Karol G

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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 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 "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, she would release successful songs, including some of her most famous ("Bichota", "El Makinón" 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, Mañana Será Bonito, 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.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Unstoppable centers on Karol G's resilience over years of trying to stand out. After releasing collaborative songs with De La Ghetto and Andy Rivera in 2015, she focused on her solo debut. The rollout was precise: "Casi Nada" as the lead single, followed by "Muñeco de Lego" in August 2016, and "Hello" with Ozuna in November 2016. In 2017, the pace quickened with "A Ella," then "Ahora Me Llama" featuring Bad Bunny on May 26, 2017. This track became a major success, peaking at number 10 on the US Hot Latin Songs and earning an RIAA Latin Diamond certification. The final single prior to the album was "Eres Mi Todo" with Kevin Roldán in July 2017. On October 27, 2017, Unstoppable arrived, debuting at number two on the US Top Latin Albums and number 192 on the Billboard 200. The project earned 4,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

Reader's Guide

Early life: Carolina Giraldo Navarro was born on 14 February 1991 in Medellín, the youngest of three children. At age 14, she appeared on The X Factor Colombia. 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 "En la playa" (On the beach) in 2007, "Para ti" (For you) in 2008, "Dime que sí" (Say yes) in 2009 and "Mil maneras" (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 "Tu juguete" (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. The increased publicity through these tours led to her 2013 collaboration with Nicky Jam on the song "Amor de dos" (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 "Dulce beso" (Sweet kisses) became a hit in Colombia. In 2016, she signed with Universal Music Latino. During that year, she released the singles "Casi nada" (Next to nothing), "Hello" with th

Did You Know?

• The album Unstoppable was certified double platinum by the RIAA in 2019.
• The song 'Ahora Me Llama' was the fifth single from Unstoppable.
• The single 'La Dama' was released after the album Unstoppable.