KG0516

KG0516
Studio album by Karol G
Released	March 25, 2021
Recorded	2019–2021
Genre	Reggaeton Latin pop
Length	58:10
Language	Spanish
Label	Universal Latino
Producer	Ovy on the Drums
Karol G chronology
Ocean (2019) KG0516 (2021) Mañana Será Bonito (2023)
Singles from KG0516
"Tusa" Released: November 7, 2019 "Ay, Dios Mio!" Released: July 9, 2020 "Bichota" Released: October 23, 2020 "Location" Released: February 11, 2021 "El Makinón" Released: March 25, 2021 "El Barco" Released: May 11, 2021 "200 Copas" Released: July 13, 2021

KG0516 is the third studio album by Colombian singer Karol G. It was released on March 25, 2021, through Universal Music Latino.[1] Comprising sixteen tracks, the album is primarily a reggaeton record and features guest appearances by Mariah Angeliq, Camilo, Anuel AA, J Balvin, Nathy Peluso, Ozuna, Yandar & Yostin, Juanka, Brray, Ludacris, Emilee, Nicki Minaj, Wisin & Yandel, Nicky Jam, Ivy Queen, Zion and Alberto Stylee.

KG0516 was supported by seven singles: "Tusa" with Nicki Minaj, "Ay, Dios Mio!", "Bichota", "Location" with Anuel AA and J Balvin, "El Makinón" with Mariah Angeliq, "El Barco" and "200 Copas".

The album was met with generally positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. It debuted inside the top twenty on the US Billboard 200 and atop the US Top Latin Albums.

The recipient of several accolades, KG0516 received a Grammy nomination for Best Música Urbana at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, becoming her first Grammy nomination. Its songs also garnered three nominations at the 21st and 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best Reggaeton Performance for "Bichota".

Background

Following the release of her second studio album in 2019, Ocean, Karol G released "China" with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and J Balvin.

On November 6, 2019, Karol G announced the release for "Tusa" with Nicki Minaj through her social media accounts.[2] The song was released the following day on November 7, 2019, as the album's lead single. On April 1, 2019, "Follow" with Anuel AA was released as stand alone single. Following the success of "Tusa", Karol G stated she was ready to embark on a world tour, but due to the varying international lockdowns, as safety against COVID-19, these plans were momentarily postponed after just one show.[3]

"Ay, Dios Mio!" was announced and released on July 9, 2020, as the second single.[4] On August 17, 2020, Karol G joined Ozuna and Myke Towers on a remix for "Caramelo". On October 23, 2020, "Bichota" was released as the album's third single. "Location" alongside Anuel AA and J Balvin was released on February 11, 2021, as the fourth and last single prior to the release of the album.

On March 16, 2021, Karol G announced via a half-minute video the release date of the album alongside its title, while the cover art, which was photographed by David LaChapelle, was released the next day.[5] The album's track list was revealed the following week, featuring guest appearances from Mariah Angeliq, Camilo, Anuel AA, J Balvin, Nathy Peluso, Ozuna, Yandar & Yostin, Juanka, Brray, Ludacris, Emilee, Nicki Minaj, Wisin & Yandel, Nicky Jam, Ivy Queen, Zion and Alberto Stylee. KG0516 was officially released on March 25, 2021, alongside the album's fifth single, "El Makinón" with Mariah Angeliq.[1]

Title

The title KG0516 references a combination of digits, dates, and initials, recalling the moment Karol G and her parents signed her first major contract under her stage name.

In an interview with Variety, Karol G explained how the name came to be:

My parents signed a contract on my behalf on May 16th, 2006 and that was the first time that my name as Karol G was written.[3]

Release and promotion

See also: Bichota Tour

See also: Strip Love Tour

The album was released on March 25, 2021, through Universal Music Latino. It was released on CD, vinyl, digital download and streaming.

