The Untold Truth Of Karol G

At the 2018 Latin Grammy Awards, Colombian singer Karol G took home the Best New Artist award. The reggaeton artist showed off her impressive skills during the ceremony with a high energy performance of her hit song "Mi Cama." A few years later, Karol G released her third album "KG0516" and teamed up with Nicki Minaj for the lead single "Tusa." She performed the song at the Latin Grammy Awards, where the track was nominated for both Song of the Year and the Record of the Year. It was one of many collaborative songs for Karol G, who has teamed up with a wide range of other artists like the Jonas Brothers, Pop Smoke, Pit Bull, and J Balvin, per Billboard. This was all part of the singer's plan to curate a mix of tracks to delight all types of fans. "If I do something, I want to make it big," she told Vice.

Showing her crossover appeal and increasing influence in the American market, Karol G made her Coachella debut in 2022. The singer's quick rise has come despite a multitude of challenges, from struggling to break into the music industry to dealing with the end of her relationship with another popular singer, all in the public eye. Not that it slowed Karol G down — she actually came back stronger and set lofty goals for herself in the future. "I simply want to do it all," she told The Guardian.

This is the untold truth of Karol G.

Karol G claims that from an early age, she knew one day she would be a star. This explains why Karol G put so much effort into getting her name out there when she was first starting. "I thank God that I got to go through visiting little towns to personally hand out my CDs, knocking on doors. Because I can now sit with authority and proudly say, 'I'm here because I worked hard,'" Karol G told Billboard. "It wasn't easy, but I'm here," she added about making her dreams come true. More than just trying to sell as many albums as possible, Karol G's drive is mainly to create music that can resonate with fans across generations, similar to her idol Selena Quintanilla, the Latin Madonna. "My goal now is to create a product that will connect with many people and for people to remember me," she explained.

Part of her early journey involved moving from Colombia to New York to learn more about the music industry. Thanks to an ad on the subway that caught her eye, Karol G ended up at a music business conference in Boston. It also helped rekindle her love with music at a time when she was frustrated with her stagnant music career in Colombia. Karol G then returned to her home country, began working on music again, and as a result, "I realized that this is what I love to do," she told Vice.

When she first started performing, Karol G had beautiful long hair – sometimes brunette and other times with blonde highlights, as seen on her Instagram page. Then, in November of 2020, she posted a photo with her hair dyed electric blue. The caption included a lyric from her song "Bichota" that she's always "well-dressed from head to toe / Because you might run into my a**," Billboard translated. The color came from Karol G experimenting during quarantine in the privacy of her own home. "I didn't even think it was going to last more than a month," she revealed to Allure. Karol G also credits her extreme makeover with a radical shift in her mindset. "When I started, I tried to please others. Now, I'm me," she told Billboard. This meant, she added, "I dress how I want to dress, and I believe that when I decided to show myself as I am, people really connected with me."

Since the blue hair became her signature look, Karol G admitted that she might be stuck with the highlights for a while since many of her fans either dye their own hair or buy blue wigs for her concerts. With all this dedication from her supporters, Karol G feels that she owes them her blue hair. "People buy a ticket for a tour like that and I get there with a different color hair? I don't know.... You see that it's complicated," she told Allure.

Karol G once declared that she believes other women in reggaeton are not her competition. "We have to generate a movement. It's not about a fight to see who stays — there's space for all of us," she told Billboard. This included star Becky G, who Karol G said she clicked with after first working and spending time together in Colombia. Karol G explained that even if the media tried to paint them as enemies, this was completely false. "We've shared my country. We're going to continue to cross paths," Karol G said about her fellow musician. She was correct that collaboration was better than opposition when both artists joined forces for the 2022 song "Mamiii." It was Karol G's highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 of her career up to that point, peaking at the number 15 spot.

Talking about the combined song, Becky G was grateful to work with Karol G, especially as a fellow woman in a historically male-dominated space. "This industry can be very lonely, and sometimes I really crave a connection with people who really understand what it is to be in my shoes," she told Interview Magazine. Additionally, she said, "finding artists who understand the hard work and sacrifice that comes with success makes all of it feel more meaningful." She said of creating "Mamiii" with Karol G among her other hits, "those aren't just hit songs. Those are pivotal moments in my life."

