When life offers you lemons, it’s a must to make lemonade — and that is precisely what Shakira did after heartbreak. When the Colombian pop star discovered in 2022 that Gerard Piqué, her companion of 11 years and the daddy of her two sons, was dishonest on her, I am positive it felt as if her life was falling aside. However when she could not bear the ache and the betrayal, she did what most musicians do — she turned it into artwork.
The primary tune Shakira launched that was instantly associated to the breakup was 2022’s “Te Felicito” with Puerto Rican Latin lure artist Rauw Alejandro. The tune not solely marked Shakira’s comeback, it was additionally the primary in a string of singles that will show her therapeutic journey to the world and ultimately turn out to be a part of her newest extremely anticipated album, “Las Mujeres Ya no Lloran,” which was launched on March 22.
Following “Te Felicito,” a sarcastic tune about congratulating her ex for locating new love, Shakira launched successful tune with Ozuna titled “Monotonía.” Nevertheless it was Shakira’s well-known diss monitor that redirected her profession. The monitor “Shakira: Bzrp Music Classes, Vol. 53,” a collaboration with Argentine producer Bizarrap, resonated a lot with followers that it racked up greater than 63 million YouTube views in 24 hours, changing into the most-watched Latin debut tune in YouTube historical past. The tune additionally skyrocketed to Spotify’s High 50 World chart, breaking the document of the most-streamed monitor in a single day in Spotify historical past, and ultimately it landed Shakira the Latin Grammy for tune of the 12 months.
And it is the tune that in the end set the theme for her first album in seven years. “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” is actually a line taken from “Shakira: Bzrp Music Classes, Vol. 53,” solely within the monitor she completes the thought by singing “Las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan,” which interprets to “Ladies do not cry anymore, they money in.”
Each tune Shakira launched in 2022 and 2023 performed a unique function within the Colombiana’s therapeutic and rebuilding course of. “TQG,” a monitor in collaboration with Karol G that additionally appeared in her 2023 album “Mañana Serà Bonito,” is a tune about being too good for a person who harm her — referring to Piquè and Karol G’s ex Anuel AA. “Copa Vacía” is a pop-reggaetón tune she did in collaboration with Colombian singer Manuel Turizo about not receiving sufficient love and affection from a companion, whereas “El Jefe” is a norteño Mexican tune with Fuerza Regida about taking management of your future, one thing followers have witnessed the artist do since publicly asserting her break up. “Última” is a transferring monitor that Shakira advised the New York Occasions is the final tune she is going to launch about her ex Piquè.
“Within the journey of choosing up the items after a really public breakup, Shakira is displaying us that though desires do not at all times turn into what we envisioned them to be, she will not be shying away from her scars,” says Nicolas Barili, an award-winning journalist and creator/host of Paramount+’s Latin music docuseries “De La Calle.” “By controlling her personal narrative, Shakira is empowering listeners to be impressed by her daring transformation, whereas proving to our neighborhood and the world that vulnerability is the best energy.”
What makes this album such a masterpiece is not simply the journey we see Shakira absorb therapeutic her heartache, however the way it invitations hope and new beginnings. Tracks like “Cohete” with Rauw Alejandro and “Puntería” with Cardi B acknowledge the attract of experiencing a brand new love — although Shakira has shared she will be able to’t think about herself falling in love once more.
Then there’s “Acróstico,” a gorgeous piano-led ballad that emphasizes Shakira’s function as a mom and consists of her two sons, Milan and Sasha. This one stood out most to Barili.
“Having been raised by a single mother myself, the love letter between her and her sons speaks to these of us which are what’s left over after mother and father break up, reminding us that some bonds won’t ever be damaged,” Barili says. “Shakira has supplied a cathartic launch for not solely herself however for anybody that has ever gone via break ups, all whereas proving that she continues to be the queen of Latin pop.”
“La Mujeres Ya No Lloran” is Shakira’s first album in seven years since releasing her 2017 album “El Dorado.” If this album did something, it proved that the best and most impactful artwork is usually created from ache and heartache — therefore Shakira’s diamond tears displayed within the cowl artwork.
“It is the identical motive why an artist’s debut album is usually their finest work, as a result of wrestle usually elicits masterpieces,” says Jesús Trivino, a Latin popular culture knowledgeable and Tidal’s senior content material and music govt. “Equally, at any time when there are challenges in your life, you’re taking it as an expertise and study from it. In case you’re a artistic like Shakira, you dive into your work, and often introspective, empowering music comes out. With ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,’ Shaki has carried out that.”
That Shakira’s extraordinary comeback album is stuffed with back-to-back hits and main collaborations with artists together with Cardi B, Rauw Alejandro, Ozuna, and extra additionally speaks to how related she’s managed to stay regardless of how saturated the Latin music world has turn out to be. If something, the breakup wanted to occur to encourage her to make use of her ache, anger, and disappointment to create her rawest and most susceptible work. As she has mentioned in quite a few interviews, the expertise allowed her to “remodel ache into productiveness.”
“One of many superstars who began the late ’90s, early 2000s Latin growth nonetheless has it and by no means misplaced it. Shakira, greater than different Latin acts of that period, needed to introduce herself and a whole nation (Colombia) to the US and international market,” Trivino says. “On this album, she’s uplifting her fellow Colombianas (Karol G), co-signing the celebs of at the moment (Rauw Alejandro), in addition to shining a lightweight on different genres (Mexican music). I hope listeners do not waste their time in gossip however relatively get pleasure from Shakira in all her greatness whereas she’s on this planet.”
Typically it takes our worlds falling aside to get us again in step with our ardour and our objective. One factor is for positive: our favourite loba is right here to remain.
