Karol G Makes History
Karol G headlined Coachella on April 12 and became the first Latina artist to top the festival’s bill, a milestone widely reported in festival roundups. ( ) Reviewers listed her set among Weekend One’s standout moments as outlets tracked cultural firsts across the weekend. (rollingstone.com)
Karol G closed Coachella on April 12 as the first Latina artist to headline the festival. (coachellavalley.com) (rollingstone.com) The Colombian singer topped the bill on Weekend One’s final night at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, after Coachella announced her as one of its 2026 headliners alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber. (coachellavalley.com) Her set began about 10:30 p.m. after a delay of roughly 25 minutes, and Rolling Stone reported that it ran more than 90 minutes with six costume changes and four stage areas. (rollingstone.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Karol G told the crowd, “I am Carolina Giraldo from Medellin, Colombia, and today I am the first Latina woman to headline coachella,” while also saying the moment “feels late” because earlier Latina artists “gave me the opportunity to be here tonight.” (hollywoodreporter.com) The booking extends a run of barrier-breaking festival slots for Latin artists at Coachella. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language artist to headline the festival in 2023. (hollywoodreporter.com) The performance also landed in major weekend roundups. Rolling Stone called it one of Weekend One’s standout sets, and NBC Los Angeles highlighted her appearance with Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, the first all-women professional mariachi group in the United States. (rollingstone.com) (nbclosangeles.com) Onstage, she brought out Mariah Angeliq for “El Makinon,” Becky G for a mariachi version of “Mamii,” Greg Gonzalez for the live debut of “Después de Ti,” and Wisin for a reggaetón segment. (rollingstone.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) The headlining slot follows a stretch of commercial milestones for Karol G. Billboard reported in 2024 that her Mañana Será Bonito trek became the first global stadium tour by a Latina artist, with 925,000 tickets sold and $155.3 million grossed from its first 20 reported shows. (billboard.com) Weekend Two runs April 17 to 19, and Coachella’s 2026 lineup keeps Karol G in the same top row where she made festival history on April 12. (coachellavalley.com) (timeout.com)
