The sunny and lighthearted “Mientras Me Curo Del Cora (While My Heart Heals)” opens Karol G‘s highly anticipated new album Mañana Será Bonito, out today (Feb. 24).
Powered by a disarming, joyous whistle, her stripped-down vocals take center stage in this opening track. “Give me time/ I’m not at my best moment, but I’ll get better little by little/ Today, I’m down but tomorrow will be prettier,” she sings. Time was what Karol G needed to heal from heartbreak. Now, she’s entered a new era that’s marked by a renewed sense of freedom and empowerment.
“Mientras Me Curo” serves as Karol’s introduction to the set, but don’t be tricked by its simplicity in terms of production. In fact, the rest of the tracks on the album are quite the opposite — packed with fast-paced verses, raw and sensual lyrics with dembow, regional Mexican and reggaetón powering the beats. Along the way, she tapped a few fellow hitmakers for star-studded collaborations, including Shakira on “TQG,” “Dañamos La Amistad” with Sech and “Pero Tú” with Quevedo. The set also includes previously released collaborations with Romeo Santos (“X Si Volvemos), Ovy on the Drums (“Cairo”) and Maldy (“Gatubela”).
The highly awaited collab with Shak finds the two Colombianas in a sultry music video, confirming once more that there’s no messing with them (and their hearts). Meanwhile, on the simmering reggaetón track “Pero Tú,” the Medellín singer continues to cultivate the allusions of passion, set against pensive piano chords and an irresistible rhythm. This time, Karol is armed with a hypnotic coo like that of a siren, which captures Quevedo as a love interest.
Mañana Será Bonito is Karol’s fourth studio album, and it follows her 2021 Grammy-nominated KG0516, which scored Karol her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums. The set earned the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman since Shakira‘s 2017 El Dorado.
Below, check out all the collaborations on the set ranked:
“Cairo” feat. Ovy on the Drums
Image Credit: Mario Alzate
On her new album’s penultimate track, Karol G continues to explore her provocative wanderlust, and “Cairo” sets the stage for a too-hot-to-handle escapade in the desert capital. Propelled by the undulating reggaetón beats of Ovy on the Drums, her long-time producer, Karol G confesses her newfound emotions on a fling. Near the end of the track, “Cairo” transitions into an Ibiza-leaning number to get lost to. The song debuted at No. 89 on the Billboard Global 200 chart on December 3, 2022, becoming Ovy on the Drums’ first entry on the chart.
“Ojos Ferrari” feat. Justin Quiles & Angel Dior
Karol G teams up with veteran singer-songwriter Justin Quiles and emerging artist Angel Dior to deliver the ultimate party anthem. The bouncy and dizzying dembow track “Ojos Ferrari” is a certified club banger, where the three sing about living it up. “Hoy se bebe/ Hoy se fuma/ Hoy se jode,” they chant on the Ovy on the Drums-produced song.
“Kármika” feat. Bad Gyal & Sean Paul
“Kármika” finds the Colombian artist joined by two generations of artists and of two different cultures: Sean Paul of Jamaica and Bad Gyal of Spain. Instead of having them sing a perrero tune, Karol delivers a sensual dancehall track — best fitting with Paul’s and Gyal’s signature sound. Telling the story from the perspective of a woman who doesn’t want any commitment, but still wants to spend time with that special person, Karol sings about “becoming another person when she’s drinking” and “only wanting casual sex” because she’s alone. “I know I’m a bad boy for you,” sings Sean Paul, who assures he’s different than the rest of the boys.
“Dañamos La Amistad” feat. Sech
“Chingué con mi amigo y no me explico/dañamos la amistad pero rico/ y ahora estoy pensándote,” seductively croons the Colombian femme fatale (“I f–ked my friend and I can’t explain it/ we damaged the friendship but deliciously / and now I’m thinking about you”). On her Sech collaboration, the pair detail a steamy night when two friends become lovers, after a night of rocking and partying until the wee hours, with the Panamanian singer delivering his utmost passionate flow that spills over. It’s a risky and adventurous trope that’s also relatable, set against the hard-hitting beats of Sech himself and his producer Dímelo Flow.
“Mañana Será Bonito” feat. Carla Morrison
Image Credit: Esteban Calderon
The closing and title track on the set finds Mexican singer-songwriter Carla Morrison exploring the infectious reggaetón beats of Karol G. On the track, the two artists deliver a feel-good track filled with positive lyrics and manifestations, again, to heal a heartbreak. The track tells the story of a girl who gave it all for love but her trust was broken. Then, there’s Karol and Carla reminding every heart-broken person that “tomorrow will be beautiful” and no one can “take way their light.” “In life, we can’t go back and recuperate the time wasted/ But yes, we can start brand new,” says Karol toward the end of the track.
“Gatúbela” feat. Maldy
Like this album, “Gatúbela” — released in August — marked a new chapter for Karol G. Unveiling her fiery red hair for the first time with this song, for which she reeled in Latin urban pioneer Maldy, “Gatúbela” is an infectious old-school reggaetón jam laced with intense perreo beats. Produced by DJ MAFF, Karol G knows exactly what she want. “I’m not with anyone but I’m hooked/ I’m elevated, I feel like a Catwoman/ It feels good when he moves my panties to the side/ It feels good when you kiss me down there,” she confesses bluntly. Maldy’s spit-fire verses match the track’s fast-paced beat, which hooks you instantly.
“Pero Tú” feat. Quevedo
Karol G is a riveting storyteller — she simply knows how to spellbind her listeners. On the simmering reggaetón cut “Pero Tú,” the singer continues to cultivate allusions to passion, set against pensive piano chords and an irresistible rhythm. This time, Karol is armed with a breathy hypnotic coo like that of a siren, which captures Quevedo as a love interest. Buoyed by his deep growl, the Spanish rapper responds with a wicked flow to meet his match. His poetic prowess details her as a beaming — no, sizzling — conquest, making this collaboration one of the lustiest songs in the game.
“TQG” feat. Shakira
On the heels of “MAMIII” (Becky G, Karol G) and “BZRP Music Session, Vol. 53” (Bizarrap, Shakira) — two very empowering breakup tracks — Karol G and Shakira join forces on “TQG,” short for “Te Quedó Grande.” Loosely meaning “I was too good for you,” this collab is powered by a somber, hard-hitting reggaetón beat, but packed with fierce and unapologetic lyrics about getting over an ex and successfully moving on. “It hurt me to see you with the new one, but I’m already doing my own thing,” chants Shakira. The long-awaited collab finds the two Colombianas in a sultry music video, confirming once more that there’s no messing with them (and their hearts).
“X Si Volvemos” feat. Romeo Santos
Image Credit: Grace Rivera
Coming in at No. 1 on our list is “X Si Volvemos” with Romeo Santos. It’s almost hard to imagine that this track could’ve been released without Santos on it, because they sound so good together. The last-minute pairing is a total departure from the opening song, “Mientras Me Curo Del Cora,” a sweet and joyous song about healing. In “X Si Volvemos,” which follows “Mientras,” Karol G’s La Bichota alter ego takes over and she’s as blunt as ever in the sultry track. “It didn’t work out, we gave it our all/ So we’re leaving, but before we leave, let’s do it one last time/ Our relationship didn’t work, but we understand each other in bed,” she declares. The pair find the perfect chemistry in this song, where Santos may not be singing his signature bachata — but his voice is, as ever, soft and sultry, perfect for this sensual song that thrives on a hypnotizing reggaetón beat.
