Karol G is entering her boldest and most transformative era yet. Just hours after releasing her highly anticipated fifth album Tropicoqueta, the GRAMMY-winning artist unveiled the stunning video for “Papasito” — a bilingual merengue single that marks a milestone in her sonic and visual evolution.
Directed by Pedro Artola and backed by a powerhouse Broadway team, the video brings to life Tropicoqueta’s central themes of empowerment, nostalgia, and self-invention. Inspired by the golden age of Hollywood and the sultry drama of telenovelas, “Papasito” follows a dreamlike encounter between Karol and a mysterious American man, played by actor Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick, Captain America: Brave New World).
The choreography, crafted by Danielle Polanco, explodes in vibrant motion during a tropical celebration, merging merengue beats with theatrical intensity. Behind the scenes, the concept was shaped by Luis Salgado (scriptwriter), Sergio Trujillo (creative consultant), and Nicholas Des Jardins (set design), all veterans of Broadway. The result is a lush, sensual visual feast — an ode to Latina vedettes and women who “build their own stage, even in the darkness.”
Karol appears in dazzling gold showgirl attire, channeling classic vedette glamour with a modern twist. She sings:
“Papasito, ay, que rico tú, I want you and not just for a little,”
layering English lyrics over tropical merengue grooves. It’s her first solo track to mix English and Spanish, a move she explained was inspired by her bilingual U.S. fanbase.
While Karol previously dabbled in English on 2021’s “Don’t Be Shy” with Tiësto, “Papasito” is unmistakably hers: “It has my mega-accent,” she laughed in an interview. “It’s not about sounding American. It’s about sounding like Karol G in English.”