What are Karol G and J Balvin being accused of? Colombian high court passes ruling over their song ‘+57’

Karol G and J Balvin are accused of s*xualizing minors and violating the rights of children in their reggaeton song +57. The song was released in November 2024 and is titled after Colombia's telephone code.

The song gained popularity in Colombia for featuring a lineup of Colombian artists including Karol G, J Balvin, Feid, Maluma, Blessd, and Ryan Castro. However, in a recent 14-page ruling, the Colombian court has ordered the artists to stop publishing music that violates the rights of children and teenagers.

The court said,

"S*xualizing minors reduces them to becoming objects of desire, and exposes them to risks that can affect their development."

The song also has controversial lyrics since it discusses a young woman who goes partying "despite having an owner."

The songs lyrics call a 14-year old girl (mamacita desde los fourteen) a hot mama, and picturizes her entering a disco, doing shots and smoking marijuana.

After the song and its artists received backlash in Colombia, the lyric was changed on YouTube, where the age of the girl in question was increased from 14 to 18.

This comes after a group of politicians asked the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) to order the authors of the song to attend training on the problem of sexual violence in Colombia.

Karol G apologises about controversial lyrics

Karol G, one of the collaborators on the track +57, took to Instagram at the time of the song's release to apologize for the controversial lyrics and mentioned,

"As artists, we are exposed to public opinion, and to the individual interpretations of people like us and people who differ with what we do."

She then added,

"In this case, unfortunately, the lyrics of a song, with which I sought to celebrate the union between artists and put to shine my people...were taken out of context."

J Balvin had also issued an apology.

The track also received criticism from Colombian publications such as Rolling Stone en Español, which published an article titled "The Disaster of +57, which the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, shared on his X account.

The ICBF also issued a statement, noting that the song

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"Reinforces the sexualisation of childhood in our country" and "does not contribute to our fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolscents."

The song was recorded in Karol G's hometown of Medellin. While Medellín has become a prominent tourist spot, it is also struggling to protect its minors from s*xual predators.

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