Greg Gonzalez on How ‘Después de Ti’ With Karol G Was Born at His Home Bar: ‘A Powerful Moment’
Here's how the melancholic ballad — which premiered at Coachella & debuted No. 1 on the Hot Latin Pop Songs chart — came to life.
Black News 
When she made history as the first female Latin artist to headline Coachella last month, Karol G also gifted fans with a new tune called “Después de Ti” alongside Cigarettes After Sex guitarist Greg Gonzalez.
The melancholic ballad—powered by a dreamy, glam pop melody—quickly resonated with fans who have dealt with loss and grief, and are grasping on to the memories. “The truth is, after you, my life came to an end/ I cannot learn to live without your company […] I just want someone to tell me that all of this is a lie,” Karol softly chants in the song.
Related
Following its official premiere during Karol’s first headlining weekend on April 11 at the 2026 Coachella, the song made its way to the digital platforms.
The first collaborative effort between the Colombian star and Texas-based musician debuted at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and No. 1 on Hot Latin Pop Songs charts (dated May 9) . On the former, it’s a first entry and top 10 on any chart for Greg as a soloist, and 32nd top 10 for Karol (still the second-most top 10s among women behind Shakira).
Below, Gonzalez tells Billboard exclusively how “Después de Ti” came to life:
How was the collaboration born, and what was your initial reaction?
Karol and I became aware that we were big fans of each other’s music about a year ago. We chatted briefly then, but a few months ago she messaged me saying there was a song she had written that she wanted me to produce. I honestly don’t really produce other artists, but of course for her it was impossible to say no. When she sent me the song it brought tears to my eyes. It felt like it came exactly from the same world as the music I try to write and in the sweetest way.
Can you walk us through the creative process of the song: was it recorded together or was it remote?
The way I record everything for Cigarettes After Sex, and now my solo songs, is for it to be recorded with everyone playing live together in a room as if we’re performing it for an audience. We recorded the song this way in a bar/recording studio that I have at my house. Then Karol re-did the vocals to make them perfect a bit later. It’s a very simple process, and again, it’s the same way I’ve recorded all my songs. She mentioned she had never recorded this way, but she loved it, which was nice to hear as well.
How was the experience like for you debuting the track in Coachella?
That was such a beautiful dream. It all happened in the blink of an eye. The way Karol envisioned it, with our choreography facing back to back, felt like such a powerful moment, and perfect way to first show the song to the world.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from working with Karol?
Definitely how efficiently she works. We recorded the song only a few months ago and now it’s been a part of a festival set, and has been released for anyone to hear. I honestly work very fast at first, but can get hung up on details that can delay a song for much too long, which I’ve always wanted to change. Working with her made me realize that again.
