Shakira opened up about her split from husband Gerard Piqué, saying that he was "dragging" her down.
The Colombian singer, 47, spoke about being "free" during an appearance on the "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" while discussing her new album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran," which follows her 2022 breakup from Piqué after 11 years together. They share sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9.
"I've been putting out music here and there but it was really hard for me to put together a body of work," Shakira said of the new release, according to People. "I didn't have time. It was the husband-factor. Now I'm husband-less. Yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I'm free. Now I can actually work."
Shakira also discussed the album's name, which in Spanish translates to "Women no longer cry."
"It's men's turn now," she told Fallon. "For too long we have been sent to cry with a script in our hands and without an end just because we are women. We have to conceal our pain in front of our kids, in front of society."
Shakira said women "have to heal in a certain way," adding, "I don't think anyone is supposed to tell us how to heal. No one is supposed to tell a she-wolf how to lick her wounds."
The singer went on to explain the process of making the album, which is released as a 16-track in emerald, ruby, diamond, and sapphire vinyl covers.
"I was raw. I was dealing with a lot of stuff. I felt at times with a knife between my teeth," she said. "I was picking up the pieces of myself from the floor. I was trying to rebuild myself. Music was the glue."
Shakira noted that she was "transforming pain and anger and frustration" into "creativity, productivity, strength and resilience" while working on the record.
"The resilience of a diamond, you know? So that's why I picked the metaphor of the precious stones, because of the resilience that us women have today when we have to face adversity," she shared.
"Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" is Shakira's 12th studio album and first since "El Dorado" in 2017.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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