Getty ImagesWe’ve all heard of Taylor Swift, but what about Colombian singer Carol G?
While Swift has dominated headlines and concert ticket sales in recent years, it’s actually the 33-year-old Latin American pop star whose videos have had the most views online in recent years.
This is according to Vivo, the primary provider of official music videos to YouTube. Karol G’s were the most streamed worldwide for three consecutive years – 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Last year Carole G had her Vivo videos. 4.7 billion views, Fellow Colombian Shakira was second with 3.2 billion and Swift with three million. Expect a similar picture when Vivo releases its figures for 2024 this month.
So who is Carole G, and what fueled the success that saw her sell out stadiums across America last year, in addition to Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium four nights ago in July?
Born in 1991 in Medellin, Colombia, her full name is Carolina Geraldo Navarro. She wanted to be a singer from a young age, and when she was 14, she appeared on the Colombian version of the talent show X Factor in 2005.
Success was not immediate, and instead she moved to the United States in 2014 to live with her aunt in New York City to learn English and work odd jobs. At the time she almost gave up on a career in music, but her father convinced her that she could make it.
While in America, Carol G also attended a music business conference in Boston, which she says was very helpful in helping her understand how the industry works.
She had her breakthrough hit single in 2017, the song Ahora Me Llama, a collaboration with Puerto Rican male artist Bad Bunny. His debut album Unstoppable followed.
The hits have continued ever since, and her 2023 album, Manana Serra Bonito, was the first album released entirely in Spanish by a female artist. Top of the US album chart.
SmirnoffKarol G’s musical style is often described as “Reggaeton”. It combines hip-hop with Latin American and Jamaican music, usually with singing and rapping in Spanish.
While she’s widely described as hard-working and passionate, Rocio Guerrero, head of Latin music at Amazon Music, says that the singer – and Latin music in general – has to do with the music and what goes with it. The rise of streaming has helped a lot. Videos
“Streaming democratized the landscape,” says Ms. Guerrero, explaining that it allowed Latin music, which wasn’t being played on mainstream radio stations, to travel the world.
“Radio stations were local, but with streaming we brought all those audiences together. [around the globe]. This has allowed more Latin songs and artists to be exposed. Krolji is a perfect example of this evolution.”
More than a third of Latin music on Amazon Music today is now consumed outside of Latin America, and Karol G’s listenership has grown by more than 250% in the past three years alone.
Meanwhile, in America, Latin music is now The fastest growing genre, According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the venue hit a record $1.4bn (£1.1bn) last year. 98% of that is streaming.
And this year, there was Carol G’s Manana Sierra Bonito album. 4th most streamed Globally on Spotify.
This helped boost interest in his 2023-24 sell-out, World Manana Sierra Bonito Tour. It grossed $307 million in ticket sales. And while that number falls short of the $2bn earned by Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, Karol G’s earnings were the highest for a female Latin artist.
Carlos Balado, professor at OBS Business School in Barcelona, analyzes the economic impact of music concerts. He says that both Krol G and Taylor Swift have benefited from the increased popularity of going to such a big live event.
“There is a growing trend where the public realizes that part of their normal expenditure has to go towards concerts,” he adds.
Leila Cobo, chief content officer for Latin/Spanish at US music magazine Billboard, also known for its music charts, says Krol G has helped put Colombian music on the map.
“I think music is the biggest ambassador for Colombia. I really do,” she says. “And Carole G tapped into this Latin female fan base that really didn’t have anyone like her. They wanted someone relatable, fun, sexy, good songs, but she wasn’t completely over the top.
“And reggaeton is super danceable, it’s super versatile, it’s super youth oriented,” said Ms. Cobo, who is the author of a book on Latin music.
Despite receiving numerous awards and critical acclaim, Karol G has not been immune to criticism. Her lyrics have been criticized for being too vulgar, and critics have even targeted her for calling one of her songs “bechota”. It is a colloquial term meaning big shot or boss, and is often associated with drugs and crime.
He argues that he repurposed the word for empowerment. As for her lyrics, her defenders say she sings about women rather than objectifying them.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Karol G’s estimated net worth reached $25m by 2023 – a figure that has likely increased significantly since his recent tour.
Outside of music, she makes money with shoe maker Crocs, sportswear brand Kappa, Smirnoff Vodka, and Spanish fashion label Loewe. His name has also appeared on the front of FC Barcelona shirts as part of the football club’s partnership with music streamer Spotify.
Ms Kubo says: “She’s outgoing. She’s a very bright, inquisitive person and always looking to grow. And she’s very aware that it’s not just about the music.”
Getty ImagesKarol G’s business ventures are controlled by his company Girl Power Inc., which also oversees his charity Kon Kora Foundation.
It aims to improve the lives of underprivileged women and children in Latin America by providing educational scholarships to teenage mothers, supporting girls aspiring to majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, funding children’s soccer teams, and the community. To help improve. -Reintegration projects for women prisoners.
Meanwhile, Karol G started his own record label, Bichota, in 2023 to gain more control over his music, which is later distributed and promoted by American company Interscope, part of the giant Universal Music Group.
Yet despite her global success, there are still markets she has yet to break into – the UK, for example, where she is still largely unknown. Britain has a small, But the rapidly growing Spanish diaspora.
However, Amazon’s Ms Guerrero believes it is only a matter of time before Carol G breaks into the British market. “It’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time,” she says.