Shakira recently reflected on challenges in her music career, citing her past relationship with ex-Gerard Piqué as a significant factor behind delaying her latest album.
Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the Colombian singer shared insights on why it took over seven years to produce new music for her twelfth studio album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which translates to "women no longer cry."
"I was putting out songs here and there but it was really hard for me to put together a body of work," the "Waka Waka" hitmaker said. "It was the husband. Now I'm husband-less. Yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I'm free. Now I can actually work."
"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."
She added, "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."
While creating her latest 17-track album, the "Hips Don't Lie" hitmaker reflected on the raw emotions she experienced.
Despite sharing two sons, Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9, with her former beau, Shakira found solace in channeling her feelings of pain, anger, and frustration into a powerful source of creativity, productivity, and resilience.
She explained, "I was dealing with a lot of stuff. I felt at times with a knife between my teeth. I was picking up the pieces of myself from the floor. I was trying to rebuild myself. Music was the glue."
READ ALSO: Shakira's New Release, 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,' Is a Top-Tier Breakup Album
Shakira and Gerard Piqué
Shakira and the professional soccer player from Spain decided to end their relationship in June 2022.
Reports suggest that the singer ended things with Piqué due to his alleged infidelity. Despite Shakira commonly referring to Piqué as her husband, they never went through with a formal marriage.
Piqué is now in a relationship with 25-year-old model Clara Chia Marti, who recently relocated to the residence he formerly shared with the singer.
During a weekend reflection, Shakira openly expressed uncertainty about finding love anew after her separation from the former Barcelona player.
In an interview on Zane Lowe's Apple Music 1 program, Shakira expressed uncertainty about finding love after her separation from the former Barcelona player. She said she once believed that love would endure, but now considers that a shattered daydream.
"I've always been in a couple, but then when that wasn't there, and when I had to face the darkest moments of my life, friends were there and kept me together," she said. "I might not grow old with a partner, but I will grow old surrounded by good friends."
READ MORE: Shakira Not Writing Songs About Gerard Piqué Anymore, Says 'Ùltima' Would Be the Last
