Why Karol G Wasn’t at the MTV VMAs—and Spent Her Weekend Far From It

THE RUNDOWN

• Karol G skipped the 2025 MTV VMAs, where she was nominated for Best Latin Song for “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.”
• She was photographed in Brazil on September 5, far from the Elmont, New York, show.
• She recently released a Netflix documentary, Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful, chronicling her record-breaking stadium tour.

Karol G was nominated for Best Latin Song at tonight’s MTV VMAs, but the star didn’t show up at the Elmont, New York, ceremony. Instead, she had a huge performance on Friday, September 5, in São Paulo, Brazil. Understandably, she chose not to make the trip to New York for one nomination that she ultimately lost to Shakira.

The Colombian superstar has been building on the momentum of her Mañana Será Bonito stadium tour, which became the highest-grossing Latin tour by a female artist. The tour, which wrapped in July 2024, is now the focus of her Netflix documentary, Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful, released earlier this year.

Reflecting on showing the less glamorous side of success, she told USA Today in May, “There are a lot of ups and downs, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I am a leader,’ and I don’t know if it’s good to show those moments that I wasn’t really good or doubting myself. But for me, it’s really important to show the process.”

Karol’s current chapter has also been highlighted by new music, as she recently released her fifth studio album, Tropicoqueta. The album blends influences of vallenato, bachata, merengue, ranchera, pop, cumbia, and reggaeton, and even features her first full English-language track, “Papasito.”

“I did the translation myself because I wanted it to sound true to how I speak English,” she told Variety in June. “The story is about me seeing this guy at a party and just instantly feeling attracted to him… and maybe the guy is American, so I’m speaking my best English to get him to fall in love with me.”

On Friday, Karol performed during the NFL’s season kickoff in São Paulo, headlining the halftime show during YouTube’s first-ever exclusive NFL live broadcast of the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Los Angeles Chargers. “I’ve watched many NFL halftime shows over the years and now having this opportunity to bring my music to this global stage means the world to me,” she said in a statement.