For this year’s annual Women Shaping the Future issue, we asked 12 of today’s top musical acts to talk about the women who have inspired them most in their lives and careers. Here, Colombian reggaeton star Karol G talks about how Rihanna helped inspire her to pursue a career in music, and why Rihanna remains her dream collaboration.
With so many women, I’ll like how one dresses, I’ll like how one expresses herself, I’ll like the performance style of another. But with Rihanna, I admire every aspect in a personal way — as a woman, as a businessperson, as a singer, in the aesthetic and the art first, where she comes from, representing an island like Barbados, where she’s gotten with her talent. She’s a woman where in every project, every video, every song, she brings something different. We’ve heard her do the richest, clubbiest music and the most melancholy sounds, songs that are extremely profound, songs that are extremely professional, peak collaborations, historic feats.
In this industry, it’s really easy to lose yourself. While trying to fit in, you can forget who you are and try to please other people. I see her constantly standing by her style, standing by her personality, standing by what she likes. She inspires you to feel great without worrying about what people around you say. —Rolling Stone