"Tusa" was performed for the first time on December 8, 2019, at Pixel 4's Motion Sense Concert Series.[6] On January 10, 2020, Karol G made her debut performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with "Tusa".[7] On August 13, 2020, "Ay, Dios Mío!" was performed for the first time at the 17th Annual Premios Juventud. On September 10, an acoustic live version of the song was uploaded on YouTube. "Bichota" was performed for the first time on November 8, 2020, at the 27th Annual MTV Europe Music Awards. On November 19, 2020, at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards, "Tusa" was performed.[8] On March 24, 2021, "El Barco" was performed for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "El Makinón" alongside "Bichota" were performed at the 28th Annual Billboard Music Awards on May 23, 2021.[9] On May 27, 2021, Karol G performed "El Makinón", "200 Copas" and "Contigo Voy a Muerte", the very first for the latter two, at the Tiny Desk Concerts. "200 Copas" was performed at the 18th Annual Premios Juventud on July 22, 2021. In collaboration with Billboard and energy drink Rockstar, Karol G performed "Bichota", "Ay, Dios Mío!", "El Barco", and "DVD" for the Summer Spotlight concert series on September 15, 2021.[10] On October 27, 2021, Karol G embarked on the Bichota Tour, which lasted all through June 21, 2022. Multiple songs from KG0516, among others, were performed. On March 23, 2022, "El Barco" was performed at the Billboard Women in Music.[11] From September 6, 2022 to November 2, 2022, Karol G embarked on the Strip Love Tour, which became the highest grossing tour by a Latin female act in the United States, late surpassed by her own Mañana Será Bonito Tour.[12] On February 19, 2023, Karol G was the headlining act for Viña Del Mar International Song Festival, where multiple songs from KG0516 were performed.

Singles

"Tusa" with Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj was released on November 7, 2019, as the album's lead single. The song reached the top spot in the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs and reached the top 50 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, at number 42. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards.

"Ay, Dios Mío!" was released on July 9, 2020, as the album's second single. It peaked at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked inside the top 5 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs.

"Bichota" was released as the album's third single on October 23, 2020. It reached the top 80 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, at number 72. It also peaked inside the top 3 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs. It won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Reggaeton Performance at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards.

"Location" was released on February 11, 2021, as the album's fourth single. It reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs at number 6.

"El Makinón" was released on March 25, 2021, as the album's fifth single. It reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs.

"El Barco" was released on May 11, 2021, as the album's sixth single. It reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs.

"200 Copas" was released as the album's seventh and final single on July 13, 2021. It reached the top 30 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]

KG0516 was praised by Thom Jurek from AllMusic, who praised Giraldo's ability to blend in multiple genres, stating, "KG0516 establishes Karol G as a visionary; she pushes hard at urbano's boundaries, blending them into the pop multiverse, only to bring the album's many dimensions to heel under reggaeton's dominance."

Commercial performance

During the first day of release on Spotify, KG0516 broke the record for biggest debut for a Spanish-language album by a woman. The album also debuted at number one on the Top Albums Debut Global Chart.[14]

United States

KG0516 debuted at number one on the US Top Latin Albums chart, earning 24,000 album-equivalent units (including 4,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[15] The album also debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Latin Rhythm Albums charts respectively.[15] This became Karol G's first number one debut on the Latin charts and her highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 at that time.[15] In addition, the album also accumulated a total of 27.4 million on-demand streams from its songs, the biggest for a female Latin album at the time.[15]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for KG0516

Year	Ceremony	Category	Result	Ref.
2021	Premios Juventud	Album of the Year	Nominated	[16]
	American Music Awards	Favorite Album – Latin	Nominated	[17]
2022	Grammy Awards	Best Música Urbana Album	Nominated	[18]
	Billboard Music Awards	Top Latin Album	Won	[19]
	iHeartRadio Music Awards	Latin Pop/Reggaeton Album of the Year	Won	[20]
	Latin American Music Awards	Album of the Year	Won	[21]
		Favorite Urban Album	Won
	Premios Juventud	Album of the Year	Won	[22]
	Premios Lo Nuestro	Album of the Year	Nominated	[23]
		Urban Album of the Year	Nominated
	Premios Tu Música Urbano	Album of the Year - Female Artist	Won	[24]
	Billboard Latin Music Awards	Top Latin Album of the Year	Nominated	[25]
		Latin Rhythm Album of the Year	Nominated

Track listing

All songs produced by Ovy on the Drums, except where noted.

