Karol G Brings 57-Instrument Mariachi Ambition to Latin Gramyas Stage

Karol G performed "Ese Hombre Es Malo" at the Latin Grammys backed by a full mariachi band, wearing a golden charro suit with a long train. The Colombian superstar delivered what the performance's staging made explicit: a tribute to how she originally recorded the track — live in Guadalajara, with 57 instruments.

The mariachi ensemble, conductor included, dressed in all-white behind her. It was a visual statement as much as a musical one.

Why mariachi, and why now?

The song choice might surprise fans still looping her summer hit "Bby Wow." But "Ese Hombre Es Malo" is nominated for Best Regional Song at this year's ceremony. Karol G is one of the most-nominated artists of the night with seven nods, including Album of the Year for Tropicoqueta, the album the track comes from.

Her collaboration with Marco Antonio Solís, "Coleccionando Heridas," is up for two of the night's biggest prizes: Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

What did Karol G say about the song?

The singer has been open about the track's origins. Last year, she told Rolling Stone that "Ese Hombre Es Malo" was inspired by Juan Gabriel's live album recorded at Bellas Artes, Mexico City's grand opera house.

"I always wanted to rise to the same challenge with this album," she said of Tropicoqueta.

She added: "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.'"

That's a revealing quote. A singer who dominates streaming charts admitting a song felt too small for its tradition is rarer than it sounds.

Was there a Solís reunion?

Yes, in recent memory at least. Solís performed "Coleccionando Heridas" alongside Karol G at last year's ceremony, a set that took the audience back to the música romantica (romantic Latin balladry) of the Eighties and Nineties.

With seven nominations and a mariachi arrangement demanding 57 instruments' worth of ambition, Karol G's Latin Grammys showing positions Tropicoqueta as a serious contender — and her as an artist still widening her range.

By Daniel Okafor