| Bichota | |
| Cover: | Karol G - Bichota.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Karol G |
| Album: | KG0516 |
| Language: | Spanish |
| Genre: | Reggaeton |
| Label: |
|
| Producer: | Ovy on the Drums |
| Chronology: | Karol G |
| Prev Title: | Caramelo (Remix) |
| Prev Year: | 2020 |
| Next Title: | Location |
| Next Year: | 2021 |
"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]
In mid-October 2020, "Bichota" was teased several days prior to its release through an announcement via Karol G's social media platforms, first with the letter "B" and an emoji of "coming soon". A subsequent letter was released each day until the word "bichota" was spelled-out. The song was then officially announced on October 19, 2020, with a teaser for the music video.[3] The single's cover artwork, shot by photographer Alfredo Flores, was revealed the following day. The song was released on October 23, 2020.
The word "bichota" is a play-on-words, a feminine form of the Puerto Rican term bichote. Pronounced with a slight Spanish accent;[4] specifically in the context of Puerto Rican underground culture, a "bichote" is a big-shot, a top-ranking member of a gang, a mobster, or capo ("boss" in Spanish). The bichote is considered highly regarded, very important and influential, a reputation he has typically earned through repeated success on the black market, namely in the moving of large amounts of illegal drugs, jewelry or firearms, among other activities.
Given the history of the word, Karol G had asked her boyfriend, Puerto Rican musician Anuel AA, if there were ever bichotas, or female bigshots, and the answer was "no". Thus she decided to make it her own, giving the word a slightly new meaning. However, rather than the context of illicit activities, the "embodiment" of bichota energy, Karol G stated, is: "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]
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]
"Bichota" debuted at #97, on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated for December 5, 2020. The song reached its peak in its 10th week at #72, for the chart dated February 13, 2021. At the time, the song was the highest-charting Spanish-language song by a female soloist on the Billboard Hot 100, until the release of "Telepatía" (2021) by Kali Uchis.
However, on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart dated for November 7, 2020 the song debuted at #7, and reached its peak at #3 on the chart dated for December 5, 2020. On the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart, the song reached #1.
The song received a double Latin diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 24, 2021, for sales equating to over 1.2 million units. In Mexico, the song was certified 21× diamond and 3× platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON), for sales equivalent to 6.4 million units, becoming the highest-certified song by a solo act in the country, and second overall behind her other hit single, "Tusa" (2019) with Nicki Minaj.
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Heat Latin Music Awards | Best Video | |
| Latin Grammy Awards | Best Reggaeton Performance | ||
| MTV Millennial Awards | Hit of the Year | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best Latin | ||
| Premios Juventud | El Traffic Jam | ||
| La Coreo Más Hot (Hottest Choreography) | |||
| Social Dance Challenge | |||
| Premios Nuestra Tierra | Urban Song | ||
| 2022 | BMI Awards | Award Winning Song | |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | Latin Pop/Reggaeton Song of the Year | ||
| Premios Lo Nuestro | Song of the Year | ||
| Urban Song of the Year | |||
| Premios Nuestra Tierra | Urban Song |
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 2024, the music video has accumulated over 1.3 billion views, becoming one of several by the singer to surpass one billion views, along with "Culpables" (2018), "Tusa" (2019), "El Makinon" (2021), "Provenza" (2022) and "TQG" (2023).
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]
| Peak position | ||
| Bolivia (Monitor Latino)[9] | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chile (Monitor Latino)[10] | 11 | |
| Colombia (National-Report)[11] | 2 | |
| Dominican Republic (Monitor Latino)[12] | 1 | |
| Paraguay (SGP)[13] | 20 | |
| Peru (Monitor Latino)[14] | 1 | |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15] | 4 | |
| Venezuela (Monitor Latino)[16] | 3 |
| Position | ||
| Global 200 (Billboard)[17] | 62 | |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] | 53 | |
| US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[19] | 8 |
| Date | Format | Label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 23, 2020 |