Don’t expect to hear Shakira take anymore shots at her ex Gerard Piqué in her future songs.
The Colombian music icon, 47, spoke to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 ahead of the release of her twelfth studio album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry), which officially dropped on Friday.
The album’s title is taken from a lyric on her hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” collaboration with Argentine producer Bizarrap. The track, which has over 706 million views on YouTube, took aim at the FC Barcelona soccer player over his infidelity.
The Barranquilla native released a string of singles dissing her ex including “TQG” with Karol G, and “El Jefe” with Mexican regional band, Fuerza Regida—all of which appear on the new album. However, Shakira told Lowe that she's officially closing off this musical chapter with one last song.
On “Última,” one of two ballads on the album, Shakira expresses her gratitude for the time spent with Piqué and that despite attempts to reconcile, their mismatched lifestyles led to the end of their relationship.
The singer told Lowe that “Última” almost didn’t make the cut over time constraints.
"I said, I got one more song here and it's like, it's—I gotta spit it out or I won't be able to, you know. I'll choke. I need to get this one out," Shakira said at the 37:20 mark, per People.
"The people at Sony [Music] were like, 'No, no, no, no, there's no more time. This needs to be shipped, otherwise we're not going to make it to have the vinyls ready. You can't do anything else with this album,'" she continued.
"Because I can endlessly continue working on the album, tweaking stuff, mixing, and never let it go. So they were like, 'It's time to, it's time to let it go, Shakira let it go.' Now I'm like, 'No, no, no, no. But there's one more, there's one more.'"
Shakira claims she was able to record and mix the song in one afternoon. It turns out her persistence paid off based on an unexpected reaction from her label.
"So when I play this song to the head of marketing at Sony, he came, he started to cry,” she said. “I have never seen a man cry in my studio before. I've seen many women cry in my studio, but no man. Uh, but he's a big softie."
She continued, "He started to cry with this song and I'm like, 'OK, I get it.' It's not only about me. This song is not about me only, or him … But I'm glad I was able to include it in the album, even if it's the last song, the last song that I write to him. I hope, but I could always change my mind."
The singer and soccer player split after an 11 year relationship in 2022. They met in 2010 on the set for her “Waka Waka” music video and made things social media official in 2011. They welcomed their first child, Milan, in 2013, and another son, Sasha, in 2015. The former couple reached a custody agreement for their children, with Shakira and the kids moving to Miami.
Shakira’s new album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran which includes "Punteria" featuring Cardi B, and other guest appearances such asKarol G, Bizarrap, and Rauw Alejandro is out now.
