Shakira has made rare comments about the heartbreak she suffered from her split with Gerard Piqué. The 49-year-old singer and the 39-year-old soccer player, who have two children together—Milan, 13, and Sasha, 11—went their separate ways in 2022 after 11 years together.
'Behind every experience in life, there's always a lesson, and we have to be grateful for all those lessons, even for the people that leave you with scars,' she shared with People as she graced the magazine's cover. The Colombian songbird added that those lessons 'just make us better.' She also addressed feeling stronger now: 'I always thought that I was more fragile or weaker than what life proved me to be.'
Shakira spoke to the magazine to promote her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which will take place next on June 13 in Los Angeles, and her performance at the halftime show for the World Cup on July 19 in New Jersey. Even her new song 'Dai Dai' hints at her newfound strength, with lyrics like 'What broke you once made you strong.' The single is the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
She, along with Madonna and BTS, will perform the World Cup halftime show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. 'Every World Cup is really magical, and I think this one is going to be all about bringing people together in this very sensitive moment in time, socially and politically,' said Shakira. The World Cup is a big reminder for the artist as it is where she met Piqué in 2010; she sang the World Cup song 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' at the closing ceremony that year. 'I have this connection with [soccer] that seems unbreakable,' she said.
In 2023 she sang about her heartbreak from Piqué on the album 'Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.' 'It was just pure catharsis. I really needed to write about what I was going through and not have any censor,' she said. She added that writing the songs was 'like going to a shrink, only cheaper.' The icon came back even stronger. 'Through those challenging moments, I discovered how resilient we all are,' she said. 'Life is a bitch, but it's so worth living because friends are there for you. Sometimes we just need someone to be the voice of others because the human experience thrives on identification. We all go through pain and hardship, and we also have enjoyed the beauty of this life with its ups and downs.'
As far as her career, the siren told People she had to work very hard to get where she is. 'I had to really fight for my dreams,' she said. 'I would say to that girl back in her 20s to enjoy more, to believe in herself more. I think women, as time goes by, we just acquire this new confidence. Even though we don't look as perfect as in our 20s, it's beautiful to just be yourself and accept who you are.'
In May, Shakira was cleared of tax fraud in Spain after a legal battle lasting almost five years. The singer is now set to receive more than £50 million from the Spanish government following a ruling by the country's high court. The Madrid-based Audiencia Nacional ruled that Spanish tax authorities failed to prove the performer had spent enough time living in Spain during 2011 to qualify as a tax resident under Spanish law. Judges ordered authorities to repay €55 million (£48 million), plus €5 million (£4.35 million) in interest, after determining investigators had only been able to confirm Shakira spent 163 days in Spain that year—below the 183-day threshold required for taxation. The case became one of the most high-profile celebrity tax disputes in Europe.
