Karol G is responding to the backlash against “+57,” a major collaboration featuring the singer alongside Colombian stars like Maluma, Feid, J Balvin, Ryan Castro, and Blessd. As soon as the track dropped last week, critics took issue with one lyrics that many interpreted as sexualizing a minor. On Monday, Karol apologized on Instagram for the line, saying she felt “very affected” by the negative reaction.
In the song's first verse, Maluma and Karol's boyfriend Feid repeat lyrics that translate to: “A hottie since she was 14/When she walks into the club, you can feel her energy.” One Rolling Stone En Español review slammed the track as a “disaster,” accusing the artists of “perpetuating the sexualization of minors,” especially given Medellín's issues with prostitution and trafficking.
In her response, Karol said she took the “intentions of my work” seriously, adding that she “typically seeks to get involved in projects where I can extend my blessing and positively impact the lives of many people.” She said she would be taking responsibility for the issue.
“Unfortunately, the lyrics were taken out of context from a song meant to celebrate the union between artists and to make my people dance,” Karol wrote of “+57.” “None of the things said in the song are written in the way people have claimed, nor were they sung with that perspective, but I hear you, and I take responsibility and I realize that I have so much to learn. I feel very affected and I'm sorry from the heart.”
Karol ended her post by thanking her fans for the “unconditional support” for her music, adding that she'll keep in her heart the “beautiful energy with which we worked together that day.”
“As artists, we have to face public opinion, and individual interpretations from people who like us and also people who don't like what we do,” Karol wrote in her post. “I feel so much frustration over the disinformation that's gone on, with fake posts I supposedly made and eliminated from Twitter on an account I haven't used in six months.”
J Balvin shared Karol's response on his story, voicing his support for the singer. “You have given us so much glory, so this doesn't reduce your greatness. Plus that song is ours, so we're going to support you unconditionally,” he wrote. Added Feid on his own story: “My queen, let's go, let's go.”
Maluma, who sings the lyrics with Feid, has not addressed the controversy.
