Author: Leila Cobo
Photography: Ruven Afanador
Styling: Nicolas Bru
Link To Story HERE
Billboard released its latest issue featuring one of the most celebrated stars on the planet, Shakira. Meticulous in nature, Shakira is usually not one to leave things up to chance but over the past 14 months, she has thrown convention to the wind following her split from Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué amid allegations of his infidelity. She managed to channel that personal pain not only into her music, but into her biggest hits in years, including the incendiary “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” with its powerful feminist mantra “Women don’t cry; we make money.” The result is the now-single mother of two is once again one of the world’s hottest stars in any language, with plans for a new album and a global tour in 2024. In the deeply revealing interview, Shakira discusses motherhood, her new life in Miami, and finding catharsis through her art.
Key Quotes:
On life’s ups and downs:
“I feel like a cat with more than nine lives. Whenever I think I can’t get any better, I suddenly get a second wind. I’ve gone through several stages: denial, anger, pain, frustration, anger again, pain again. Now I’m in a survival stage. Like, just get your head above water. And it’s a reflection stage. And a stage of working very hard and when I have time with my children, really spend it with them.”
On the challenges of being a single mom and a pop star:
“Sometimes I think being a single mom and the rhythm of being a pop star aren’t compatible. I have to put my kids to bed, go to the recording studio; everything is uphill. When you don’t have a husband who can stay home with the kids, it’s constant juggling because I like to be a present mom and I need to be there every moment with my children: take them to school, have breakfast with them, take them to play dates. And aside from that, Ihave to make money.”
On finding happiness and balance in life:
“You subtract on one end and add on the other. It’s pure mathematics…Sometimes I think happiness isn’t for everyone. Happiness is a luxury, a commodity…I don’t think everyone has access to happiness. It’s reserved for a very select number of people, and I can’t say I’m part of the club at this moment. There are moments of happiness, distraction, moments of reflection. There are also still moments of nostalgia, and my music right now feeds off that cocktail.”
On artificial intelligence:
“I was shown how I sound with AI. But I don’t think they got it right yet. I don’t hear myself there. The letter E, for example, sounds like my voice, but not the other four vowels. I think it’s going to be hard for AI to imitate me. And I have bigger fish to fry right now. My biggest concern is figuring out how my son Milán can practice American football, soccer and baseball in the same week.”
On the decision to be so honest in “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”:
“When I did that session, people on my team were saying, ‘Please change this. Don’t even think about coming out with those lyrics.’ And I said, ‘Why not?’ I’m not a diplomat in the United Nations. I’m an artist, and I have the right to work on my emotions through my music. It’s my catharsis and my therapy, but it’s also the therapy of many people.”
Shakira will also be featured at Billboard Latin Music Week, which will take place October 2-6, 2023, in Miami. The longest-running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world will unite iconic artists, industry power players, and global brands for incomparable programming. The complete schedule and tickets are available now on BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
About The Issue:
The issue includes Billboard’s annual Latin Power Players list, showcasing the top executives in the industryincluding Executive of the Year. Elsewhere in the issue, Rookie of The Year Young Miko and Groundbreaker Edgar Barrera are profiled. The issue also includes a spotlight on the unique comebacks of Vico C and Chencho Corleone, as well as a guide to Latin Music Week, highlighting Fonseca and Karol G’s Con Cora Foundation.