The singer opens up to ET about how her perspective and mindset changed after contracting COVID-19 earlier this year.
It's been a year of reflection and growth for Karol G. The 29-year-old singer is feeling "grateful and blessed" after being nominated for four Latin GRAMMYs this year, working on new music, and having recovered after contacting COVID-19.
"This year has been kind of weird for everybody. Weird and hard, but for me it was an opportunity to stop and think about my career and what I was doing," she told ET's Deidre Behar. "I just sat in my bed and I started watching all my videos from the beginning to now, and I was so proud of what [I've done]."
Karol tested positive for the coronavirus over the summer, and after going through that experience, her perspective changed.
"I think this year my mind changed. Like, cien ochenta grados. My mentality is completely different about the things that are really worth it, about my music, my career, about myself, my personal life, like what I want to keep to myself," she expressed. "It changed a lot of things in my mind, but I'm happy."
While it may be a tough year for many, she appreciates being able to have a moment to stop and redirect her passions. "We were living so fast…I feel like this moment was special for me to reconnect with myself. In this industry it's kind of easy to lose the path. So right now I'm connecting again and I'm really focused on what I want and where I go. So I'm happy."
The Colombian singer is focusing on her upcoming Latin GRAMMYs performance. She's also up for four awards in the major categories including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
"The GRAMMYs are what all of us are waiting for. We dream about this, like, all our life. And for me, two years ago I came, I won my first GRAMMY as a new artist. That year it was crazy," she shared. "Now this year is amazing…We're going to see what happens. I'm bringing everything for my performance, for my people, celebrating a year of a lot of success in my career."
Karol will be performing "Tusa," as well as has a couple surprises up her sleeve, teasing, "People are going to love it. We put a lot of effort in this performance. A lot of girl power on the stage…We just really want to give our fans a really good moment. I really want you to enjoy it."
However, she did note that unfortunately Nicki Minaj, who recently became a new mom, will not be accompanying her on stage to perform their duet, as she's spending time with her baby and family.
Karol, meanwhile, couldn't be happier about her latest single, "Bichota," about a "powerful" woman. She explained that after her major collaboration with Minaj, she wanted to show that she could lead a single and still make it a hit without the help of additional artists.
"I really wanted to express that in one song, so I decided with my team this year I'm going alone in all my songs. I don't want features," she said. "I came from 'Tusa,' and I wanted to show everyone, and myself, that I can do it myself. I did 'Ay Dios Mio' and it was a hit and right now we have 'Bichota.'…I just want girls and everybody to feel pretty, beautiful, powerful. It's about believing in yourself and having that attitude that no matter what is around, just have the attitude that you're gonna get it. Whatever you want."
Karol is also busy working on her third album, which she described as the "next era of Karol."
"I'm pushing [myself] a lot, I really want this album to be as huge as I have it in my mind because I've been working so much," she shared. "I sleep in the studio doing music. I have been sharing with different artists, learning about different producers. I like to produce too, so this album is very special for me. I'm experimenting with new sounds and different kind of vibes. They're going to see a new look, new vibe, new music, new collaborations. It's gonna be huge."
"In this album, it's the collaborations with people that I've always dreamed [of having a] collaboration," she teased.
The 2020 Latin GRAMMYs will take place Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Univision. For more on Karol, see below.
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