'I went to hell and came back from it': Shakira on the strength and resilience behind her new album

Shakira says there's nothing intentional or premeditated about her first new album in seven years, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (which translates to "women no longer cry"). Instead, it was born out of necessity.

"No one intends to go through the hardship and the difficult things that I went through when I was writing this — when I was raw with a knife between my teeth, when I was licking my wounds," she tells Q's Tom Power in an interview. "But, you know, life gives you lemons and you make lemonade — and what I did is I made songs."

WATCH | Shakira's interview with Tom Power:

In 2022, the Colombian superstar's personal life became the subject of public interest following the end of her 11-year relationship with the Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, with whom she shares children Milan Piqué Mebarak and Sasha Piqué Mebarak. In 2023, she detailed their bitter breakup (and Piqué's infidelity) in the hit song Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 — a scathing diss track, in which she sings "Women don't cry anymore / Women cash in."

Shakira says writing Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran was a part of her healing process, which she's still working through.

The dissolution of a family is a pretty big deal. It's probably one of the most traumatic events of my entire life.- Shakira

"It was a huge effort for me to go in the studio and start working again," she says. "I was literally walking like a zombie. I couldn't believe what was happening to me, what was happening with my life, how my dreams were all crumbling in front of my eyes.

"The dissolution of a family is a pretty big deal. It's probably one of the most traumatic events of my entire life. And then added to that, I had all the other losses and all the things that happened to me…. You have periods of stability and peace and calm, and then, all of a sudden, you have to deal with hell. So that's what happened to me. I went to hell and came back from it."

She says each of the album's 16 tracks tells a different story from a different emotional perspective, ranging from frustration and anger to feelings of triumph and resilience. Sonically, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran explores genres like dance-pop, rock, reggaeton, bachata, Mexican ska and Afrobeat.

One of the most powerful tracks on the record is Acróstico, which Shakira made for and with her two young sons.

"They were eight and 10 when they participated in the song," she says. "It wasn't planned … [but] when they listened to the song, they said, 'Mom, can we sing?' They started to sing into the mic — they sounded great."

WATCH | Official video for Acróstico:

At first, Shakira had doubts about collaborating with her children, but they convinced her it would be good for them and she agreed.

"[It felt] so special, so emotional," she says. "I'm telling you, it doesn't get better than that! To see your own children singing and playing to a song that you wrote for them is the most special thing you can ever imagine."

"It is an immortalized moment. It's a moment in time. We've been through so much together, but we've come out of it stronger."

The full interview with Shakira is available on our YouTube channel and also our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Shakira produced by Mitch Pollock.