Karol G’s showstopper

Karol G closed Coachella’s first weekend on April 12 with a headlining set that made her the festival’s first Latina woman headliner. (billboard.com) The show started about 30 minutes after its scheduled 9:55 p.m. slot as crew members finished an elaborate cave-like main-stage set, then opened with “Latina Foreva.” (billboard.com) Over roughly 90 minutes, Karol G ran through 20 of her own songs, changed costumes six times, and moved across four stage areas with choreography by Parris Goebel. (rollingstone.com) One of the loudest reactions came during “Ese Hombre Es Malo,” when Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, billed by Rolling Stone as the first all-women professional mariachi group in the United States, joined her onstage. (pressenterprise.com, rollingstone.com) She also brought out Mariah Angeliq for “El Makinon,” Becky G for a mariachi version of “Mamii,” Wisin for a reggaeton mini-set, Greg Gonzales for the live debut of “Después de Ti,” and Arturo Sandoval on trumpet during “Ivonny Bonita.” (rollingstone.com, usatoday.com) Near the end of the set, Karol G told the crowd in English that she was “the first Latina woman to headline Coachella” and said the milestone felt “late” after 27 years of the festival. (billboard.com) That line landed in a year when Coachella booked Karol G alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber as headliners for the April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19 weekends at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. (coachellavalley.com) The set also extended a run of career firsts for Karol G. Rolling Stone reported that her 2023 to 2024 “Mañana Será Bonito” tour became the first global stadium tour by a Latina artist and sold more than 1 million tickets across 12 countries. (rollingstone.com) Sunday’s performance doubled as a survey of Latin styles, mixing reggaeton, mariachi, salsa cues and a Gloria Estefan cover of “Mi Tierra” into one headline slot on Coachella’s main stage. (rollingstone.com, setlist.fm) Karol G is scheduled to headline Coachella again on April 19 for Weekend 2, with the same history-making billing and a crowd that now knows what kind of finale to expect. (coachellavalley.com, toursetlist.com)