Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born 14 February 1991) performs professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. She is considered one of the most influential reggaeton and urban pop artists. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, eight Latin Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist) and five Billboard Music Awards. She was recognised as Woman of the Year and recived the Rulebreaker Award at the Billboard Women in Music Awards 2024 ceremony, and has also achieved 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 "" became a hit in Latin America, as she and Puerto Rican artist Anuel AA publicly confirmed their relationship via its 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 included the title track (later released as a remix with Jessie Reyez). Later that year, her song "" 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, she would release successful songs, including some of her most famous ("", "" and "Location"), in the lead-up to her third album, KG0516, which was released in spring of that year and topped the US Latin albums chart.
Giraldo released her fourth album, , in the spring of 2023; the record was the first Spanish-language album by a female artist to debut at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. She achieved her highest-charting single on the US 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 . 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 (Colombia) and Diamond Music (Puerto Rico) 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 "" (On the beach) in 2007, "" (For you) in 2008, "" (Say yes) in 2009 and "" (A thousand ways) in 2010. She studied music at the University of Antioquia and sang backup for other artists during her studies, including Reykon, recording the songs "" (Your toy) in 2011 and "301" in 2012. Shortly after, she travelled 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 "" (Love of two).
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 "" (Sweet kisses) became a hit in Colombia. In 2016, she signed with Universal Music Latino. During that year, she released the singles "" (Next to nothing), "Hello" with then-rising star Ozuna, and "" (Lego minifigure) 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 dialling 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 (Little giants USA) as a judge, offering advice to children 6–11 years of age who performed on the show. In February, she released the break-up song "" (To her), a song inspired by real-life events. In May, her collaboration with Puerto Rican trap artist Bad Bunny, "" (Now he calls me) became her breakthrough hit. The video garnered more than one billion views on YouTube and reached No. 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 [that] 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" served as the main single (including a remix featuring Quavo from Migos) for her debut studio album, Unstoppable; the record also contained the three aforementioned singles, and was released in October 2017, debuting at No. 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 "", from Tini's second studio album .
In May 2018, she released "" (My bed), which became a commercial success. This was followed by "" (Guilty ones), featuring Puerto Rican rapper (and eventual partner) Anuel AA. "Culpables" peaked at No. 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 No. 6 on the same chart.
2019–2021: Ocean and KG0516
In January 2019, the singer released the single "Secreto" (Secret) with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA; the song's accompanying music video confirmed the rumoured romantic relationship between the two artists. The single reached No. 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 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 3 May 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 travelled 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 No. 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 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. Karol G premiered the song on American television on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 10 January 2020. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart on 23 November 2019 and stayed on the chart for 25 weeks.
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.
2023–2025: Mañana Será Bonito and Tropicoqueta On 14 February 2022, Karol G and Crocs announced a partnership by unveiling two different shoe silhouettes. In April 2022, "Provenza" was released as the lead single of the then unannounced album, Mañana Será Bonito, The song became a commercial success and was nominated for both Record and Song of the Year at the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The title refers to a neighbourhood of Medellín called Provenza. In August 2022 Karol G released "Gatúbela" alongside Puerto Rican rapper Maldy from Reggaeton duo Plan B. The song features a beat characteristic of old-school, 2000s reggaetón, with a dembow rhythm. Its music video was initially banned online in certain countries for being sexually provocative, though it was later made available as no actual nudity is seen. The video also takes some inspiration from older horror movies (as her prowling cat-woman character can be seen covered in blood at the end), and is the first to show off Karol G's dyed red hair.