Karol G’s historic performance as the first Latina to headline Coachella

I didn’t get tickets to Coachella, so instead I watched Karol G’s performance from the comfort of my home: Couchella. 

Her set started a little late. Online reports said the set wasn’t ready or that someone needed medical assistance in the crowd. Whatever the reason was, Coachella has a hard stop on Sunday at 12, so I was nervous about her finishing her set on time.

But other than that glitch, her performance went off without issues as she opened her show with “Latina Foreva,” and if you weren’t sure Karol G’s songs are sexy, after seeing her performance, you would definitely know. Well, I should mention the mic seemed low, but I don't know if that's because I was watching from home. 

Karol G’s performance goes past the tired trope of the sexy mamacita to arrive at the “cora,” which is how she says corazón, heart. While she performed many of her upbeat, party songs full of reggaetón, mambo, salsa and electronic pop, she also honored Latino and Colombian culture with mariachi and a giant scarlet macaw, which is a tropical parrot found in Central and South American rainforests, a symbol of the Latino countries that many immigrants in the U.S. come from. 

Karol G’s first guest appearance was with Mariah Angeliq, with whom she performed “El Makinón.”

Next up was Becky G, who, for the fifth time in a row, has performed at Coachella. It helps that she is a local and is happy to perform either solo or with other Latino artists with whom she has collaborated.

Just before performing “Mamiii” with Becky G, the Colombian singer shared the stage with Mariachi Reynas de Los Angeles, an all-female mariachi band performing the Mexican classic “El Son de la Negra,” while she wore the blue, yellow and red of her country’s flag in a skirt and top ensemble.  

As Becky G exited the stage with the mariachi, she expressed support for the immigrant community. 

“¡Que viva México, que viva Colombia y a todos nuestros inmigrantes te queremos mucho!” she said as she danced off into the night. “Long live Mexico, long live Colombia and to all our immigrants, we love you so much!”  

Karol G also gave a speech towards the end of her set in support of the immigrant community. 

“This isn’t just about me, this is about my Latina community, this is about my people,” Karol G said. “And at the same time, this is for my Latinos who have been struggling in this country lately. We stand for them. I stand for my Latino community and at the same time, because this brings out the best of us, unity, resilience, strong spirit.”

She said her message was about unity for everyone.  

“We want everyone to feel welcome to our culture, to our roots, to our music,” she said. “I just want everyone to feel proud of where you come from, please! Raise those flags! ¡Levanten esas banderas!” 

Karol G said she was honored to be the first Latina headliner at Coachella, although she expressed dismay that it had not happened until now. “It feels late,” she said, questioning why she was the first, given that there have been so many talented Latina artists. 

Wisin performed a medley of reggaetón classics, providing a flashback of the genre’s history. 

And in honor of fellow Latina Gloria Estefan, Karol G performed “Mi Tierra,” which felt especially historic in the Coachella stage, before ending the night with “Provenza” as fireworks exploded into the desert’s sky.