Karol G brought her Tropicoqueta energy to the NFL stage in Brazil, where she headlined the halftime show on Friday night (Sept. 5) during the season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Colombian superstar’s performance was streamed live on the NFL’s YouTube channel from Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, where she opened her short-but-dazzling set singing some verses in Portuguese, before switching to Spanish for “Bandida Entrenada.”
“Hey, Brazil!” she greeted the audience with excitement. “¡Arriba mi gente latina!” (Up my Latin people!)
Dressed in a brown and yellow miniskirt with copper details and a bra with yellow pineapples for cups, Karol, with her wavy dark blond hair down, performed a medley of songs that included her Billboard Hot Latin Songs No. 1 hit “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” “Un Gatito Me Llamó” and “Papasito,” which she performed half in English, half in Spanish.
Surrounded by dozens of dancers and featuring some moves that included a bit of lambada, Karol’s performance lasted less than 10 minutes, but it was sweet and well-produced, including nice costumes, a group of female percussionists and a grand finale with golden pom poms and fireworks.
Hours before the show, Karol shared some heartfelt words in an Instagram post alongside a carousel of colorful spashots from her stay in Brazil. “Today is a very special day! After a long time, I return to one of my favorite places in the world, where, no matter what, I feel completely happy: The stage! The sacred place where I connect with you,” she wrote.
“Performing tonight has many special meanings in my life for different reasons, and there wouldn’t be enough space in this caption to explain it all… I just hope you really enjoy it, and in the name of God, I hope everything turns out incredible,” the singer continued. “You know, you think about every detail and hope that everything goes as planned… But no matter what happens, I love what we’ve prepared so much. It has all my soul and heart, and there’s a wonderful team of people by my side who worked incredibly hard as well.”
Karol G’s halftime show performance was announced in August. The news was accompanied by a photo of her dressed in Tropicoqueta flair, a nod to her latest album, while holding a football helmet. As part of the ongoing collaboration between the NFL and YouTube, the game between the Chiefs and the Chargers is the first NFL game exclusively streamed live on YouTube.
In addition to Karol’s show, Brazilian artist Ana Castela performed the country’s national anthem, “Hino Nacional Brasileiro,” and jazz saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington played the United States national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”