Interview by Jorge Perezchica
As the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival prepares to return to the desert in April 2026, Coachella Magazine revisits a defining moment from 2022 — the year the festival came back to life after a two-year pause brought on by the global pandemic.
There was a different energy in the air that spring. Relief. Anticipation. Emotion. The world was reopening, live music was returning, and artists were stepping back onto stages that had gone dark.
Karol G was stepping onto the Coachella stage for the first time, and it felt bigger than a typical festival slot. At the time, she was already a rising global force. But this moment felt pivotal. The festival itself was reemerging. So was live music. And she was about to introduce her sound — and her Latina community — to one of the most diverse audiences in the world.
A few days before Weekend 2, I received an email inviting select media to a one-on-one interview the day before her performance. Inside the interview space at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, the atmosphere was celebratory. Blue balloons were bunched in the corners of the room, framing silver inflatable letters that spelled out KAROL G, PROVENZA, and BICHOTELLA — a nod to the era she was stepping into. It felt festive, bold, unmistakably her.
What I didn’t expect was how nervous I would be.
When I arrived, a full backdrop and camera crew were ready to record the interview. Suddenly, this wasn’t just a conversation — it was a production. I had shown up in floppy sandals — not exactly camera-ready — and for a split second, I questioned every wardrobe choice I’d made that morning.
Her team reassured me it was fine. We skipped the backdrop, found a quiet corner away from the lights and balloons, and settled in for a one-on-one conversation.
Fortunately, somehow, I got through it.
As it turns out, she was nervous too.
The Invitation
Karol G told me the invitation to Coachella came personally. “The directors of Coachella, they invited me… they traveled to Miami, and we took dinner together,” she said. “They gave me the surprise that they want me on the festival… I was so happy. And yeah, it’s my first time here. So I’m super happy.”
One day later, she would step onto one of the most watched stages in the world.
A Show Built to Represent
She approached the performance with intention. “We first started with the concept of the show,” she explained. “Because Coachella for me, it was like a big opportunity to show my music and my community — my Latina community — to the world.”
That purpose shaped everything. The rehearsals were intense. The choreography expansive, plus a 10-minute medley honoring decades of Latin hits.
“It was number one Latina songs since the ’90s to now,” she said. “I think people loved it. I am so happy with the result.”
She knew the audience would be global — not everyone would speak Spanish. That was part of the challenge.
“It’s like a challenge for you to go out and to bring all these people and get into the music,” she told me. “I know my Latino fans, they were there… but I had that challenge too — make all those people from other parts of the world get happy with what I brought.”
It wasn’t just a performance. It was representation.
“I Was in Airplane Mode”
When I asked her about performing the previous weekend, she laughed — but there was honesty behind it.
“It was so hard… I was almost blind about everything because I was super nervous,” she admitted. “I can’t remember a lot of things because I was in airplane mode.”
On stage, she appeared fearless. In our quiet corner at the Renaissance, she was candid.
“I think this next weekend I’m going to enjoy it better,” she said, referring to the performance happening the very next day. “Last week was to represent. Tomorrow is going to be mine to enjoy.”
That line resonated to me with honesty and excitement.
Blue Wigs and Big Moments
Her family was there to witness it all.
“My mother is here, my father, my sister. I always bring them when I have like a special thing,” she said. “Everybody was wearing blue wigs… I couldn’t even recognize them.”
Even in the middle of a career-defining moment, she was grounded by the people who knew her before the fame.
“Everything Is Gettable”
At the time of our interview, she was also preparing to release “Provenza,” a song she described as peaceful yet empowering.
“I was looking for a song that people can listen to it and feel peace,” she explained. “If you’re nostalgic, you’re gonna feel nostalgic. If you’re happy with your friends, you’re gonna feel happy.”
When I asked what she wanted to be known for as an artist, her answer was deeply personal.
“I came from a small city in Colombia… from Medellín,” she said. “And I’m here, and I’m doing great things. It took me a lot of years.” Then she searched for the right words: “Everything is gettable.”
“For me, it’s just to leave a message of empowering and dreaming,” she said. “If you can just put a little bit of inspiration in the people, you’re doing something different and good and great.”
Style, Surprises, and the Night Before
Even in that quiet corner of the Renaissance, you could feel that Karol G’s artistry extended beyond music. Style, like sound, was fluid for her — instinctive and mood-driven.
When I asked how she would describe her personal style, she didn’t hesitate.
