Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born 14 February 1991), known professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer. She is predominantly described as a reggaeton and Latin trap artist, but has experimented with a variety of other genres including reggae and sertanejo. In 2018, she won the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and has been nominated for several Billboard Latin Music Awards and Lo Nuestro Awards.

Born and raised in Medellín, Giraldo launched her career as a teenager, appearing on the Colombian spinoff of The X Factor. She moved to New York City in 2014 to learn more about the music industry and signed to Universal Music Latino. Her collaboration with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny “Ahora Me Llama” became her breakthrough hit, and was the lead single for her debut album Unstoppable, released in 2017. In late 2018, her song “Secreto” became a hit in Latin America as she and Anuel AA publicly confirmed their relationship in the 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 atmosphere in her work. Her song “Tusa” with Nicki Minaj also charted internationally and was certified 28× Latin Platinum by the RIAA, staying on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for 25 weeks. In 2020, Karol G received four nominations at the Latin Grammys. Karol G achieved her highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 with the top 10 song “TQG”, a collaboration with Shakira.

With her fourth album, Mañana Será Bonito (2023), Karol G became the first woman to ever debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with a Spanish-language album.

Carolina Giraldo Navarro was born on 14 February 1991 in Medellín, the youngest child of three children. At age 14, she appeared on El Factor X.  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) & Diamond Music (Puerto Rico) and chose “Karol G” as her artistic name. She performed with J Balvin at a quinceañera party soon after.

In the following years, she recorded and released songs sporadically, including “En la Playa” (On the Beach) in 2007, “Por Ti” (For You) in 2008, “Dime Que Sí” (Tell Me 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 traveled 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, Karol and her father decided to promote her career independently, touring domestically across Colombia at colleges, clubs, and festivals. Karol 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 “Amor de Dos” (The Love of Two).

However, finding that her music career was not progressing fast enough in South America, a disillusioned Karol 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, Karol 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 “Ricos Besos” (Sweet Kisses) became a hit in Colombia. In 2016, she signed with Universal Music Latino. During that year, she released the singles “Casi Nada” (Almost Nothing), “Hello” with then-rising star Ozuna, and “Muñeco de Lego” (Lego Doll) as lead-ups to her album release.