Feeling 'Tropicoqueta' with Karol G

Why I fell in love with the narrative and creative direction of Karol G’s new album

So this initially was going to be part of another Things I Love, Things I Like post (which you will now need to wait for another week haha), but as I got into it, I figured this actually deserves its own post. Ah and while reading this post, you might as well listen to the new album:

So, I am loving the whole release of Karol G’s Tropicoqueta. In general, I’m a huge Karol G fan. I went to her Mañana Será Bonita tour (shout out to my friends Tati and Angelica that I was with), and already back then I loved how she built such a strong concept around the tour, with her pink hair, the cartoons (with the English voice-over by Morgan Freeman). That was already great, and really easy for fans to get inspired by. However, I love the whole new release even more! There’s just so much to unpack.

First of all, I adore that there is a clear color code, which is a bit orangey. I can already imagine the concerts where everyone will dress in orange outfits. So great as an idea, and easy for people to relate to. But what I love most is how strong the creative direction is rooted in the concept of the new album.

So about that, for Tropicoqueta, Karol G was inspired by her super successful Mañana Será Bonita tour, where she travelled the world and performed in stadiums filled with audiences that were 90% Latino. The feelings she got from that, she wanted to capture in music, in an album built on different sounds from all over Latin America, so she could represent a little bit of home wherever she went, for all the Latinos in the world. And damn, did she succeed. There’s a vallenato, a Mexican ranchera, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and of course, reggaeton.

If you want to know even moredetails, I loved this interview Karol G did with Rolling Stone.

But back to the creative direction part. I did a little research (because you know that’s what I love doing) and Karol G works together with Pedro Artola on her creative direction, which from the looks of his account, she has been doing for a while. And they build a strong creative vision reflecting the topic of the album exquisitely, and clearly inspired by Latin America in every single way.

Karol G in a custom Luna del Pinal bikini, styled by Stephania Yepes, shot by Brianna Capozzi. Creative research @ficheraz. Creative direction @pedro.artola @karolg

So what inspiration from Latin America can you find?

Overall, the whole concept is an hommage to Latin American showgirls. They worked with the historical researcher Ficheraz (real name: Arturo Rico), who has an Instagram account that serves as a digital archive dedicated to preserving the legacy of vintage showgirls from Latin America, the Caribbean, and beyond.

And this concept, honouring Latin American showgirls, is featured throughout.

The first clear moment was in the video Latina Foreva, where Karol G wears a 1970s archival bikini originally owned by legendary Mexican showgirl Rossy Mendoza. A museum-quality piece by fashion designer Mitzy. Both an ode to showgirls and Latin American fashion.

Then there’s the overall visual narrative of Tropicoqueta. In the teaser promo video, Karol G looks like Carmen Miranda, and the album cover, shot by @briannalcapozzi, seems to be inspired by some of the archives collected and curated by Ficheraz as well.

Then there’s the video for Papasito, in which Karol G daydreams that she is a Latina vedette, head-over-heels in love with an American man, played by Danny Ramirez.The video was inspired by the"Rumberas films" a genre that exploded in the mid 20th century that featured female dancers dancing on music such as mambo and cha-cha-chá in incredible maximalist fantasy set-designs. The papasito video continues the rumbera spirit, as it shows glamour, drama, fantasy set-design and in rumbera spirit, she wears a golden two-piece adorned with matching gold beads, again another homage to the showgirls.

And the inspiration goes on and on. Also in her Complex cover story, which also reminded me slightly of Britney Spears ‘I am a slave for you’ performance at the 2001 VMA’s (IYKYK).

Karol G for Complex shot by Elizaveta Porodina

Last, there are the little cartoon videos, which continue the narrative of Latin American showgirls, and which I can imagine could be built out into a whole visual world, just like the cartoon she created for the Mañana Será Bonita tour.

If I’m honest, I’m super curious about what other ways the creative direction for this album will evolve. I can imagine that there will be even more types of inspiration from Latin America as Karol G already posted a picture of herself in her quinceañera dress as one of the album teasers.

And then she also posted a teaser that’s a clear nod to telenovelas. I can imagine that the entire creative direction, narrative and the tour that likely will follow, will be a beautiful homage to Latin America, its women, and its culture in all its glory. I honestly cannot wait to see more of the videos and creative work that will come out around this.

As a last note, and perhaps a point for discussion:
There’s been some debate online about whether this album is Karol G’s version of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny, with some people even accusing her of copying him. But I don’t really believe that. Albums take a long time to make. I also believe both albums are part of a broader zeitgeist: a movement that celebrates artists' own roots, rather than going for a generic or US/European mainstream sound. You can see this also reflected in Cosa Nuestra by Rauw Alejandro, and Peso Pluma filling whole stadiums with a mix of traditional Mexican corrido. And I think that is incredible.

Furthermore I also think we need to stop comparing artists. Artists are all beautiful in their own way. I love DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, I think it’s an artistic, wonderful and authentic work and the rollout was done in such a fantastic way as well. But each of these artists is incredible in their own right, and maybe we can celebrate them all instead of comparing.

Would love to hear what you think!

PS. One of my favourites of the album is Yvonny Bonita, a character that Karol G invented as an alter-ego when she is down. And I love the story behind it. Would love to hear what your faves are!

PS PS The biking Karol G wears on the album cover is by Guatemalan artesanal brand Luna Del Pinal, custom made. And it’s so beautiful.