This Friday, Colombian artist Shakira releases her new album Las mujeres ya no Lloran, the twelfth of her entire career. The name of the album refers to her song with Argentine producer Bizarrap Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol.53, which won a Latin Grammy for Song of the Year in 2023.
As the singer explained in an interview with The New York Times, it is a concept album. In this she narrates the grief she has experienced after her breakup with former Blaugrana player Gerard Piqué, which led to "the dissolution of her family." The artist has stated that her creativity has helped her "process the sadness, frustration and anger that she had." In this way, she transformed her pain into productivity.
Likewise, Shakira has expressed that although her album is based on her personal experiences, she wants to convey the message that women are independent in their healing process. They don't need to be told how to turn the page or heal their wounds. The singer recalled that they themselves are the ones who fight "to preserve the species, the offspring, like a pack of wolves."
Referring to women as wolves is no coincidence. This alter ego, with which the artist has identified for more than a decade, is present throughout her album. According to the singer, the figure of this animal has helped her rebuild herself. In addition, Shakira has stated that "it is a way to connect with her natural survival instinct, which seeks to protect the pack."
On the other hand, the artist has thanked her fans for being her greatest support, along with her children, while she overcame one of the most difficult moments of her life. Now, the singer has assured that she has also had to endure people who worked for her betraying her and turning their backs on her.
Finally, another of the big bumps that the singer had to face was when her father suffered an accident that left him neurologically compromised. The artist has stated that it was a "very hard" moment for her. Likewise, she has assured that the only thing that helped her recover from this hard blow was writing songs.
There are 17 songs on the album, including collaborations with great artists of different genres such as Cardi B, Ozuna or Manuel Turizo, among others. As the singer explained in the interview, the decision of who she collaborates with is not a premeditated process. For example, in the case of her song Puntería she thought it would be a great idea to have a rapper singer like Cardi B participate.
However, this is not the only case. The singer, by betting on a wide variety of styles, has had very different collaborations. Among them are the regional Mexican music groups, Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera. Shakira has assured that with the latter she had one of the best study sessions of her life. The artist has defined it as one of the most fun and stimulating moments she has ever had.
Finally, the artist has revealed that the song Última was written, produced and recorded in a single day. According to what she has stated, it was a pimple that she had stuck inside her and that she needed to get out. Likewise, she has stated that she plans for it to be the last song she writes "about you know who and who should not be named: Voldemort." This is how she has referred, without wanting to say her name, to the former soccer player.
