Karol G shares advice for women who want to follow their dreams

Karol G has proven to be an unstoppable force. She made history as the first Latina to headline a stadium world tour, breaking records along the way. Now, she’s opening up in her deeply personal documentary, Mañana Será Bonito: Bichota Season. Basically, the Colombian superstar is goals - but she had to learn to be herself before finding success.

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During a recent appearance on The View, Karol was asked what advice she’d give to other women chasing their dreams. Her answer? Pure gold: “Please, be you.” "I wasted so much time trying to fit [in],” the “Bichota” singer said. 

Growing up in Medellín, she often asked herself what it would take to become a global star - did she need to speak English? Dress a certain way? But eventually, she realized that trying to fit in left no room to stand out. “You have to be you - authentic. Believe in your dreams. Do you have something in your heart? Just follow that,” she said.

That mindset paid off. Karol broke barriers in the male-dominated reggaetón genre, even when the response was dismissive. “The normal commentary was like, ‘Oh no, this is not for girls, they do other genres of music.’ And I was like, why?”

But she wasn’t going to let outdated gender norms stop her. “If the world wasn’t going to change their mindset, I was going to be the one that was going to change the mindset!” she said passionately. “I’m going to prove to myself that I’m a woman, and I can do it.”

It always comes back to Selena

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As for when she realized she was meant to sing, it all goes back to her father and Selena Quintanilla. Her dad, who had a band, used to bring her on stage to perform when she was a kid, and that’s when she started to fall in love with music.

Then came the 1997 biopic Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez. Watching the film was a turning point. “When I watched that movie, it was like another step up,” Karol said. It gave her the belief that she could make it on her terms, with her family, and with the music she loved. Looking at her stardom now, everything fell into place.