Karol G’s Netflix Doc ‘Tomorrow Was Beautiful’: Things We Learned

Karol G set out for total honesty on her record-breaking 2023 LP Mañana Será Bonito. Now, with her Netflix documentary Tomorrow Was Beautiful, the Colombian superstar is sharing even more about her journey. “I’ve never watched it with anyone,” Karol told Rolling Stone at the New York premiere for the documentary. “I feel like there are things that are super personal that are exposed in this documentary. It’s hard to open the door to so much vulnerability, but at the end of the day it’s part of the humanity that we wanted to show in the documentary.”

Director Cristina Costantini, who also produced Netflix’s documentary on famed astrologer Walter Mercado, who shared Karol’s mission of creating a raw portrait of the singer’s life. “I wanted to tell a complicated story,” Costantini tells Rolling Stone. “I wanted to show that our heroes are complex people and there’s more to them than just who they seem to be when they’re on stage.”

Tomorrow Was Beautiful details everything from Karol’s improbable rise as a woman in reggaeton to the challenges she faced during her successful Mañana Será Bonito tour. Here’s seven things we learned from the film.

Karol Is an Unwavering Perfectionist

The jaw-dropping visuals, including that giant steel shark, and numerous outfit changes for Karol’s tour didn’t come easy. On the first night of her stadium tour in Las Vegas, the singer was disappointed by the videography and wardrobe malfunctions. At one point, she’s cries from the frustration as she explains that she strives for perfection to give her fans the most memorable show. “Nothing seems right to me,” she says. “It’s a constant doubt with everything I am doing.” Various scenes also show Karol providing her team with more direction until her full vision was finally realized.

The Real Reason Why She Almost Quit Music Forever at 16

In a heartbreaking scene, Karol reveals she was sexually harassed at 16 by her then-music manager. The unnamed manager, who Karol estimates was nearly three times her age, came on to the young singer at a party and conditioned her success on her willingness to accept his advances. The whole situation made her temporarily walk away from the music industry and move to New York to live with her aunt. “Unfortunately, in big industries, women have to go through horrible things and not in order to get there because I can assure you that no woman who respects herself would allow being harmed in order to achieve something,” Karol says in the documentary. She hints at “many things” she’d like to talk about but says, “as a person, I never allowed myself to remember or talk about them.” Moments later, Karol abruptly cuts the scene after she starts to cry.

The Truth Behind Her Previous Public Relationship

Karol opens up about her extremely public former relationship with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA. The singer does not name the fellow reggaeton star, but she does share candid details. “In my last relationship, getting out was very toxic,” she says. “I would wake up and felt like I was dying. I felt worthless as a person.” At the time, the situation clouded her judgement and stopped her from appreciating her own success. “It was a fucking nightmare. It was hell,” Karol says.

….And the Gushy Details About Finding Real Love with Feid

Back in 2021, Karol asked her favorite artist, Colombian artist Feid, to join her as the opener on the U.S. leg of her Bichota tour. In the documentary, the singer shares how she bonded with the reggaeton star as they partied with the tour crew after each show. Karol remembers one night, in particular, when the two were playing video games and flirting, and he kissed her goodnight. She gushes over their profound connection and shared values. “I have such a beautiful relationship with him… It’s everything,” she says.

The Meaning Behind Her “Bichota” Moniker

The Colombian star went into detail about what her “Bichota” moniker represents for her. Originating from the Puerto Rican term “bichote,” Karol grew fascinated with the word. “It’s such a powerful word that I kept asking, ‘But what about a bichota?’ And the answer was something like, ‘It would be a woman, but the truth is a bichota doesn’t really exist,’” she says in the documentary. Karol’s team advised against employing the term for her 2021 song “Bichota,” worrying the singer would face backlash for the term’s drug trafficking connotations. But Karol was determined to redefine the term as a form of female empowerment that channels her boss energy. “Bichota is the one who owns her business, the one who is a visionary,” she says. “Now people call me bichota,” she says, adding, “It’s not just about me. It’s about how the word makes people feel.”

She Continues to Be Inspired by Selena Quintanilla

Karol has always been open about her love for Selena Quintanilla. She wrote the Tejano-inspired “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” drawing from Selena and even has the Mexican American icon tattooed on her forearm. So it’s no surprise Karol took the time in Tomorrow Was Beautiful to show just how much Selena has impacted her career. “In spite of her absence, it’s inspiring how present she still is,” she says. At her tour stop in San Antonio, Texas, Karol honored the legend with a special rendition of Selena’s “Como La Flor,” and even invited her sister Suzette Quintanilla to witness the moment. When Karol meets Suzette in the documentary, she can’t hold back her tears. “I’m really honored that you came,” she tells her.

Karol Is Quite Fearless… Even When It Comes to Swimming in the Hudson River

Throughout Tomorrow Was Beautiful, Karol’s fearless energy is on full display as she recounts every hurdle she’s had to jump to reach her superstar status. But nowhere is the singer’s “IDGAF” attitude more apparent than when she decides to take a dip in the questionable waters of Manhattan’s Hudson River. At first, Karol just dips her feet in but, moments later, she’s fully floating in the potentially toxic water. (Even New York’s Water Alliance suggests it is safer not to swim in the Hudson). A few scenes later, the singer shares she got a cold following her swim. It’s one of the funniest moments in a documentary filled with just as many tears as laughs.