Shakira says Piqué was ‘dragging’ her down creatively: ‘Now I’m free’

Shakira had great moments with her ex; however, she enjoys being “husband-less” after parting ways with Gerard Piqué over a year ago. This process helped the Colombian star regain her groove and rekindle the relationship with her first love—music.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 47-year-old mom of two revealed she feels “free,” and her newfound freedom led to her new album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran—her first in seven years.

© Jaume De Laiguana

“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. “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,” she continued, referring to how she put Piqué‘s career first so she could stay at home and take care of their sonsMilan, 11, and Sasha, 9. Shakira and Piqué called it quits in 2022 after 11 years together.

Shakira also discussed the record’s name in depth. “It’s men’s turn now. 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.

“We have to heal in a certain way. And 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 added.

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran includes 16 tracks with 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.”

© Nicolas Gerardin

For Shakira, the album felt like a catharsis, in which she was “transforming pain and anger and frustration” into “creativity, productivity, strength and resilience.”

“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,” the star explained.

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran includes hit singles “Music Sessions Vol. 53” with Bizarrap, “TQG” with Karol G, “Monotonía” with  Ozuna , “Te Felicito” with Rauw Alejandro, and “Copa Vacía” with Manuel Turizo. It also includes eight new songs, one of them her new collaboration with Cardi B, “Puntería.”