KG0516 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Déjalos Que Miren"	Carolina Giraldo Julio González Justin Quiles Daniel Echavarría	Ovy on the Drums Karol G	2:47
2.	"El Makinón" (with Mariah Angeliq)	Giraldo Mariah Pérez Gabriel Mora Freddy Montalvo Jose Cruz	Neo	3:29
3.	"200 Copas"	Giraldo Daniel Félix Echavarría	Ovy on the Drums Karol G	3:37
4.	"Contigo Voy a Muerte" (featuring Camilo)	Giraldo Camilo Echeverry Kevyn Cruz Echavarría		3:39
5.	"DVD"	Giraldo Echavarría		3:18
6.	"El Barco"	Giraldo Jorge Muñiz Echavarría	Ovy on the Drums Karol G	3:23
7.	"Location" (with Anuel AA and J Balvin)	Giraldo Emmanuel Gazmey José Osorio Echavarría		4:23
8.	"Gato Malo" (with Nathy Peluso)	Giraldo Natalia Peluso Echavarría		3:45
9.	"Odisea" (with Ozuna)	Giraldo Juan Ozuna K. Cruz Echavarría		3:43
10.	"Bichota"	Giraldo Gazmey González Quiles Cristian Salazar Echavarría		2:58
11.	"Sola Es Mejor" (with Yandar & Yostin)	Giraldo Oscar Gutiérrez Juan Castañeda Anderson Arrelan Echavarría	Gutiérrez Ovy on the Drums	3:20
12.	"Arranca Pal Carajo" (with Juanka and Brray)	Giraldo Juan Bauza Bryan García Echavarría		4:06
13.	"Ay, Dios Mío!"	Giraldo Daniel Morales Echavarría		3:09
14.	"Beautiful Boy" (with Ludacris and Emilee)	Giraldo Chris Bridges Echavarría Kisean Anderson J. R. Rotem Ben E. King Jerry Leiber Mike Stoller		3:17
15.	"Tusa" (with Nicki Minaj)	Giraldo Onika Maraj K. Cruz Juan Vargas Echavarría		3:21
16.	"Leyendas" (with Wisin & Yandel and Nicky Jam featuring Ivy Queen, Zion, and Alberto Stylee)	Juan Morera Llandel Veguilla Nick Rivera Martha Pesante Félix Ortiz Carlos Alberto Marcos Masís Gabriel Pizarro Rafael Pina Juana Guerrido Luis F. Cortes Nelson Díaz Annie Lennox David Stewart	DJ Nelson Alejandro Armes Eliot El Mago D Oz	5:55
Total length:				58:10

Charts

Weekly charts Chart performance for KG0516 Chart (2021–2024) Peak position French Albums (SNEP)[26] 155 Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] 68 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[28] 88 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[29] 3 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 48 US Billboard 200[31] 20 US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)[32] 1 US Latin Rhythm Albums (Billboard)[33] 1

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for KG0516 Chart (2021) Position Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[34] 12 US Billboard 200[35] 171 US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)[36] 6 Chart (2022) Position Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[37] 25 Chart (2023) Position Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[38] 54

Certifications

Certifications for KG0516

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[39]	4× Diamond	540,000^^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[40]	Platinum	40,000^‡
Colombia[41]	Diamond	600,000[41]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[42]	3× Diamond+Platinum	2,240,000^‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[43]	Platinum	40,000^‡
United States (RIAA)[44]	11× Platinum (Latin)	660,000^‡
Streaming
Central America (CFC)[45]	2× Platinum	14,000,000^†
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. ^† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

See also

• 2021 in Latin music
• List of number-one Billboard Latin Albums from the 2020s
• List of number-one Billboard Latin Rhythm Albums of 2021
• List of best-selling albums in Mexico
• List of best-selling albums in Colombia

