Karol G Embraces Mariachi Soul for Passionate Latin Grammys Performance

Karol G proved just how expansive her skills are with her performance at the Latin Grammys. The Colombian superstar delivered an impassioned rendition of “Ese Hombre Es Malo” from her Tropicoqueta album.

Karol was joined by a large mariachi band — including a conductor — who donned all-white behind her as she sported a golden charro suit with a long train. It seems the star wanted to honor how she originally recorded the track, live in Guadalajara with 57 instruments.

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Last year, Karol told Rolling Stone how “Ese Hombre Es Malo” was inspired by Juan Gabriel’s live album in Bellas Artes. “I always wanted to rise to the same challenge with this album,” she said of Tropicoqueta, adding, “It comes from the soul. That’s why creating ‘Ese Hombre Es Malo’ was so difficult because I felt like any song I made would be too small for the musical world around me. When we finally nailed it, I was like, ‘Wow.'”

While the song choice may be surprising for fans who can’t stop listening to Karol’s summer hit “Bby Wow,” “Ese Hombre Es Malo” is up for the Best Regional Song award tonight. This year, Karol is one of the most-nominated artists of the night with seven nods, including Album of the Year for Tropicoqueta. Her collaboration with Marco Antonio Solís, “Coleccionando Heridas,” is also up for two major nominations this year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Solis performed the track alongside Karol and took the audience back to the música romantica of the Eighties and Nineties at last year’s ceremony.