Shakira says she fought manager to keep lyrics about ex Gerard Piqué in hit song
‘I’m a wounded she-wolf,’ said the pop superstar. ‘And no one should tell me how to lick my wounds’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shakira has revealed that her management wanted her to change lyrics perceived to be about her former partner Gerard Piqué, but she refused saying: “I’m a wounded she-wolf. And no one should tell me how to lick my wounds.’”
The Colombian pop superstar, 47, began an 11-year relationship with the former Barcelona footballer, 37, in 2011 and they share two sons.
The couple announced their separation in June 2022, amid widespread speculation that Piqué had cheated on the mother of his children with a 23-year-old PR student.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Shakira reflects on the heartbreak she experienced, saying: “The suffering I felt was probably the greatest I had ever experienced in my entire life, and it kept me from functioning at times.
“It felt like someone had stabbed a hole in my chest. And the sensation was so real, almost physical. I physically felt like I had a hole in my chest and that people could see through me.”
In January 2023, Shakira released a single titled “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”, also known as “Out of Your League”.
The song features several references to her former partner, including punning on his name and the name of his new partner, as well as disses suggesting: “You swapped a Ferrari for a [Renault] Twingo/You swapped a Rolex for a Casio.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Shakira recalled that these blunt lyrics concerned her management.
“You don’t know the maximum relief I felt. It was like … Relief. And then I remember my manager at the time telling me, ‘Please change the lyrics.’
“Of course, I was trying to calculate the possible contingencies and the risks, but I said, ‘I’m an artist. I am a woman. And I’m a wounded she-wolf. And no one should tell me how to lick my wounds.’”
The song became a huge hit, logging more than 63m YouTube views in its first 24 hours, which made it the most-watched new Latin song in the platform’s history. It also shot to Number One on Spotify’s Global 200 chart, collecting 3 billion streams in the process.
“I started to see that my fans were there for me,” Shakira says in the new interview. “We’re in a society that’s used to seeing women confront pain in a submissive way, and I think that’s changed.”
Earlier this year, Shakira revealed that she now believes monogamy is a “utopia”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments