Latest news with #Wyclef
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shakira Explains Why She Almost Didn't Release ‘Hips Don't Lie' as Hit Song Turns 20
Although "Hips Don't Lie" is one of Shakira's biggest songs, the musical sensation has revealed that she almost didn't get to record it During a May 8 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Shakira explained that the opportunity to work on it came after her album had already been distributed for sale Pulling the albums back and hitting the recording studio wound up being the right decision as "Hips Don't Lie" became a huge global hit"Hips Don't Lie" is an ageless anthem that is still drawing listeners to dance floors across the globe as it turns 20. However, Shakira very nearly didn't get to release it. The 48-year-old musician collaborated with Wyclef Jean on the song, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005, and it has since amassed more than 2 billion streams on Spotify alone and instantly invokes a sense of nostalgia for the early aughts every time it plays. During a Thursday, May 8, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Shakira reflected on the special song, which she said "changed [her] story." Interestingly, she told host Jimmy Fallon that she had to fight to get it included on her 2005 album Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. In fact, adding the song turned out to be an expensive risk that luckily paid off. "I remember my album was already distributed and then this idea came up and Wyclef and I met. We started working on this track," she recalled, explaining that the album had already been sent out to stores for sale. "The funniest thing is that I had a dream — the most random dream about Wyclef." Shakira continued, saying, "Then I woke up, and my manager called me and said, 'You know what? Wyclef wants to work with you.' And I'm like, 'No, no. It can't be. I had a dream about Wyclef last night. Why would I dream about Wyclef?' " Fallon, 50, joked that she "manifested" the collaboration, and Shakira emphasized that she had faith in it. So much, in fact, that she reached out to the head of her record company at the time (Donny Ienner) studio and urged him to pull her records back so that it could be repackaged with "Hips Don't Lie" included. "You've got to believe me. You've got to trust me You do that, we have a hit," she remembered telling him. "He did it, we repackaged the albums and it changed my story." "Hips Don't Lie" became an enduring smash that is not just one of Shakira's all-time defining anthems; it's also an undeniable classic from the era. There was another way that the song changed Shakira's life: "People call me Shakira twice," she said, nodding to the way that she is referred to as "Shakira, Shakira" in the lyrics. Speaking to Billboard in 2023, Shakira revealed just how much of a risk "Hips Don't Lie" could have been for her. "Latin music wasn't really at its peak like it is right now in the U.S.," she said. "Many radios, at first, really didn't want to play 'Hips Don't Lie' because it sounded too Latin for them." To celebrate the song's big birthday, Shakira and Wyclef performed it on The Tonight Show earlier this week. Their big performance came only a day after Shakira ascended the steps at the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art to attend the 2025 Met Gala. After making her Met Gala debut in 2024, she returned for a second consecutive year. This time, she opted for a blush pink princess gown with a lengthy train. Despite her fashionable appearance, Shakira noted one issue with her look — "Everyone stepped on my train" — joking that it was "getting tie-dyed" from all of the shoes that were stepping on it. The singer handled it with grace though and told Fallon that she took the piece of her gown off and left it behind, saying, "It must be somewhere at the Metropolitan." "I just left it there," she said, joking that it was now "part of the exhibition." Read the original article on People
Perth Now
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Shakira had album pulled to add Hips Don't Lie
Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie' almost never made it onto her album. The 48-year-old singer had completed work on her 2005 record 'Oral Fixation, Vol. 2' but she then got into the studio with Wylcef Jean and knew instantly they had a hit on their hands, so she called her record company boss and begged him to pull the LP so the extra track could be added. Speaking on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she said: "I remember my album was already distributed, and then this idea came up, and Wyclef and I met and we started working on this track. 'I started working with Wyclef, and I knew I had a hit, so I called Donny Lenner, who was in charge at the time of [Epic Records], and I said, 'Donny, you have to pick up the albums from the stores,' and he's like, 'No way, these albums are already out there. "I'm like, 'You've got to believe me. You've got to trust me. You do that, we have a hit.' And he said, 'OK, so I'll listen to you. I'll listen to you on this one,' and he did it and we kind of had to repackage the albums, and it changed my story." The collaboration with Wyclef came right after Shakira had spookily had a dream about him. She said: "You know, the funniest thing is that I had a dream, the most random dream about Wyclef. It wasn't a sexual dream! It was just a dream. And then I woke up and my manager called me and said, 'Wyclef wants to work with you.' " Meanwhile, Shakira is proud to have sold out 11 shows in Mexico City and have the number one tour in the world for the second month in a row and she thinks its a special experience for fans. She said: 'It's incredible. I've been working on this tour for a year, preparing every single detail, from the visuals to the music. I've put together my biggest set list. I'm singing some of my classic songs, from 'Hips Don't Lie' to 'Whenever, Whatever' to the most recent ones. 'And it's a pretty huge production. It's a huge effort to tour with this production around Latin America. It's probably the biggest production that's ever traveled Latin America. It weighs like 93 tons. The screen is huge and it's 145 people traveling… "So when you show up and you see so many people dancing and singing and crying and getting emotional. It's a party, but people really, really connect with this music. It's been like the soundtrack of their lives, for many of my fans.'
Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Shakira recalls how ‘Hips Don't Lie' almost didn't make it and nearly didn't exist as song turns 20
Shakira recently shared the story behind her iconic hit 'Hips Don't Lie,' revealing that the song almost didn't make it onto her 2005 album Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 8, the Colombian singer explained that the opportunity to record the track came after the album had already been sent out for sale. The decision to pull the album back and include the song, which was a collaboration with Wyclef Jean, turned out to be a risky yet successful move. 'Hips Don't Lie' went on to become a global sensation, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulating more than 2 billion streams on Spotify. The song's infectious rhythm continues to captivate listeners, maintaining its place as an ageless anthem. Shakira recalled that her album had already been distributed when the idea to add 'Hips Don't Lie' arose. She explained that the collaboration with Wyclef came about after a peculiar dream she had, which ultimately led her manager to reach out to the artist. 'I woke up and my manager called me and said, 'Wyclef wants to work with you,'' she said. Feeling confident about the track, Shakira convinced her record label to pull back the distributed albums and repackage them to include the song. In her conversation with Fallon, Shakira reflected on how the track changed her career. She mentioned that the song not only became a defining anthem in her music career but also impacted her personal life, with the catchy refrain 'Shakira, Shakira' becoming a cultural staple. In addition to discussing the song's success, Shakira also spoke about the challenges it initially faced, especially in terms of radio play in the U.S. at the time, due to its Latin sound. Despite this, "Hips Don't Lie" went on to be a breakthrough hit, marking a significant moment in her musical journey.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Matthew Perry Shout-Out, an Andrea Bocelli Feature, and (Maybe Not) a Ye Track: Everything We Know About Lil Wayne's ‘Tha Carter VI'
Lil Wayne's Tha Carter VI, the next installment in his canonical series, will arrive on June 6. He was still finalizing the project when he played Rolling Stone a dozen or so songs in Atlanta for his new cover story. Wayne says that a key focus of the project was collaboration. 'If there's one thing about this album that's different, it's me approaching it like, 'Man, what would I sound like on something with such and such,'' he tells us. That mentality shines through in the array of artists he chose to collaborate with. Miley Cyrus and Bono are set to appear on Tha Carter VI. The U2 singer delivered the chorus on the reflective 'These Are the Days,' which also features Wayne's 15-year-old son Kameron. The song is from '2013 or 14,' Wayne says, recorded back when Kameron was a toddler. More from Rolling Stone Lil Wayne Talks Infamous Trump Photo, Says He Was Asked to Perform at 2025 Inauguration Lil Wayne Says He'll Never Play the Super Bowl After 2025 Snub: 'They Stole That Feeling' Chasing Lil Wayne: Missed Interviews, All-Night Studio Sessions, and Brutal Honesty Other features we heard include MGK, Elephant Man, Wayne's Young Money artist Euro, and Wyclef Jean. The Fugee played a major role on the project, in fact, recording more than 30 tracks with Wayne during marathon recording sessions. 'You going to probably do like eight songs [with Wyclef],' Wayne says. 'He's going to keep flipping what you did on one [song] and make a whole [new] song out of that shit.' Wyclef also facilitated a song where Andrea Bocelli sang his famed 'Ave Maria.' Wyclef flew to Italy to get Bocelli's permission to sample the song, but when he told the tenor about Wayne's childhood near-death experience, Bocelli was so moved that he decided to record his part himself. (Wyclef contends that the track will 'stop time' upon release.) Along with their Carter VI work, Wayne and Wyclef are the nucleus of the Gumbo, an informal collective featuring New Orleans instrumentalists Jon Batiste, Ledisi, Trombone Shawty, and PJ Morton. Overall, Tha Carter VI is a testament to Wayne's malleable mic presence. He rhymes over different tempos and sonic moods, but sounds like himself on every song. Many of the tracks were untitled when Wayne played them for Rolling Stone. On one, he mimicked the cadence of Tupac's 'Hit Em Up' and Biggie's 'One More Chance' on two separate verses. Multiple tracks boasted Brooklyn drill production. Another song we heard was a sunny ode to 'cruisin' through L.A.,' where he shouts out the late actor Matthew Perry — Wayne tells us that he didn't know Perry, and the reference came after researching a name that fit the syllable space. Wayne even played some songs that his team later confirmed won't be on the album. One Ye-produced track — which may not make the final cut — sounded like it was made during his Vultures sessions. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
