-My next guest has 9 billion views on her YouTube channel.
9 billion.
Yeah. Her music has been streamed globally
over 21 billion times.
Oh, my goodness.
Her new album "KG0516" comes out tomorrow.
Here is Karol G!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Oh, are you kidding me? Come on.
-Yay!
-I am so -- -Jimmy, how are you?
-I'm fantastic. I'm so happy to be able to talk to you,
because you've performed on our show before,
and I'm a giant fan.
But now I can get to talk to you,
and I want to get to know you.
How are you doing?
-Jimmy, I'm dying with my album.
Like, you cannot imagine.
Like, a lot of pressure and a lot of anxiety.
But I'm super happy to be here, 'cause it's the first time
I'm presenting something with my album.
-Yeah! That's right, tomorrow. This is it.
Coming out.
I have questions about the album cover, by the way.
And it's -- But I want to get into that.
It's "KG" is the -- "0516"?
-It's "KG0516," like a number of a flight.
-Can I ask you about Karol G?
Is that a stage name? Is that your actual name?
Is that your --
-My real name is Carolina.
-Okay, Carolina.
-When I got my first contract,
we started, like, looking for my artistic name.
I really wanted something, like, very similar to my real name.
But you know what? Like, he came --
The person came with something like, "Hey, what about Karol G?"
I love it, because I was, like, super in love with the G-Unit.
I don't know if you remember them.
-Of course, yeah, yeah, we know G-Unit.
Yeah, of course. Yeah, of course. G-Unit.
-But then he came to me --
You know what? He came to me like, "What about Karol G Now?"
And I was like, "Why 'Now'?"
-Oh, Karol G Now, part of the name?
-Like -- Yeah, like the Now,
like hey, yeah, it's going to be like Karol G New Era.
And I was like, "Uh, no."
I don't like it at all. [ Laughter ]
-Karol G Now, that's very interesting.
Did you ever perform under Karol G Now?
-Yeah, like about a year.
-[ Laughs ]
I can tell you're excited about it. Yeah.
-No, that's so embarrassing.
-You grew up in Colombia. And is this true?
I heard that you were a big Backstreet Boys fan.
Were they big in Colombia? -Like a super fan.
Oh, my God. Like, they were --
Like, yeah. In Colombia, we knew them a lot.
It was because my family and my family's mother
lived here in the United States,
and they started sending me tapes and VHS about them.
And I was, like, so in love with Nick,
the blond one, the blond one. [ Audience cheering ]
-Yeah, you guys -- Yeah, Nick is very -- Yeah.
He's a very -- -He was so hot!
-Yeah, he is. Yeah, he's a good-looking dude.
Do they know that Karol G is a huge fan?
-I don't know. But, hey, you know what, Backstreet Boys?
Karol G is a huge fan of you.
-There you go. [ Cheers and applause]
That's what I'm talking about.
I am so excited about your album.
You must be so excited about this,
'cause you work so much on -- and so long on these records,
and now it's finally out.
Everyone can get this tomorrow.
-Tomorrow. -Yeah.
-My God. Yeah!
Okay. I'm already done. I'm dying.
-No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
I have to ask you -- I have questions.
You make the record, right?
And then you go, "What's the cover?
I have the title. 'KG0516.'"
And then, how does this happen?
And explain this to me.
-That cover -- [ Laughs ]
It's a cover of my dream.
-Yeah. -You know what?
Like, I just wanted to express in a cover,
like, a lot of power and leadership
and fun and chill, but the power of company.
A lot of things.
And it was shoot by David LaChapelle.
It was a dream for me to do it.
So I'm happy with my cover. -Ah!
Is that David LaChapelle?
Aha, I get that. -Yes, it is.
-I know his stuff. Yeah, he's fantastic.
Alright, now I see what it is now.
Tonight, you're performing a song from your new album
called "El Barco."
You said this is very -- -El Barco.
-Yeah, thank you. Did I say it alright?
-Yeah, you did it perfect.
-Alright, good. I love it.
Any compliment from Karol G, I'll take it.
The song is very special for you.
What is this song about that it means so much to you?
-Like, I just started doing my album and composing the songs
about different experience for my closest people.
But at the end of when I have finished my album,
I don't know why, but all the lyrics in my album
started representing, like, a moment in my life.
So I could just create the album
and right now, I'm enjoying it, like, as a fan.
And it's beautiful. I don't know how to explain it.
But, yeah, my album represent, like, a moment in my life.
-I wish you all the best. You know I'm a giant fan.
I'm thankful that you came on to talk to me,
because I know you were coming on to perform.
I'm like, "Will she talk to me?" 'Cause I just --
I mean, how charming is Karol G? I mean, God.
How -- Just perfect. [ Cheers and applause ]
I love you. I love you right back.
-Love you, Jimmy.
Love you, Jimmy. -Karol G, everybody!
When we come back, Karol's performing a song
from her new album "KG0516"... -Yeah!
-...which is out tomorrow. Stick around, everybody.