Alex Cooper x Youtube Presents: Becoming a Coachella Headliner (ft. KAROL G) - Part 1
Alex Cooper interviews KAROL G about her journey to headlining Coachella, discussing her early career struggles in the male-dominated reggaeton industry, traumatic experiences with industry executives, and her evolution into a confident, successful artist.
Summary
In this Call Her Daddy episode, Alex Cooper sits down with Colombian reggaeton superstar KAROL G to discuss her path to becoming a Coachella headliner. KAROL G opens up about her musical beginnings with her father, who had a band and encouraged her to audition for La Factor X at age 14. She describes how she and her father worked as a team, pretending to be a management company to book gigs at schools and universities. The conversation takes a serious turn as KAROL G discusses the challenges of breaking into the male-dominated reggaeton industry, where she often felt silenced in rooms full of powerful men. She reveals a traumatic experience at age 16 with a manager in his 50s who crossed boundaries, which nearly made her quit music entirely. Her father helped her escape the contract by paying significant money, and she temporarily moved to New York. KAROL G emphasizes the importance of women speaking up about uncomfortable situations and setting boundaries. The interview covers her artistic evolution, particularly how her heartbreak album 'Mañana Será Bonito' broke records and was inspired by personal relationships. She discusses her tendency to lose herself in relationships and her romantic nature, admitting she's attracted to 'bad guys' but recognizing she needs to change that pattern. KAROL G explains the meaning behind 'bichota' (a powerful female leader) and reveals she has tattoos of herself, Rihanna, and Selena Quintanilla - the three people she most admires. She shares a meaningful encounter with Rihanna at the Super Bowl, describing how Rihanna's genuine warmth taught her to 'be the person you would love to meet.' Currently single and focused on her career, KAROL G is preparing for Coachella after not performing a full show since July 2024. She views this opportunity as a chance to represent her Latino community on a major stage.
Key Insights
- KAROL G and her father created fake management personas to book early gigs, with them alternating roles as artist and executive team members
- She experienced sexual harassment from a manager at age 16 that nearly ended her music career, leading her father to pay significant money to break the contract
- KAROL G argues that women often can't articulate uncomfortable experiences because they're encountering them for the first time and feel embarrassed or frozen
- She claims her 'superpower' as a songwriter emerges specifically when she's heartbroken, calling heartbroken KAROL G her strongest creative state
- KAROL G admits she consistently loses herself in relationships by changing her routines and priorities to accommodate partners, which she recognizes as problematic
- She believes the way people see you determines how they treat you, so you must position yourself confidently from the beginning
- KAROL G argues that parents should teach girls to be strong from birth rather than learning strength through painful experiences later
- She describes meeting Rihanna as teaching her that 'you have to be the person you would love to meet for everyone' regardless of convenience
Topics
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