MC's Music Lounge: Karol G continues her quest for world domination

It’s been a great year to be KAROL G. She’s already headlined Coachella, won the International Artist Award of Excellence at the AMAs, is in the midst of headlining a stadium tour and now has released her sixth studio album. No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto comes just over a year after her last release Tropicoqueta, but she’s striking while the iron is scorching hot. She announced the album just a few weeks ago during her concert in Toronto. Sure, she’s been releasing music for more than a decade now and performing in stadiums for the last five years, but she’s reached even higher heights and continues her quest for world domination.

The title of the album directly translates into “I Don’t Regret Feeling So Much”. What are those feelings? She recently spoke to Elle about her inspirations during this album cycle and cited solo trips through the mountains of Hawaii as a place of both tranquility and realization. A realization that she felt isolated in the music industry. Then you have songs like “For U My Lova” which many fans are connecting to her past relationship with fellow Colombian musician Feid. The two were linked for more than three years, calling it quits publicly in January of this year, but it’s clear that the song was written during their time as lovers. She mentioned how it was the hardest song to keep on the album because she’s no longer in that place, but keeping with the theme of embracing every feeling, she kept it. Then on the flip side, you have songs like “Ahi” which features Drake and is about life after a break-up. She says she wrote that song on New Year’s Eve, which would hint to when that relationship came to an end. For someone who spent the bulk of her relationship keeping things private, she’s letting it all hang out. Embrace your feelings, even if they aren’t relevant today. She felt it so she’s singing about it. And if your feelings can result in a few platinum records and sold-out world tours, then I’d say you shouldn’t regret them either.

Next week brings us new albums from both Becky G and Phoebe Bridgers. Plus, a new album filled with unreleased tracks by the late great Nipsey Hussle. KATSEYE also will be releasing a new EP. The group are yet another girl down and have yet to put out their first album, yikes. This week, joining KAROL G with new music are FLO, Ravyn Lenae, AUDREY NUNA and a collab that’s gayer than a Cher tribute concert. It’s Madonna and Kylie Minogue of course. Plus, Saucy Santana creates yet another viral song years after he did it the first time around.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Still” by KAROL G, Bruno Mars

Karol G opted to collaborate with multiple North American artists on her latest project, including the one and only Bruno Mars. “Still” is a song about healing after a painful breakup and how sometimes that healing process can make it seem like you’re still in love with that person. It’s also one of the rare occasions where an entire song of hers is in English. This isn’t something she intentioned but the song’s lyrics described exactly what she was going through at the time and she decided the song needed to be left exactly how she found it, in English. The track was written by Bruno and his main team, the same group who co-wrote “Runway” by Lady Gaga and Doechii earlier this summer. They are on a roll of crafting hits for the biggest female artists in the game, it was only a matter of time before Karol was thrown into the mix. The melody sounds eerily similar to Keane’s 2004 hit “Somewhere Only We Know” even though it doesn’t directly sample or even interpolate the song. I guess Bruno just sampled the vibe, but I know my ears are not deceiving me. “Still” is a power ballad that allows her to show her vulnerability in ways that she hasn’t in her career before. This entire project is about her diving head-first into her feelings and not regretting them. There’s power in being emotional and embracing that side of yourself, and she’s letting the fans in on her process through the music. After her very public breakup with Feid, this album is the portrait of an artist who’s on top of the world creatively but in the trenches when it comes to her personal life. A perfect storm to make a career-defining record.

“Love Sensation – Afterhours Mix” by Madonna, Kylie Minogue

Ok gays, this the cultural moment we’ve been waiting for since the 80s. And yes, I was just a twinkle in my father’s eye at the time, but trust me, I was listening to the music even then. Madonna, the queen of pop, has officially collaborated with one of the ladies who has long been considered the first of her descendants. Kylie has been vocal about her love for Madge, dating all the way back to 1990 when Kylie worked with M’s longtime collaborator Stephen Bray on her Rhythm of Love album. Then we of course have the iconic T-shirt shoutout Madonna gave Kylie in 2000, and now, in the present, these two are on a track together. The song is a remix to the already released “Love Sensation” from Madonna’s Confessions II. This is a song I’ve featured in the column before, and one that has maintained its place on my daily rotation ever since its release. Both ladies have an undeniable cosmic chemistry together. The true disco queens of the modern music era. The amount of absolute gay joy that this song brings is not a surprise of course, after all, it’s Kylie and Madonna. This also feels like the opening of a door that includes more projects between them. More music and more performances perhaps? The people seem to want more as the song is expected to debut within the top 10 of the UK singles charts, making it Madonna’s 65^th and Kylie’s 37^th top ten single.

