspiration for the album. Elias Leight of Rolling Stone reviewed the album by stating, "The power of Ocean is somewhat diminished by the fact that a third of these songs are already out" but opined that "the remaining tracks are impressively varied".In July 2019, Karol G collaborated with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and J Balvin for the song "China". The song samples, and is based on, singer Shaggy's 2000 hit, "It Wasn't Me". "China" debuted at #2 on Billboards Hot Latin Songs chart on the issue dated 3 August 2019, and topped both the Latin Digital Songs and Latin Streaming Songs charts with 1,000 downloads sold and 14.1 million streams. "China" was included on the Rolling Stone list of the 10 Best Latin Music Videos of July. Karol G premiered the song on American television on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 10 January 2020. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart on 23 November 2019 and stayed on the chart for 25 weeks. Karol G released "Tusa", the first single from her album KG0516, on 7 November 2019. Tusa, a reggaeton song featuring Nicki Minaj, became a commercial success, eventually being nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
In April 2020, Karol G released the single and video for "Follow" with Anuel AA, recording its entirety while in quarantine in Miami due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also collaborated with the Jonas Brothers on the "flirtatious" song "X" which first appeared in the end credits of the group's documentary film Happiness Continues. Karol G and the Jonas Brothers filmed the song's accompanying music video on their iPhones, using the combined footage as a "clever way to get around the obvious challenge of trying to film a music video during the COVID-19 crisis". In October, "Bichota" was released as the album's official lead single, becoming viral online.
On 17 March 2021, Karol G announced the release of her upcoming album as well as its release date and cover art through a half-minute video. The tracklist was announced on 22 March, and on 26 March, KG0516 was released. Karol G released "Sejodioto" on 21 September 2021. In October 2021, Karol G teamed up with Smirnoff for their "Sabor for the People" campaign. As part of the deal, her Bichota Tour was presented by Smirnoff.