Karol GArtist profile →
Colombia’s music community spent the week after the Aug. 10 earthquake turning attention into money. On Sunday (Aug. 16), the Bogotá benefit “Colombia: Voces por la Vida” raised nearly $3 million for affected communities, with more than 32,500 people at Vive Claro Distrito Cultural and performances from more than 30 artists, including Maluma, Sebastián Yatra, Greeicy, Miguel Bosé and Eladio Carrión, Consequence reports.
Karol G took part remotely from Los Angeles and donated $1 million through her Con Cora Foundation, a significant share of the total. “We love you with all our hearts, and we are here to tell you that we will lift Colombia back up together, whenever, however, and whatever it takes,” she said during the broadcast, as local site Caracol reported, per Consequence. Corporate donations and gifts to Presentes Corporación made up the rest, across more than 43,000 transactions, and donations stay open after the show.
What happened
The quake struck on Monday, Aug. 10, with a magnitude of 7.4 and an epicenter near San José del Palmar in the Chocó region, about 250 miles west of Bogotá, the USGS said, per Billboard. It was felt in Ecuador and Panama. By Aug. 17, Local 10 in Miami reported about 290 deaths, roughly 140 people missing and nearly 4,000 injured, and search-and-rescue operations were continuing.
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Artists were among the first to respond. Shakira wrote on X, in Spanish, that “in times like these, we Colombians know how to come together and support one another,” per Rolling Stone. J Balvin, Maluma, Ryan Castro and Manuel Turizo shared a donation link to Colombia Se Levanta. Maluma wrote that “we are ready to help,” Camilo wrote that it was “frightening and painful” and Carlos Vives told fans that “whenever things like this happen, we Colombians roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Why it matters
The quake arrived just two months after twin earthquakes in Venezuela on June 24 left more than 6,000 people dead, per Billboard, and the Latin music world is now fundraising for both. On Sunday night, the Kaseya Center in Miami hosted a benefit concert for relief in Colombia and Venezuela, Local 10 reported. “This is a great thing we’re doing for both countries,” one attendee said.
Karol G’s album No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, which we explained on Aug. 7, had come out about two weeks before the benefit. For anyone who wants to help, Rolling Stone lists Colombia Se Levanta as the donation destination artists shared, and a resource page called Colombia Te Busca that helps find people who have gone missing.
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
