Portrait · Telemedellín+ / CC BY 3.0

Karol G

Singer and songwriter

Born 1991

Karol G is a Colombian singer and songwriter born Carolina Giraldo Navarro in Medellín on February 14, 1991. Her public career combines reggaetón, Latin trap and pop with an expanding interest in the musical traditions of Latin America. Music developed through family experience and formal study. Her father performed in a band and took her along to sing; at school she recalled being introverted but finding confidence in music class. She studied at the University of Antioquia, then left the degree programme when a chance to tour as Reykon’s backing singer offered a different education in performance and publicity. She also trained her voice, recorded covers and worked on advertising voices while developing her own project. Her recollections describe school shows, municipal festivals and radio appearances as part of that gradual route. Universal signed her in 2016. In a 2019 conversation, she recalled the resistance she faced as a woman seeking a place in reggaetón. Her father helped support an independent path after an initial label rejection. A period in the United States reinforced her determination to return to Colombia and continue building the career. Collaborations offered listeners a route into her own recordings. The interview was produced in a sponsored collaboration with Google. Amor de Dos with Nicky Jam became an early breakthrough in 2013. Unstoppable followed in 2017, and Latin GRAMMY Best New Artist recognition arrived in 2018. Ocean widened that musical record in 2019. Alongside trap and reggaetón, its songs included ballads and Caribbean rhythms, with collaborators such as Maluma and Damian Marley. The album showed how a growing catalogue could extend beyond the sound that first introduced her. KG0516 continued that range in 2021, making space for corridos, reggae and R&B alongside urban music. Its guests included established figures and newer women artists. Ivy Queen’s participation on Leyendas connected the record with an earlier generation of reggaetón performers. Mañana Será Bonito placed vulnerability at the centre of the 2023 album. In her own account, its title became a repeated assurance that difficult moments could change. Working with Shakira on TQG and FINNEAS on Tus Gafitas added different voices and production approaches to that record. Her first-season appearance in La Reina del Flow was as herself. Her screen work later included Carla in Netflix’s 2024 Griselda, a dramatic acting role. Tomorrow Was Beautiful, released by Netflix in May 2025, follows her path from earlier touring to the Mañana Será Bonito stadium shows. Directed by Cristina Costantini, the documentary brings that career development into a different form of storytelling. Tropicoqueta returned to Latin roots in 2025, incorporating vallenato, cumbia, bachata and dembow. In its accompanying interview she described the process as returning to familiar sounds and working with experienced musicians. The checked record continues with No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, released in August 2026. Its collaborations include Bruno Mars and Drake. The catalogue and dated interviews provide a view of continuing work without treating any one project or personal answer as a permanent description of her life.

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