With her commanding stage presence while performing live music and natural swagger, it makes sense that Karol G could translate these skills into another industry. She became interested in films and began taking acting lessons with the end goal of becoming a movie star, NME reported. "I'm in acting and body-movement classes, and it totally opened my eyes to a different perspective," the singer told Billboard. 

It wasn't long until Karol G earned a role in the Netflix limited series "Griselda" about Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug dealer and business woman played by Sofia Vergara. "I play Carla, one of Griselda's 'mules' who transports drugs to the U.S. It's a great role because there's real character development," Karol G explained. An unexpected benefit of her acting classes was learning how to focus her attention inward instead of trying to please people. As a result, acting "has helped my career as an artist and my development on stage," Karol G said.

With a vision of expanding the reach of her personal brand, Karol G told Billboard she was excited to make her big screen debut. The singer also revealed that exploring different career options meant that anything was possible in the future. "I can sit with you in two, three years and know [that] things are going to be super different," she told Rolling Stone. "I've proven it to myself, so I'd rather not stop and just keep evolving," Karol G added.

During the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Karol G became one of the many celebrities who were slammed on social media for poorly speaking out. In the midst of protests across America, Karol G posted a photo of her dog on a since-deleted post on Twitter to try and equate the animal's fur color to a comment on racism. Since her pet is an Old English Sheepdog, the singer wrote in the caption, "The perfect example that Black and White TOGETHER look beautiful #BlackLivesMatter," Entertainment Weekly translated.

After backlash from fans and the media, Karol G posted an apology note on Twitter that explained her intentions were in the right place but that the way she went about it was wrong. The singer clarified that she is against racism and supported the Black Lives Matter movement. According to Karol G, there are very few racist people in her home country of Colombia and so she had a lot to learn about racism in America. "That somebody would discriminate against someone else because of the color of their skin ... it's something I can't understand and that wasn't a part of my household," she told The Guardian. 

To better understand the movement, Karol G revealed she began "studying, looking into the history, watching videos [to] understand why people were feeling pain and anger." Looking back at her actions and the inappropriate post, Karol G admitted, "I acted in a really ignorant way."

Karol G became popular not just for her catchy songs but for being a standout in the reggaeton genre with mostly men. "We didn't think it was going to be a big movement but over the years it became stronger and stronger," she told Vice about her rise in popularity amongst superstars like J Balvin. Part of the reason was that Karol G considered herself a wild woman, that is, a "bada**," she told Allure. 

Sadly, even this confidence came with struggles. "I've been through some really horrible things as a woman in the industry, but I don't even want to talk about that anymore because I don't want to victimize myself," she told Billboard. The singer kept a positive outlook on her negative experiences and believed "those experiences helped shape the woman and the artist I am today." Still, even as a well-known star, Karol G still felt sexualized by the media but aspired to create a better environment for other women in the music industry. "It's very important for me to tell women that it is possible, there are opportunities," she told Billboard.

Her trailblazing efforts are definitely noticed by others. For example, a popular radio host in Puerto Rico explained that for a long time, listeners rejected the idea of female artists in reggaeton. That is, until artists like Karol G came along with "talent and the right to be part of this genre," the host told Billboard.

When she's not singing and dancing on stage or dropping hot new singles, Karol G enjoys her life outside of music as well. This includes waking up early every day to fit more activities into her already packed schedule. At the most extreme end, Karol G revealed she can function with just two hours of sleep a night. "When I have a good idea I'll be up all night thinking about it and I always want to call someone to tell them about it," she told NME. Karol G at least admitted that two hours of sleep is not exactly a sustainable amount and that she knew self-care would be important for her longevity. "If I don't take care of myself, I'm going to look so old in a few years," she explained.

One hobby that Karol G loves is spending time with her dog Otto, an Old English Sheepdog. In fact, she loves Otto so much that she created a separate Instagram account for her pet. This includes videos of Karol G dancing with Otto on a talk show and a photo of Otto about to fly on what looks like a private jet. Besides taking care of her dog, Karol G planned to one day grow her family and have children to look after. The singer told NME that he hoped to one day "be a mom and have time to take care of my babies and everything."