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Shakira has been delivering hit after hit, getting creative with stunning music videos. Her latest single, “Copa Vacía,” featuring Manuel Turizo had a magical aspect as Shakira portrayed a mermaid. While the music video came out beautiful, the singer revealed there was a terrifying accident when the fish tank she was in suddenly broke, causing the entire set to flood. Stuck in her mermaid tail, she was unable to escape.
Recounting the story to Primer Impacto Shakira explained, “The fish tank broke, the set began to flood, and they had to take me out of there. I couldn’t go out because I had a mermaid tail, and I couldn’t climb out.”
The crew eventually had to take her out with a crane. “Every man for himself. Good thing it was just an anecdote, and I’m here to tell it,” she said.
Interestingly, Turizo had somewhat of a premonition and warned Shakira. “He had told me that the fish tank would break. I thought it was impossible, believing we had impeccable safety standards. But, to my surprise, his prediction came true,” she shared.
Despite the mess, the single has already garnered a staggering 46 million views on YouTube just two weeks after its release.
The meaning behind the mermaid
The mermaid metaphor runs deep for Shakira, who has spent 2023 amid a public breakup involving Gerard Pique and his new girlfriend, Clara Chia.
Just minutes before the release of her music video, Shakira took to her Instagram Broadcast to share a message in Spanish with her followers. She said the mermaid was symbolic for her, acting as a fantasy.
By portraying the mermaid and putting it in a music video, she made the fantasy of a mermaid tangible; something you can see, touch, and feel.
In the second voice message on her IG Broadcast channel, Shakira says that the mermaid “sacrifices a lot for love, ending up in the trash amongst rats. Thankfully she finds herself in her natural habitat.”