LOS ANGELES — Almost 15 years after wrapping up her long-running talk show, Cristina Saralegui returned to her broadcasting home of Univision to conduct a special in-depth interview with singer Karol G.

And yes, it actually is the Cristina.

“If you think what you’re about to watch on your TV is a product of that famous artificial intelligence, I am happy to inform you all that you are 100% mistaken,” Saralegui said at the top of the hourlong special. “[Karol G] managed to get me out of my cave and return to make ‘El Show de Cristina’ here on Univision.”

The first question posed to the the “Provenza” singer was perhaps the biggest query in people’s minds: Why did she need to be interviewed by the retired TV host?

“I told my team I have a very special dream. I grew up watching your interviews, they were a window for many Latin artists around the world,” Karol G said. “If there’s going to a first interview for my album, it has to be on ‘El Show de Cristina.’”

The 34-year-old artist then spoke about the creative process and meaning behind her latest release, “Tropicoqueta.”

“I feel like every one of my albums represents an evolved personality that shows who I am as a person,” she said of her newest album. “Beyond just the use of tropical sounds, it’s about the joy that I have in my heart from traveling the world and making my culture known every place I visit.”

The “TQG” artist also spoke about collaborating with artists like Greeicy Rendón, Thalía and Marco Antonio Solís — who surprised Karol G with a video message during the interview.

“I’m doing something rare, which is to make songs written by different composers, but I really liked [‘Coleccionando Heridas’] when Karol G sent it to me directly,” Solís said. “I’ve seen her documentary and I know all that’s happened in her career, and I congratulate her with all my heart because nothing has been easy for her.”

Karol G then shared a story about how she watched Los Bukis on tour a few years back and was absolutely blown away by how they hadn’t lost a step in all their years apart.

Following one commercial break, Saralegui and Karol G watched archival video of Selena’s interview with the TV personality in which the “Como la Flor” singer famously slipped up and used the word “diez y cuatro” instead of “catorce,” to say 14 in Spanish.

“I think that a lot of women are superfans of her ... with her authenticity, her way of being, with her joy, she touched a lot of people, and with time, as generations pass, [her impact] is like an echo that still resonates,” Karol G said as she praised Selena’s lingual flub as “iconic.”

The Colombian artist also commented on her admiration for the other strong Latina musicians whom Saralegui had previously interviewed like Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz, while expressing how honored she was to be a part of that lineage.

After discussing the difficulties of working in a musical genre that has historically been dominated by male artists and how she handles her haters, Karol G flipped the script on Saralegui by asking why she agreed to host the interview.

“I’ve met a lot of artists. I’ve only met a few artists who know what they’re doing, who have staked their place, who have garnered respect,” Saralegui said. “From the beginning, I told my husband, ‘Look at this girl who sold out the Bernabéu in Spain four times.’”

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