Shakira Says Her Music Has ‘Taken New Flight’ After Split from Gerard Piqué
Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for MTV Reading Time: 2 minutes
In a new interview with Billboard, Shakira reflects on the success of the new music she has released since her split from longtime partner Gerard Piqué last year. She also talked about her choice to be so open about their separation in her music.
Shakira Reflects on Music Career After Breakup
Shakira told Billboard about how her career has changed since she split from Piqué and moved from Barcelona to Miami, saying, “I was dedicated to him. To the family, to him. It was very difficult for me to attend to my professional career while in Barcelona.”
“Right now, I have an idea and I can immediately collaborate with whomever I want to,” the singer continued. “Something inescapable about Miami, Los Angeles, the U.S. in general is I have the logistical and technical support, the resources, the tools, the people. Living in Spain, all that was on hold.”
Shakira said her “career was a third priority” when she was living in Spain with Piqué, which is why she hasn’t released a new album in six years. The singer also opened up about her father, who suffered a fall last year and “has lost many of his neurological functions.”
“From there, my music has also taken new flight, and I suppose that’s the way life compensates,” Shakira shared. “You subtract on one end and add on the other. It’s pure mathematics. In my ninth life, I’ll tell you what the total is.”
SEE ALSO: SHAKIRA ACCEPTS VMA VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD, DELIVERS AMAZING PERFORMANCE
The Singer Says Music Is Her Catharsis
Earlier this year, Shakira infamously called out Piqué and his new girlfriend Clara Chia Marti in her collaboration with Bizarrap, titled “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” As she sings on the track, “I was out of your league, that’s why you’re with someone just like you.”
“When I did that session, people on my team were saying, ‘Please change this. Don’t even think about coming out with those lyrics,'” Shakira told Billboard. “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.”
She said music is “my catharsis and my therapy,” and she recognizes that it’s the same for other people, adding, “I lend my voice to many women who maybe also wanted to say the same things I said and perhaps haven’t had the validation to do so.”
