"TQG"
Single by Karol G and Shakira
from the album Mañana Será Bonito
Language	Spanish
Released	February 24, 2023 (2023-02-24)
Recorded	2022
Genre	Reggaeton
Length	3:17
Label	Universal Latino
Songwriter(s)	Carolina Giraldo Shakira Mebarak Daniel Echavarría Kevyn Cruz
Producer(s)	Ovy on the Drums
Karol G singles chronology
"X Si Volvemos" (2023) "TQG" (2023) "Mientras Me Curo del Cora" (2023)
Shakira singles chronology
"Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53" (2023) "TQG" (2023) "Acróstico" (2023)
Music video
"TQG" on YouTube

"TQG" (acronym for "Te Quedó Grande") is a song by Colombian singers Karol G and Shakira. The song was released on February 24, 2023, through Universal Music Latino, as the fifth single from Karol G's fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito (2023). It also appeared on Shakira's twelfth studio album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024).^[1][2]

It became Karol G and Shakira's first number-one single on the Billboard Global 200. It also debuted at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Karol G's first top-ten single and Shakira's sixth. The track earned a Guinness World Record for the highest-charting female Spanish-language track on the Hot 100.^[3] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it was the fifteenth best-selling global single of 2023, earning 1.18 billion subscription streams equivalents globally.^[4]

The song received three nominations at the 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards for Song Of The Year, Best Urban Song and Best Urban Fusion/Performance, winning the latter. It won an MTV Europe Music Award and an MTV Video Music Award both for best collaboration, becoming Karol's first VMA win and making Shakira the Latin artist with the most VMA wins in history and the second in the category after the inaugural win with "Beautiful Liar" with Beyoncé.^[5]

Background and composition

First rumours of a Karol G and Shakira collaboration started circulating in January 2023.^[6][7] On February 14, 2023, Shakira wished Karol G a "happy birthday" message through social media, similar to how she did for her previous collaborator Bizarrap, whom she would collab for the volume 53 music session.^[8][9]

In a later interview with Rolling Stone, Karol G would reveal that she wrote the song in 2022 during an emotionally complex time. She explained that although she had intended to ask Shakira to collaborate, it wasn't intended to happen with "TQG". After listening to Shakira's "Monotonía", collaboration with Ozuna, she decided to send her the song. She added: "listening to that story and where she was at, made a lot of sense. I sent it to her and she loved it."^[10]

"TQG"

A 19-second audio sample of the song's chorus

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Problems playing this file? See media help.

"TQG" is an acronym for the phrase "Te Quedó Grande";^[11] is a reggaeton track,^[12] but it's also considered as a diss.^[13] The song's lyrics features "shots" directed at their ex-boyfriends, Puerto Rican artist Anuel AA and Spanish footballer Gerard Pique.^[14][15] The song also presents lyrics sung by Shakira about Pique's current girlfriend, Clara Chia.^[16]

In an interview with Billboard, Giraldo revealed that the song was written with Ovy on the Drums and Keityn Cruz in a recording session for "Mamiii", collaboration with American singer Becky G. She explained how the song came to be and what it means to her:^[17]

We were trying to figure out what we were going to do, because I had said "yes" to Becky, and now we had two songs, but the topic was the same: heartbreak diss tracks. Then when I saw the story about Shakira and her situation, this song again gained meaning. I really want songs to have a meaning and connect with real stories. I would love for people to simply listen to this song, as a song. Obviously as artists, we write songs based on personal situations we've lived, but at the end of the day, those songs aren't aimed at anyone in particular, or are meant to hurt anyone. I'd love for my music to be divorced from a ton of situations and that people could enjoy them for what they are: songs that tell stories so people can identify with those stories.

— Karol G on "TQG"

Release and promotion

On February 21, 2023, Karol G officially revealed the song to be a collaboration with Shakira, despite having previously revealed that there would be no feature on the track.^[18] That same day, Giraldo announced that she had a surprise for her fans in New York's Times Square which would turn out to be a teaser for the music video.^[19]

Critical reception

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian commended the ethereal atmosphere that "TQG" has "though frankly it's a bit phoned-in."^[20] Ernesto Lechner from Rolling Stone called the song "underwhelming", stating "her much-anticipated track with Colombian icon Shakira, "TQG," feels underwhelming, especially since it arrives only weeks after the media circus that surrounded Shakira's massive new track with Bizarrap."^[21]

Commercial performance

"TQG" debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 11, 2023, becoming Karol G's first and Shakira's sixth top-ten entry on the chart. The song charted twenty weeks on the chart, with the first seven staying within the top 40.^[24]

On the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, the song debuted at number one, becoming Karol's sixth and Shakira's thirteenth number one on the chart.^[25]

On the Billboard Global 200, the song also debuted at the top spot with 158.4 million streams and 10,000 sales for the week dated March 11, 2023, becoming both Karol G's and Shakira's first number one on that chart.^[26][27]

Accolades

Music video

The music video for "TQG" was directed by Pedro Artola and was released on Karol G's YouTube channel on February 24, 2023.^[41] As of 2024, the music video has surpassed 1 billion views on the platform.^[42]

Charts

Certifications