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Karol G is about to make history—again. The Colombian pop superstar lands on the cover of Playboy‘s Spring 2026 issue just as she becomes the first Latina to headline Coachella. After years of careful cultivation—topping charts, breaking records, and racking up awards—she tells Playboy she’s no longer interested in playing it safe. We are entering a whole new era of her artistry and her womanhood. 

Shot by Gray Sorrenti in Los Angeles, our cover story captures Karol G at a turning point: past a devastating and very public breakup, and unapologetically embracing her full self. “Last year…life threw me to the floor, kicked me, pushed me, stood on me, spun me around,” she says. So she flew to Hawaii, chopped her hair off, and did some thinking. Now, she’s on the verge of what could be one of the biggest years of her life.

Posing for Playboy, she tells writer Paola Ramos, was entirely her call: 

“Why do I want to do this? Because I want to. Because I grew up inspired by how beautiful the women in the magazine looked and now I have the opportunity to be that beautiful, sexy, mamasota.” 

In the interview, Karol opens up about everything from her responsibility to the Latino community to the freedom she’s found being single, and the “wild woman” ethos that’s been fueling her this year.

On this weekend’s history-making Coachella performance: 

“I thought that this was going to be like my consecration, but I actually feel like it’s the beginning. This is the first time in my life that I feel I’m going to see myself as the artist in the same caliber as the stage that I’m stepping on.”

“When I received the call, I felt like a huge weight fell on me…. I feel very blessed to be part of a generation that is trying to change the narrative and raise our voice for the community… I feel like it’s a show for my community, for the world, but it’s a show that’s very much for me.”

On standing up for her community:

“I don’t want to just say “ICE Out” and have nothing come from it… I’m probably going to go a little harder than that. I just want to represent my community. But what I’m telling you is that, as a human being, I want that to mean more. I’m not saying that I’m not going to do it; what I’m saying is that I would do it and will do it with my soul. But I want to sit down and understand, in my head: Here’s what that meant.”

On being single:

“I’m letting go of everything. I’m single and, to be honest, I’ve always thought that my most evolutionary moments come when I’m alone. As a good Latina from a traditional family, they teach you to give yourself fully to relationships, to a point where you can even lose yourself… I think you have to work a lot on yourself so the relationship can work. You also have to do the work so that you can walk away when you recognize it’s not going to work. When I finished my last relationship, I initially felt like, Wow, I’m here again. But then I saw it as, Wow, how beautiful that I had the courage to say that I no longer wanted to be there.”

On being happy where she is:

“According to my culture, I should have kids by now. But you know what? This year has literally been like, Fuck it. I don’t feel like I’m behind. I actually feel that it’s beautiful that I’m living my process, that I’m evolving, that I’m learning, that I’m not tired of experimenting, that I’m curious.”

On her Playboy cover:

“The only person I asked if I should do it or not was Sofía Vergara. I called her and told her, ‘If you tell me not to do it, I won’t.’ [She said] ‘Mijita, with that body? When you get to this age, you tell yourself, “Fuck, why didn’t I pose that one time? I should have posed more with a thong!” Just one thing: Don’t show your pussy!’ She also said, ‘This moment will have a reason. What is going to be your reason?’”

Playboy’s Spring issue officially hits newsstands on April 14th, but subscribers can access Karol G’s full cover story—including exclusive inside photos—starting today. Plus: Misses January, February, March, and the (unreleased) Miss April; an unforgettable edition of the Playboy Advisor; the Playboy Interview returns; and our favorite writers embark on journeys ranging from swingers’ cruises to the future of artificial intelligence. 

Subscribe now for full access to the cover story—and exclusive digital access to the issue before the magazine hits newsstands.