Too often, their commercial achievements have relied on feel-good narratives of cultural affirmation that excise the racial, linguistic, and geographical specificities of Latinx experiences, reifying the notion that we are all one people. Along with heavyweights like Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Karol is part of a new generation of Latin American and U.S.-born Latinx artists infiltrating the American pop market and rewriting age-old scripts about language barriers and marketing practices. It is almost too on-the-nose that Karol might have broken the attendance record of an artist who laid the groundwork for her own ascent into the mainstream. At one point, Al Roker emerges from a random door in a baby-blue pinstripe suit: “It hasn’t been this crazy since Ricky Martin!” he squawks. As the morning unfolds, the speculation seems like it could turn into fact: Today staff members believe she’s eclipsed not just Styles, but also what they think is the show’s all-time attendance record, set by Ricky Martin in 1999. Backstage, the head of security walks over and says that there are so many people outside that the NYPD has called for backup apparently, some fans who didn’t make it into the plaza are stuck on Fifth Avenue, trying to rush the stage.Īll morning, rumors have circulated that Karol has surpassed the attendance number that Harry Styles set when he performed on Today last summer. A tiny braid and a collection of silver charms frame her heart-shaped face, while a heavy cross, bejeweled with magenta gemstones, clings to her neck. She brought Colombian empanadas from a bakery in Hempstead for Karol’s team, but is surprised that there isn’t anywhere to warm them up (“You can’t eat cold empanadas!” she gripes, the tía energy reaching Guinness World Records levels).Īfter a quick soundcheck, Karol returns to the greenroom to change into her costume: a white maxi skirt, a long-sleeve mauve crop top, and thigh-high hot-pink platform boots. Karol’s aunt, whom she briefly lived with as a teen, has come all the way from Long Island to support her niece - wearing a T-shirt decorated with the artwork from Karol’s recent album, Mañana Será Bonito, of course. “I didn’t sleep at all!” she exclaims in her cantaíto paisa accent, a smile across her face.Ĭhrome Body Armor by KWK by Kay Kwok. When I recount this information to Karol, she just laughs. Outside, I’d overheard a fan say that La Bichota is probably still asleep. It is 5 a.m., and most of us have slept only three hours, but Karol, 32, is bright and animated, possessing an enviable bubbliness, the kind that only someone who is accustomed to waking at these hours has.
Inside 30 Rock, the greenroom feels like an extended-family function: A dozen or so managers, assistants, and makeup artists are talking over one another, swarming around Karol and cracking jokes as they touch up her look for soundcheck. There’s even a little girl sporting a black crop top emblazoned with Karol’s moniker, “Bichota.” At Rockefeller Center, a massive crowd assembles for the superstar’s debut on the Today show, dressed in Colombian levanta-cola (butt-lifting) jeans and the lemon-yellow jerseys of Los Cafeteros, the country’s national soccer team. ON THE LAST DAY OF JUNE, about 15,000 fans have braved dense New York City smog to worship at the altar of Karol G.
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