“My style is ever changing. It’s about my mood,” she said. “Almost all the time I’m in big clothes — big pants, big shirts, sneakers — like a tomboy. But some days I wake up feeling sexy, so I put on dresses. And sometimes I just feel very Latina, so I wear smaller clothes.”
Fashion, for her, wasn’t about trends.
“I don’t really go with the fashion vibe. I just like to wear what makes me feel good and happy.”
For Coachella, though, she did collaborate with a major designer.
“I worked with Roberto Cavalli for Coachella,” she shared. “He did my clothes for the festival. But normally, if I like something — if I see something on the internet and I love it — I wear it. I don’t care.”
That confidence — unapologetic, intuitive — mirrored the energy she brought to the stage.
And with her Weekend 2 performance just one day away, there was still an air of mystery surrounding what audiences would see.
“I have small changes,” she told me. “Not the body of the show, because we rehearsed a lot. It’s almost the same. But last weekend I had Tiësto on stage. He couldn’t come both weekends,” she continued. “But tomorrow I have another special guest. So I’m very happy and excited for the people to see what I’m going to bring.”
The anticipation was real — not just for fans, but for her.
Despite the nerves, she was soaking in the desert atmosphere.
“I love it. The place is amazing. I love the weather — it’s sunny, but not very humid. That’s good for me,” she said with a smile. “I brought my parents because it was my first time at Coachella. I’m enjoying the place and enjoying the festival.”
And before she would step back on stage the next night, she hoped to experience it from the other side.
“I hope today to go watch other shows and feel a little bit of the experience as a fan… to have the experience as a fan and as a singer.”
That duality — fan and headliner, dreamer and star — defined that moment in 2022.
Creating the Sound and the Statement
Karol G was also thinking deeply about her creative process and what she wanted to say as an artist. She described the months leading up to Coachella as a period of experimentation.
“Since September of last year, I didn’t launch any new music. I was in the studio experimenting with new sounds… I love being in the studio — that’s my best moment in life,” she told me. “I was looking for a song that people can listen to and feel peace.”
Her search led to a beat from her producer in an Afro House vibe — a rhythm designed to adapt to the listener’s mood.
“When you listen to the beat, you can put the mood. If you’re nostalgic, you’ll feel nostalgic. If you’re happy with your friends, you’ll feel happy. If you’re in the gym, it’s going to empower you. That’s what I love about the song the most.”
It wasn’t just about music — it was about connecting with people on multiple levels. And that connection extended to the message she wanted to leave as an artist.
“There are a lot of talented artists around the world, and each of us has something different to offer. But for me, it’s very important that I came from a small city in Colombia — from Medellín. It’s a small place compared to the world, and I’m here doing big things. It took me a lot of years. But I just want to live. That’s the message I want to share.”
Her words carried a clear mission: representation, empowerment, and pride in her community.
“That’s why my show was very Latino — a tribute to my people. We Latinos are a big community. We’re great. I want to show people what we have. If you can put a little inspiration in people, you’re doing something different and good and great.”
Strip Love Tour
Even as she prepared for her first Coachella, Karol G was already thinking ahead.
“We’re going on tour in the U.S., 20 or 30 cities… all arenas. It’s my first time doing arenas here, and I’m super happy,” she said.
The tour, named Strip Love, would carry the same bold energy she had brought to Coachella:
“The show is going to be about cuteness, strong power, sexiness too. People are going to love it. What we prepared for this tour is amazing.”
It was clear that Coachella was not an endpoint, but a springboard — a chance to showcase her artistry to a global audience and then take that momentum across the country.
Four Years Later
Looking back now, that conversation — one day before her Weekend 2 debut — feels like a snapshot of transformation in motion.
Since that afternoon in Indian Wells, Karol G has broken records, sold out arenas and stadiums, and become one of the defining global artists of her generation.
And this April 2026, she returns to Coachella — not as a first-timer navigating nerves, but as a powerhouse who has helped reshape the global stage for Latin artists.
Back in 2022, her name appeared in the upper half of the lineup. That year, she told me Weekend 1 was to represent.
Weekend 2 would be hers to enjoy.
Four years later, her name now sits at the very top of the Sunday lineup as she returns to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — this time as the Sunday night headliner on the main stage, closing out both weekends.
The nerves she once described as “airplane mode” have given way to command.
The artist who once came to represent now returns to lead.
And this time, the stage isn’t just hers to enjoy.
It’s hers to share with the world.