References

1. Martoccio, Angie (March 17, 2021). "Karol G Announces New Album 'KG0516'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
2. G, Karol [@karolg] (November 6, 2019). "MAÑANA 🦄 9PM EST 👑 @nickiminaj ✨✨✨". Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Instagram.
3. Balzano, Cata (March 29, 2021). "Is This the Most Karol G Can Do? Latin Superstar Answers Skeptics With New Album 'KG0516'". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
4. G, Karol [@karolg] (July 9, 2020). "Ay, DiOs Mío! HOY 8PM HORA DE MIAMI 🤍🤍🤍". Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Instagram.
5. "Karol G Reveals New Album Title, Release Date and Cover Art". Billboard. March 17, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
6. Schoon, Ben (November 17, 2019). "Pixel 4's Motion Sense powered a Karol G performance". Retrieved August 2, 2023.
7. Roiz, Jessica (January 11, 2020). "Karol G Made Her Late-Night Debut With Violet 'Tusa' Performance on 'The Tonight Show': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
8. Flores, Griselda (November 19, 2020). "Karol G Re-Creates 'Tusa' Video for Show-Stopping 2020 Latin Grammys Performance". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
9. Roiz, Jessica (May 23, 2021). "Karol G Performs 'Bichota' & 'El Makinon' in 2021 Billboard Music Awards Debut". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
10. Billboard Staff (September 15, 2021). "Karol G. Brought the Heat to the Rockstar Energy Drink Summer Spotlight Concert Series". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
11. Nicholson, Jessica (March 3, 2022). "Karol G Honored With Rule Breaker Award at 2022 Billboard Women in Music". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
12. Flores, Griselda (November 9, 2022). "Gira de Karol G por EEUU es la más taquillera de la historia para una artista latina". Billboard (in Spanish). Retrieved October 24, 2024.
13. Jurek, Thom. "KG0516 - Karol G | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
14. Gomez, Shirley (March 30, 2021). "KAROL G BREAKS THE RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST DEBUT IN HISTORY FOR A SPANISH ALBUM BY A LATINA". ¡Hola!. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
15. Pamela Bustios (May 5, 2021). "Karol G Feeling 'Joy & Motivation' Over Her First Top Latin Albums Chart-Topper 'KG0516'". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
16. Flores, Griselda (July 23, 2021). "2021 Premios Juventud Winners: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
17. "2021 Winners". American Music Awards. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
18. "2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
19. Atkinson, Katie (May 15, 2022). "Here Are the 2022 Billboard Music Awards Winners: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
20. "2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards: See The Full List Of Winners". iHeart. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
21. "Conoce a los ganadores de los Latin AMAs 2022 [Lista completa]". TELEMUNDO.com (in Spanish). Retrieved September 26, 2022.
22. Flores, Griselda (July 22, 2022). "2022 Premios Juventud Winners: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
23. LOS40 (February 25, 2022). "Lista de ganadores Premios Lo Nuestro 2022: Bad Bunny, Karol G y CNCO, los grandes triunfadores". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved September 26, 2022.
24. "Conoce a todos los ganadores de los Premios Tu Música Urbano 2022". TELEMUNDO.com (in Spanish). Retrieved September 26, 2022.
25. Flores, Griselda (August 18, 2022). "Bad Bunny Tops 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards Finalists: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
26. "Lescharts.com – Karol G – KG0516". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
27. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 13 (dal 26.3.2021 al 1.4.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
28. "Portuguesecharts.com – Karol G – KG0516". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
29. "Spanishcharts.com – Karol G – KG0516". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
30. "Swisscharts.com – Karol G – KG0516". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
31. "Karol G Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
32. "Karol G Chart History (Top Latin Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
33. "Karol G Chart History (Latin Rhythm Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
34. "Top 100 Albums Annual 2021". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
35. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
36. "Top Latin Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
37. "Top 100 Albums Annual 2022". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
38. "Top 100 Albums Yearly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
39. "Universal con Karol G en Buenos Aires: Dos sold outs y galardones de Platino y Diamante" (PDF). Prensario Música (in Spanish). No. 586. June 2022. p. 32. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
40. "Brazilian album certifications – Karol G – KG0516" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
41. "Karol G recibe certificado de diamante por 'KG0516'" [Karol G receives diamond certificate for 'KG0516'] (in Spanish). Estación 40. November 30, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
42. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved June 29, 2022. Type Karol G in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and KG0516 in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
43. "Spanish album certifications – Karol G – KG0516". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
44. "American album certifications – Karol G – KG0516". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
45. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Certificación Fonográfica Centroamericana. Retrieved May 7, 2022.