"Bichota"
Single by Karol G
from the album KG0516
LanguageSpanish
ReleasedOctober 23, 2020 (2020-10-23)
GenreReggaeton
Length2:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ovy on the Drums
Karol G singles chronology
"Caramelo (Remix)"
(2020) 		"Bichota"
(2020) 		"Location"
(2021)
Music video
"BICHOTA" on YouTube

"Bichota" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G. It was written by Karol G, Lenny Tavárez, J Quiles, Cristián Salazar and Ovy on the Drums, and produced by the latter.[1] The song was released on October 23, 2020, through Universal Music Latino, as the third single from her third studio album KG0516.[2]

Background

The song was first teased days prior to an announcement through Karol G's social media platforms with the letter 'B' and an emoji of 'coming soon'. The song was officially announced on October 19, 2020, with a teaser for the music video.[3] The single cover art shot by photographer Alfredo Flores, was revealed the following day. The song was released on October 23, 2020.

The word "Bichota" comes from the Puerto Rican slang bichote.[4] A "bichote" is an individual who due to his economic or political position, is considered important or influential, generally related to the sale of drugs. Despite this, Karol G gave the word a new meaning. She stated: "A moment of feeling sexy, flirtatious, daring, strong, empowered, and to a certain extent, translates into personal motivation and self-confidence. We are all super 'Bichotas' inside. It’s about believing and working so that the rest of the world can see it too."[5]

Critical reception

Billboard stated how the song set the tone for the album, saying: "She came headstrong on the Billboard Hot 100-charting banger with a fierce attitude, fierce beats, and fierce lyrics."[6]

Commercial performance

"Bichota" debuted at number 97 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 5, 2020. The song reached its peak on its 10th week on the chart at number 72 on the chart dated February 13, 2021. The song became the highest charting Spanish song by a female soloist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart until it was surpassed by Telepatía by Kali Uchis.

On the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart dated November 7, 2020 the song debuted at number 7, and reached its peak at number 3 on the chart dated December 5, 2020. On the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart the song reached its top spot.

The song received a double Latin diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 24, 2021, for sales of 1.2 million equivalent-units. On Mexico the song was certified 21× Diamond+3× Platinum by AMPROFON, for sales of 6.4 million equivalent-units, becoming the highest certified song by a solo act and second overall, behind her own Tusa.

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for "Bichota"
Year Ceremony Category Result
2021 Heat Latin Music Awards Best Video Nominated
Latin Grammy Awards Best Reggaeton Performance Won
MTV Millennial Awards Hit of the Year Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards Best Latin Nominated
Premios Juventud El Traffic Jam Won
La Coreo Más Hot (Hottest Choreography) Won
Social Dance Challenge Won
Premios Nuestra Tierra Urban Song Won
2022 BMI Awards Award Winning Song Won
iHeartRadio Music Awards Latin Pop/Reggaeton Song of the Year Nominated
Premios Lo Nuestro Song of the Year Won
Urban Song of the Year Won
Premios Nuestra Tierra Urban Song Won

Music video

The music video for "Bichota" was directed by Colin Tilley and was released on Karol G's YouTube channel on October 23, 2020.[7] As of April 2023, it has over 1.18 billion views.

A second music video was released exclusively on her Facebook page on November 12, 2020. As of January 2023, it has over 337 million views.[8]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Bichota"
Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[9] 1
Global 200 (Billboard)[10] 7
Bolivia (Monitor Latino)[11] 3
Chile (Monitor Latino)[12] 11
Colombia (National-Report)[13] 2
Dominican Republic (Monitor Latino)[14] 1
Paraguay (SGP)[15] 20
Peru (Monitor Latino)[16] 1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[17] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 72
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[19] 3
US Latin Airplay (Billboard)[20] 1
US Latin Rhythm Airplay (Billboard)[21] 1
Venezuela (Monitor Latino)[22] 3

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Bichota"
Chart (2021) Position
Global 200 (Billboard)[23] 62
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24] 53
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[25] 8

Certifications

Certifications for "Bichota"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[26] Platinum 20,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Gold 40,000‡
Colombia[28][29] Gold  
Ecuador[29] Gold  
Mexico (AMPROFON)[30] 21× Diamond+3× Platinum 6,480,000‡
Peru[29] Platinum  
Portugal (AFP)[31] Gold 5,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[32] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
United States (RIAA)[33] 2× Diamond (Latin) 1,200,000‡
Streaming
Central America (CFC)[34] Diamond 35,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "Bichota"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various October 23, 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. ASCAP. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  2. ^ Martoccio, Angie (March 18, 2021). "Karol G Announces New Album 'KG0516'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  3. ^ G, Karol [@karolg] (October 19, 2020). "BICHOTA 🔥🔥🔥 10/23 00:00:00". Retrieved January 12, 2023 – via Instagram.
  4. ^ Savova, Marta (April 22, 2023). "Bichota Meaning: The Evolution of a Word in Latin Music and Its Cultural Impact". Tema 21. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "What's A 'Bichota'? Here Are The English Lyrics To Karol G's Daring New Hit". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Karol G Says She Was 'Born Again' With New Album 'KG0516': Here Are Five Essential Tracks". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "KAROL G - BICHOTA - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  8. ^ "¡Qué 'Bichota'! Karol G pisando fuerte con nuevo video exclusivo en Facebook". EL HERALDO (in Spanish). Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Karol G – Chart History (Argentina Hot 100)" Billboard Argentina Hot 100 Singles for Karol G. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Karol G Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Bolivia General". charts monitorLATINO (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  12. ^ "Chile General". charts monitorLATINO (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Colombia – Semana 5 del 2021 – Del 29/01/2021 al 04/02/2021" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  14. ^ "Dominican Republic General". charts monitorLATINO (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "Top 100 de canciones de SGP, Abril 2021". Top 100 de canciones SGP (in Spanish). SGP. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "Peru General". charts monitorLATINO (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "BICHOTA - KAROL G EPDM". El Portal de Música. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Karol G Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Karol G Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Karol G Chart History (Latin Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Karol G Chart History (Latin Rhythm Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Venezuela General". charts monitorLATINO (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  23. ^ "Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Songs Annual 2021". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  25. ^ "Hot Latin Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "Universal con Karol G en Buenos Aires: Dos sold outs y galardones de Platino y Diamante" (PDF). Prensario Música (in Spanish). No. 586. June 2022. p. 32. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Karol G – Bichota". Music Canada. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  28. ^ "Karol G es certificada con Disco de Oro en Colombia por "Bichota"". El Espectador (in Spanish). December 17, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c "Karol G, una 'Bichota' con disco de oro". El Universo (in Spanish). December 16, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  30. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Type Karol G in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Bichota in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  31. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Karol G – Bichota" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  32. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Karol G – Bichota". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  33. ^ "American single certifications – Karol G – Bichota". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  34. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Certificación Fonográfica Centroamericana. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  35. ^ "BICHOTA - Single de KAROL G" (in European Spanish).
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