Karol G makes history

Karol G closed Coachella’s first weekend on Sunday night, becoming the first Latina artist to headline the festival’s main stage. (hollywoodreporter.com) The Colombian singer, born Carolina Giraldo in Medellín, topped Sunday’s bill at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on April 12, 2026. Coachella’s official 2026 lineup had placed her alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber as the festival’s three headliners. (hollywoodreporter.com) (coachellavalley.com) During the set, Karol G brought out Becky G, Wisin, Mariah Angeliq and Greg Gonzalez of Cigarettes After Sex, according to coverage published overnight. The Hollywood Reporter said she told the crowd, “I am Carolina Giraldo from Medellin, Colombia, and today I am the first Latina woman to headline Coachella.” (hollywoodreporter.com) (rollingstone.com) Setlist reports from The Desert Sun and the Los Angeles Times showed a career-spanning show built around reggaeton, pop and regional Latin sounds. The Desert Sun published a full song list after midnight, while the Los Angeles Times tracked the performance in its Day 3 live blog from the festival grounds. (desertsun.com) (latimes.com) Coachella has been running since 1999, and its headliner slots have long functioned as one of pop music’s highest-profile booking signals. Karol G’s placement at the top of Sunday’s lineup put a Spanish-language star in a role that had never previously gone to a Latina artist at the festival. (pitchfork.com) (coachellavalley.com) The booking also capped a run in which Karol G moved from arena headliner to one of the biggest global acts in Latin music. Her rise has included the 2023 album “Mañana Será Bonito,” which became the first all-Spanish-language album by a woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. (billboard.com) (pitchfork.com) Weekend 1 ran from April 10 to April 12, and Coachella’s second weekend is scheduled for April 17 to April 19 at the same Indio site. Karol G is set to return to the desert next Sunday for the festival’s second closing-night performance. (coachellavalley.com) (pitchfork.com)