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To say that Shakira has had a difficult year would be an understatement. Aside from the fact that she’s splitting up from her partner of a decade-plus, her father is experiencing health challenges and she’s also under investigation by the Spanish government, which claim she hasn’t paid the taxes she’s supposed to.
Shakira is now on the cover of Elle Magazine , providing some answers on all of these matters and an update on her music.
In the interview, Shakira discussed her relationship openly, revealing more than she ever had before. She talked about this moment in her life, which has been so difficult due to her split from Gerard Pique, her father’s health issues and the tax fraud allegations, and how music has been a source of refuge. “I feel like in this moment of my life, which is probably one of the most difficult, darkest hours of my life, music has brought light,” she said.
While Shakira steered clear of anything too incendiary when discussing the breakdown of her relationship with Pique, she did throw a few jabs and made it clear that, at the start of their relationship, she was the one to make sacrifices. “As a soccer player, he wanted to play football and to win titles and I had to support him. I mean, one of the two of us had to make a sacrifice, right?” she said. “And I did it. I put my career in second gear and I came to Spain, to support him so he could play football and win titles. And it was a sacrifice of love,” she said. “Thanks to that, my kids were able to have a present mom, and I have this amazing bond with them that is unbreakable and that sustains us. You know, that is it. That’s all I can say.”
Shakira also talked about the song “Te Felicito,” which many consider a response to her breakup. When asked about the lyrics and whether they reference her relationship with Pique and the fact that she sacrificed parts of herself in order to make space for him, she said, “Either consciously or subconsciously, everything I feel, everything I go through is reflected in the lyrics I write, in the videos I make. When the glove fits, it fits. Like I said before, my music is that channel.”
Shakira also talked about the tax accusations against her from the Spanish government, which she took to court as a matter of principle. “The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate,” she said discussing the first months of her relationship with Pique. “It’s clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what.”
Still, Shakira says she has plenty of support, and that it has come from friends and family but also from unexpected sources, like colleagues. “For example, will.i.am. He regularly checks in with me, and one day he even sent me a beautiful prayer,” she said. “Chris Martin is always checking in and telling me that he’s there for me, anything I need. Juan Luis Guerra. Alejandro Sanz.”
While Shakira is alone now, she makes it clear that she’s not lonely, which is enough for now. “I can be enough at this point for myself and for my family, for my kids.”