Shakira’s Old Music Makes Her Cringe
Shakira attends the 24th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards at FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre on November 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain.
“Whenever, Wherever” Shakira hears her old music, she says it makes her cringe. While appearing on Hot Ones this week, the singer got candid about her early work and how she feels about it today.
(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images North America)
During the Thursday (April 4) episode, Shakira was asked by host Sean Evans which aspects of her earlier material make her “wince or cringe” now that she’s nearly 30 years into her career. The 42-year-old Colombian singer embarrassingly replied, “Many things.”
Shakira’s Old Music
Thinking of what those many things were, she continued, “I think I used to overdo the cries in my voice.” She then gives an example from “Whenever, Wherever” and goes, “‘Lo de lo de lo de’ — it’s too much,” then puts her face in her hands. “I think I was exaggerated, a little baroque. Too much, Shakira.” Other hits from her early career include songs that we still enjoy, regardless of her doing “too much.”
In 2005, she came out with some of our favorite songs: “La Tortura” and the Beyonce collaboration “Beautiful Liar.” Then, a few years later in 2009, Shakira released “She Wolf.”
With twelve studio albums under her belt, the Grammy winner noticed that after having her two sons, she noticed her voice changed. Her voice got thicker, more rounded, and full, so her choices matured as well. “I have evolved as a woman, as a person. My intellect has evolved,” she added.
As for what she mostly gets yelled at in public by fans, it is obviously her 2005 super smash hit, “Hips Don’t Lie.” She mimicked how fans always ask her, “‘Shakira! Do your hips lie?’ I’m like, ‘I have other songs, you know.’”
The new episode comes a few days after the pop and Latin music superstar said she and her sons didn’t like the Barbie movie. As we reported, Shakira was slammed online when she told Allure her 9 and 11-year-old sons felt it was “emasculating.”
One viral tweet responded to her quote on X (formerly Twitter) this is why barbie is a necessary movie for many women to be introduced to feminism 101 as they still suffer from internalised misogyny. https://t.co/u4a2X1BqGQ
— Conducive Coder (@mehtabackupacc) April 1, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stating: “this is why barbie is a necessary movie for many women to be introduced to feminism 101 as they still suffer from internalised misogyny.” Another person added, “she really decided to set herself up for disaster with this horrendous take [crying emoji].” A third person slammed Shakira and wrote: “Moms of boys always become a pick me girl.” Another person blasted her and said, “Yikes. Maybe just stick to tax fraud.”
Shakira's 6 Best Songs
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977, in Colombia. Shakira’s writing skills started at an early age, when she wrote her first poem at four, per Rolling Stone. Gifted a typewriter at seven years old, Shakira continued writing poetry, which eventually evolved into songs. A year later, Shakira wrote her first song, titled “Tus gafas oscuras” (“Your dark glasses”). With her father being Lebanese and taking her to a Middle Eastern restaurant, Shakira first heard the doumbek (a traditional drum used in Middle-Eastern music usually accompanied by belly dancing). She started dancing on the table, and the experience made her realize she wanted to be a performer. She enjoyed singing for schoolmates, teachers, and the nuns at her Catholic school, but in second grade, she was rejected for the school choir because her vibrato was too strong. The music teacher told her that she sounded “like a goat.” She was also known as “the belly dancer girl” after showing off her skills at school every Friday. “That’s how I discovered my passion for live performance,” she said.
An Early Star
Between the ages of ten and thirteen, Shakira gained local recognition after participating in various events in her hometown of Barranquilla. A local theater producer was impressed with her and tried to help her career. Traveling to Bogotá, the producer convinced Sony Colombia executives to hold an audition for Shakira. She performed three songs for the executives and impressed them enough for her to be signed to record three albums. Her debut album, Magia, was recorded in 1990 when she was only 13. The songs are a collection she made when she was eight, consisting of pop-rock ballads and disco songs.
Shakira’s second studio album, Peligro, was released in March. Neither recorded was a hit and are currently out of print. With a final chance given by Sony, she released Pies Descalzos in 1996. Her fourth studio album, Dónde Están los Ladrones? was released two years later. Upon the success of the album, Shakira compiled an English crossover album. Her lead single, “Whenever, Wherever,” became an international success. With eleven studio albums in her discography, we compiled a list of our six favorite Shakira songs. Take a look below:
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
