Karol G Makes History

Karol G closed Coachella’s first weekend on Sunday, April 12, becoming the festival’s first Latina headliner on the main stage. (hollywoodreporter.com) (billboard.com) The set ran about 90 minutes at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and Karol G told the crowd, “I am Carolina Giraldo from Medellin, Colombia,” before marking the milestone near the end of the show. (rollingstone.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Reviews described an adobe house-inspired stage, multiple costume changes and a large dance team, with Billboard calling the production “maximalist” and The Hollywood Reporter noting surprise guests Becky G, Mariah Angeliq, Wisin and Greg Gonzalez. (hollywoodreporter.com) (billboard.com) (rollingstone.com) Coachella announced Karol G as one of its 2026 headliners in September 2025, alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber, for the festival’s April 10-12 and April 17-19 dates. (billboard.com) (coachella.com) Her booking put one of Latin music’s biggest arena stars at the top of a festival that has historically leaned on pop, rock and electronic acts for its closing slots. Billboard said she was the first Latin woman to headline in Coachella’s 27-year history. (billboard.com) (coachella.com) The performance also doubled as a survey of Latin genres. Rolling Stone said Karol G used the show to move through reggaeton, ballads and older Latin classics while debuting a new song with Cigarettes After Sex singer Greg Gonzalez. (rollingstone.com) USA Today published a full setlist on April 13 showing songs including “TQG,” “PROVENZA,” “BICHOTA” and “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” underscoring how heavily the show leaned on the catalog that made her a stadium act. (usatoday.com) Weekend 2 begins April 17, when Coachella’s headliners return to the same desert stages with a first weekend benchmark now set by Karol G’s Sunday closer. (coachella.com 1) (coachella.com 2)