Karol G made history last night at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards as she becomes the first female reggaeton artist to win a Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album.
The Columbian Latin superstar walked away with the award for “Mañana Será Bonito,” her fourth studio album released February 24, 2203 which features Jamaican dancehall artist Sean Paul on the track “Kármika” along with Bad Gyal.
In her heartfelt acceptance speech, the first time Grammy winner, expressed her joy and gratitude on this momentous occasion. Holding her Grammy with a sense of awe, she addressed the audience, stating, “Hello, everybody, my name is Karol G. I am from Medellín, Colombia. This is my first time at the Grammys, and this is my first time holding my own Grammy. I’m super happy, I’m super nervous, I’m super excited to be in front of so many legends that I admire and respect.”
Reflecting on the significance of the award and the impact of her album, she continued, “This is such a beautiful thing. My album has given me the best memories in my own life — my fans that came and enjoyed my album, that gave motivation and inspiration and healed with me — thank you so much. I promise to give you my best always. And I hope that this is the first of so many. So thank you, everybody.”
Acknowledging her fellow nominees Tainy and Rauw Alejandro, the Bichota singer expressed gratitude and camaraderie, “I also want to thank Tainy and Rauw Alejandro. Thank you so much. I’m so grateful for this. Thank you, guys.”
The Best Música Urbana Album award category, was introduced in by the Recording Academy 2022 amidst the growing popularity of reggaeton music globally. Karol G joined Bad Bunny as the only two artists recognized in this category, with Bad Bunny securing the award two consecutive years prior.
This year’s nominations presented an anomaly as the Best Música Urbana Album category featured only three names, attributed to receiving fewer than 40 entries.
Karol G’s triumph at the 66th GRAMMY Awards added another milestone to her decorated career, following her victories at the Latin Grammys last year, where she secured the same award and Album of the Year for “Mañana Será Bonito” along with Record of the Year for Mientras Me Curodel Cora, Best urban/fusion performance and Best Urban song for her duet with Shakira “TQG” and Best Reggaeton Performance for “Gatúbela!”
On its debut day on Spotify, the “”Mañana Será Bonito” garnered 32 million streams on the Spotify Global chart and 35.7 million overall, setting a record for the biggest debut for a Spanish-language album by a woman. In the United States, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 94,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
Seven singles were released from the 17 track album including “Provenza” which peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Latin Songs chart. “TQG” with Shakira became Karol G’s first number-one single on the Billboard Global 200 and the breakup single’s music video became YouTube’s top streaming song of 2023.