“Cry Ugly” by FLO

If you had asked me three years ago if FLO would have made it to their second official studio album I wouldn’t have believed you. For the longest time the girls were stuck in what I like to affectionately call “EP jail”, that early time in an artist’s career where they just release singles and EPs without any actual full-length album under their belt. It’s a recent idea in the ever-changing music industry; record labels just don’t want to put up the money for a full album when a single or an EP is a lot less risky. KATSEYE are stuck in that place (and likely always will be). The ladies of FLO have put those days behind them and their new album Therapy At The Club is here with tons of glossy early-2000s R&B inspired hooks for us all to both fall in love and cry to. “Cry Ugly” is f-ckin’ banger, the type of banger that MTV and BET would have had on rotation every hour on the hour. I mean sh-t, the girls are DANCING IN THE RAIN!! You know we’re getting out of the trenches when we’re getting rain choreography again. It’s giving Britney “Overprotected” and Aaliyah “The One I Gave My Heart To” all at once. This gives real weight to the saying “we’re so back” because it really feels like an old school video from my youth. Can you all tell I’m excited? The song is also fire, with each of the girls having their moment to shine. One thing I’ve always loved about FLO is that there’s no lead singer, and every girl brings something unique to the table. Jorja gives us a buttery smooth run at the end of the second verse that sends chills to even the most stubborn listener.

“superHuman” by AUDREY NUNA, VALORANT

KPOP Demon Hunters introduced Audrey Nuna to the world on a global scale, but it’s her trippy and experimental beats that have kept music lovers tuned in to all her projects outside of the franchise. “superHuman” sees Audrey rapping over a haunting hip-hop beat while still maintaining a predominantly pop direction. This is Audrey re-introducing herself to the world after the manic year she just had as a member of HUNTR/X, except now she’s got a few awards under her belt so that certainly changes things. When she was an artist the first time around, the music didn’t make much noise in Western markets. Now, with a new record deal with Republic Records, she’s taking this newfound spotlight and channeling it into her own solo work. “superHuman” makes you want to dance and is a return to form for Audrey who always had rap music sprinkled in her earlier work. She co-wrote the song with Gaga hitmaker Cirkut last summer when “Golden” was taking over the charts. Hence the “super” of it all – how could you not feel like a super woman when you have the biggest song in the entire world? The song is also pulling double duty by serving as the official track for the 2026 Valorant Champions Tour Pacific in South Korea. Audrey says in a new interview that she tried to imagine this track as that song that would help push her to the next level, whether it be in the gym or in the studio. By connecting the song to the esports tournament Valorant it brings new meaning to that wish. This is for the gamers who are hoping to earn their highest score, what better than some “superHuman” energy to help you get there.

“Sew Me Back Together” by Ravyn Lenae

Ravyn had the spirit of Janet Jackson with her while she was recording this track in the studio. I felt it from the first listen, it took me right back to the higher register of Janet’s voice on “I Want You” or even the first few lines of “My Need”. Musically the song also has that groovy R&B sound of both those tracks. Now that she’s passed the success of “Love Me Not”, this is exactly where I was hoping she’d go with her sound. Her voice sounds crisp and clear, but the music is daring and unlike anything anyone is doing in music today. The same way that Olivia Rodrigo is leaning into the alt-rock girls of the 90s, Ravyn is doing the same with the R&B girls of that time except with a little bit of 80s flair in there too. The limitations are non-existent and it’s that fearless creative outlook that can produce some great work.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

Quiet On The Creek” by Saucy Santana

A few years removed from his first viral hit, Saucy Santana is back again (even though he never really left the internet). This time around, the subject is the song “Quiet On The Creek” which is both comical and catchy, the essential combo for any viral hit. Saucy says that as a child he and his family loved to fish, which growing up in the south is a very common occurrence. “Quiet On The Creek” is inspired by that foundation from his childhood, however the internet has gotten a different idea about what the song means. Many believe that it is a nod to “DL” community, a slang term used to describe gay men who are in the closet. In response to this idea, Saucy says it can mean “many things” and that people can choose to make it what they want it to be. Either way, the song has blown up over the summer and the accompanying TikTok dance has made it a hit with the youth as well as the LGBTQ+ community who have been rocking with Saucy since “Material Girl”. That song was so viral and even got Madonna on the remix, so it’s pretty hard to top that – and he just might have. “Quiet On The Creek” already has 3 million Spotify streams and will hit one million sound uses by the end of the month – maybe sooner.

Lizzo has jumped onto the trend along with 700K+ others. Regardless of what the song’s lyrics actually mean, it’s ambiguous enough that it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and cultures. Songs like these are this generation’s answer to 90s hits like “Macarena” and “Cotton Eyed Joe” - catchy and usually have their own dance attached to them, but aren’t necessarily placed in the same category of Top 40 artists of the time. Not to diminish their relevance of course, because clearly these songs are bringing joy to people, and it’ll be interesting to see if they remember it years from now when they look back on the summer of 2026.

@dukefb Shhhhh 🤫 #dukefootball #collegefootball #footballtiktok #dance #quietonthecreek ♬ original sound - spotifymixing

@xiandivyne Explaining Quiet on the Creek by Saucy Santana #fyp #xiandivyne #blacktiktok ♬ Quiet on the Creek - Saucy Santana

@clockthatteaplease Saucy Santana says Quiet on the Creek wasn’t meant to be deep it came from a memory about fishing as a kid. Now the internet has turned it into one of the biggest catchphrases online #saucysantana #quietonthecreek #music #clockthatteaplease #fyp ♬ original sound - clockthatteaplease