‘Now I can actually work’

The Colombian singer was a visitor to The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon Monday the place she opened up about her breakup Gerard Piqueand the way it spurred his return to music.

“I’ve been releasing songs here and there, but it’s been very difficult for me to put together a body of work,” said Shakira of her new album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran – her first in seven years.

Shakira, who shares sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9, with the football star, cut from Piqué in 2022, after 11 years together, following allegations of infidelity. Although they were never legally married, the two lived in Barcelona, ​​​​where Piqué played for the FC Barcelona football club, and raised their two children. Shakira has since moved to the United States and reportedly resides in Miami.

“I didn’t have time. It was the husband factor. Now I’m without a husband,” she continued. “Yes, the husband was dragging me down. Now I’m free. Now I can actually work.”

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer also talked about the album and its title, which in Spanish means “Girls don’t cry.”

“Now it’s the men’s turn. For a long time we were told to cry with a script in our hands and never ending just because we are girls. Now we have to hide our pain in front of our children, in front of society”, she explained. “Now we have to heal in a safe way. And I don’t assume anyone should tell us how to heal. No one should tell a wolf how to lick her wounds.”

The method of creating the album was sometimes painful for the musician, who said she was facing a lot when she made it.

“I was raw. I used to deal with a lot of things. Sometimes I felt like I had a knife between my teeth,” said Shakira. “I was picking up my things off the floor. I was trying to rebuild myself. The music was the glue.”

Overall, it was transformative for Shakira, who said she took her “pain, anger and frustration” and turned it into “creativity, productivity, energy and resilience” while working on the report.

“The resilience of a diamond, understand? That’s why I chose the metaphor of precious stones, for the resilience that we girls have at a time when we have to face adversity,” she said about the emerald, ruby, diamond and sapphire vinyl covers of album 16- to accompany the release.

The new album includes eight new songs, a new remix and seven previously released highly successful singles, including “Music Classes Vol. 53” with Bizarrap – the diss track she released following her split from Piqué – “TQG” with Karol G, “Monotonía” with Ozuna, “Te Felicito” with Rauw Alejandro and “Copa Vacía” with Manuel Turizo. It also includes his new collaboration with Cardi B, “Puntería.”

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran It’s out now.