Karol G made history at Coachella Sunday night as the first Latina to ever headline the annual festival, delivering an impressive, visually stunning set that featured surprise guests Becky G, Mariah Angeliq, Wisin and Greg Gonzalez.
“I am Carolina Giraldo from Medellin, Colombia, and today I am the first Latina woman to headline coachella,” the superstar said as her crowd erupted in cheers toward the end of her set Sunday. “And I’m very happy and very proud about this, but at the same time, it feels late. I just want to say that before me there were so many legendary Latina artists that gave me the opportunity to be here tonight.”
Starting a bit behind schedule at about 10:30 p.m., the Colombian superstar began her set with a cave painting-style video telling the story of a wild, free woman who loses her voice to the pressures of assimilating to the world, only to regain her freedom and become a goddess. Karol G came out after, starting with “Latina Foreva,” then “Un Gatito Me Llamo.”
Angeliq was the first guest, coming out to perform their track “El Makinon” from Karol G’s third album KG0516.
Heading into Coachella, Karol G had said she was looking for her historic night to leave a lasting impact on the broader Latin community, particularly as the Trump administration has been particularly aggressive in its tactics with ICE in targeting immigrants. She acknowledged that in her Sunday set too, both with the numerous genres she showcased and with a message of resilience as she told the crowd that the night “is not just about me, this is about my Latina community, this is about my people.”
“At the same time this is about my Latinos who have been struggling in this country lately,” she said. “We stand for them, I stand for my Latina community. I’m proud because this brings out the best of us, unity, resiliance, a strong spirit. We don’t do this because we want to take everyone out, we do this because we want everyone to feel welcome to our culture, to our music. I want everyone to feel proud of where you come from. Please don’t feel scared, feel proud. Raise your flag.”
Her show came two years after fellow superstar Bad Bunny, became the first Spanish-language artist of any gender to be given the coveted headlining slot with his show back in 2023.
This weekend, Karol G followed an intricate Friday Night headlining set from Sabrina Carpenter, as well as a much more stripped back Saturday night show from Justin Bieber. Karol G’s leaned much more Carpenter in scale, featuring an impressive stage design that evoked an ancient-looking adobe house, as she was flanked by over a dozen background dancers. The show was ambitious, with numerous costume changes and set shifts as. At one point, she was dancing on a gigantic macaw, while in another, she was in a dreamy-looking lake setting as her backing dancers doused her in water.
From the intro video through the final song, her set felt like a constant celebration of women, from her backing dancers to the numerous women musicians given a spotlight including an all female mariachi band.
Other guests during the night included Becky G who duetted with Karol for their multi-platinum hit “Mamiii.” She premiered an etherial new track with Cigarettes After Sex as well, and brought out reggaeton star Wisin for several songs.
Karol G ended weekend one with “Provenza,” sending off the crowd dancing as fireworks blew up behind her as she and her team took their final bow.
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