As Shakira kicks off new tour, she talks setlist, special guests and prioritizing her kids
She's also a musical technician who has achieved worldwide domination – along with four Grammy Awards and 15 Latin Grammy Awards – with rhythmically rich songs that mash pop, bachata, reggaeton and rock into aural fixations that underscore her Colombian roots ('La Tortura,' 'Loca') and seduce American listeners ('She Wolf,' 'Whenever, Wherever') with equal charm.
And lest we forget to mention those hip bones that seem to liquify every time she rotates them.
Following the February launch of her world tour in South America to support last year's 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,' her 12th studio album featuring collaborations with Cardi B, Karol G and Rauw Alejandro, Shakira tweaked her stadium spectacle for her North American fans.
At the May 13 kickoff, she'll continue her record-breaking career as the first Latin female artist to headline a sold-out show at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. She'll crisscross the country – New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and San Diego among her stops – through June before another round of shows in Mexico, where she recently broke Taylor Swift's record of four sold out concerts at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City with her own seven (and counting).
On a brief break before leaving for the studio, Shakira, a seemingly ageless 48, chatted excitedly about the visual extravaganza she's created, the guests she's giddy about performing with (Wyclef Jean and Alejandro among them) and how her sons Milán, 12 and Sasha, 10, are her most constructive critics.
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Question: You've had a bit of a break from the tour since basically taking over Mexico in March. How have you been spending the past month?
Answer: (Laughs) If you can call it a break. I've been taking my kids to doctor's appointments, doing homework with them, but also working on the new wardrobe changes and surprises I have prepared for the North American tour. That all takes some time and preparation and then I also had to prepare for the Met Gala and the (May 6) appearance on Jimmy Fallon, so I haven't had a day off. I'm completely exhausted but at the same time thrilled because I'll soon be reuniting with my fans in America. It's been a long time and it's going to be epic. This is like a renewal of our vows!
What do you have to do to prepare to get back on stage again for a two-hour-plus stadium show?
I have to rehearse a few days and test everything again from the screens to the music. There are some new additions to the repertoire like 'Underneath Your Clothes.' I know some of my American fans will want to hear the classics other than 'Hips Don't Lie' and 'Whenever, Wherever.' There are a lot of things that are new to this tour, and then I have friends like Alejandro Sanz on the first date in Charlotte and Rauw Alejandro my second night in New York and Wyclef Jean in Charlotte, which will be a one-of-a-kind moment to share the stage with him after so many years.
I'm sure fans will love hearing him introduce 'Hips Don't Lie' with 'Shakira, Shakira.' It's hard to believe that song is 20 years old.
That's a song that is timeless and performed for every single tour and every single performance. It was one of the first songs that had a reggaeton sound back in the day when it was a niche thing to do. I remember having discovered this groove from Puerto Rico and I started playing with it and decided to build a track on that (rhythmic) pattern. I never knew that years later it would have such an impact.
You said whenthat you used it to transform pain into productivity. Does playing live also give you a feeling of catharsis, because on stage you always look like you're totally enraptured in the music.
I am. There's no way out because the audience is right there and they are so immersed in the music and the connection is undeniable. The emotions we feel every night from joy, moments when we sing and dance and celebrate to moments where I see people emotional and crying and remembering moments in their own life. It's more than a concert. It's not about my ego. It's a community and a union and a dialogue between the audience and an artist that has dedicated her entire life to making music that has been the soundtrack to their lives. I feel this identification that is truly unique. I've never seen more loyal, more militant fans. They protect me against anyone and lift me up when I need them the most.
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You're decades into a career and still setting milestones. You're the first Latin female act to headline these stadiums in Charlotte and Boston and San Diego and you just broke Taylor Swift's record at the stadium in Mexico City. Is it all a bit surreal?
Mexico City was crazy. We did seven nights and we're going back and will make it 11. I never expected anything like that. It's overwhelming and humbling and insane. It is totally surreal, but I've worked so much on every detail of this show. I'm building the biggest setlist of my career. There are going to be visuals I created, the narrative and the details of them. There are 145 people on this tour to make it happen every night. I've created original music for the transitions in the show, new choreography and arrangements. I have 13 costume changes, so all of what I've learned these years of making music, I feel like this is a recap of that journey.
You've been very open with sharing your musical life with your kids. As they get older, has motherhood changed the way you approach your music?
Last night I was at the studio and Milán was like, 'Mommy come home, I miss you.' I was in the middle of a really creative moment and was like, 'Sorry guys, I have to go.' I'm not just an artist. I am, first and foremost, a mother and they are my absolute priority in life and they know that. In a way I have less time to accomplish more, but to see them and how musical they are inspires me and I hope I'm showing them how hard you have to work to achieve a result. They are witnesses to how hard I work and how much I give of myself.
Do they tell you about new music?
They're huge fans of Kendrick Lamar. And the reason I ended up collaborating with Bizarrap in 2023 was because of Milán. He told me you've gotta collaborate with him and I said 'Who is that?' and he was like 'He's the Argentinian god.' He turned my attention to his music and we ended up doing ('Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53") together and it was a No. 1 hit. I pick their brains and ask for their opinions on everything I do. They have a good eye and good ears, and they are very demanding (laughs). They give me notes after the shows they come to. They always give me comments like, 'OK, tonight this happened …'
When you were first starting, there was a lot of emphasis on 'crossover success' with artists like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias also recording in English to break into the mainstream. What has it been like to see this new generation of Latin stars rewrite that playbook and succeed with all-Spanish music?
If you think about it, for me being Colombian and a woman and also singing in Spanish like with 'La Tortura' (in 2005) and having the general market in America playing music in Spanish, that was a real challenge back then. That was one of the few songs that made it of that genre and that's why it's so important for me to have Alejandro (Sanz, who also sings on the track) back with me for opening night. It's going to be a very special moment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shakira says huge tour isn't 'about my ego,' but a love letter to fans
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