She said tomorrow would be beautiful — and it was. In 2023, Karol G released her fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito, which became the first-ever entirely Spanish-language record by a woman to debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The Colombian singer’s record-breaking stadium world tour followed soon after, fulfilling the promise of her song “Bichota” — that is, “the big shot” or “the boss.”
Of course, becoming a big shot is no easy feat, and now fans old and new can see exactly what conquering the recording industry looks like in Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful, a new documentary directed by Cristina Costantini (Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado). Viewers will get unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the musician’s creative process, including the recording of Mañana Será Bonito and preparing for the tour with the album, as well as interviews that reveal the obstacles she overcame in order to reach new heights in the industry.
“In my first conversation with Karol, she expressed a deep desire to do a warts-and-all documentary about what life on tour can be like,” Costantini tells Tudum. “She didn’t want to sugarcoat it or show all the glamorous parts. She wanted to show the hard parts and the struggle that it took to get where she is now. That gave me great optimism that we might be able to square our visions for this project with one another. Being vulnerable in the way she was despite our cameras is a very rare thing and a godsend to a documentary filmmaker.”
Born in 1991, Karol G grew up in a musical household and set out to achieve her dreams of stardom at an early age, appearing on Colombia’s version of The X Factor as a teenager. Because the reggaeton she loved was considered the domain of male musicians, she faced an uphill battle to find her footing in the industry. After a successful arena tour in 2022, Karol G released her chart-topping fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito — but despite its success, the singer faced pushback and skepticism when she announced her intention to embark on a worldwide stadium tour. Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful shows the artist’s struggle to bring her creative vision to life while battling others’ criticism and her own relentless perfectionism.
“It’s a film for the most loyal fans who have been with her since the beginning as well as the newcomers who are just learning about her,” Costantini says. “But at its core, this is a film for Latinas. Being Latina, there are so many people in the world who tell us ‘no,’ both implicitly and explicitly. There are so many of us who know the feeling of being underestimated, overlooked, and undervalued. We’ve all been told at some point that our dream is too big. That we aren’t enough. As Karol says, we’ve been told, ‘This dream wasn’t meant for me.’ ”
“This film is for anyone who has had that experience,” Costantini continues. “I want people to see how Karol has pushed through all those doubts and triumphed by really being true to who she is. Throughout history, many women have approached leadership by emulating strong men. By being loud, and angry, and bombastic. And for so long for Latinos, we couldn’t find success without assimilating, or making it in English. It was revolutionary to me to see that Karol really broke through by doing the exact opposite. She’s not scared to cry, or to be feminine; she’s not scared to surround herself with other strong women; or to speak Spanish. She’s not afraid to be true to her roots. She’s not trying to be anyone but herself. Through this documentary, I hope that Karol can empower the rest of us to be just as courageous and true to ourselves.”
In addition to Karol G herself, the documentary features appearances by collaborators like Shakira and producer Ovy on the Drums, who join her on the album, as well as guest performers like Becky G as the tour unfolds. Karol’s parents appear in the film, as does the singer’s boyfriend, the musician Feid.
Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful will stream on Netflix on May 8.
