Shakira Says Her Voice Has 'Changed So Much' over the Years: 'I Used to Suck'

Shakira hasn't always been her own biggest fan.

In a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 about her upcoming album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, the Colombian superstar spoke about how her singing abilities have developed throughout her career — and revealed she thinks she "used to suck."

"I feel that my voice keeps changing over the years, and I tell my [sons, Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9] that," Shakira, 47, told Lowe. "I sometimes listen to some music of mine with them. Not on purpose, but it just happens, you know, maybe some a song, some comes out on the playlist or on the radio or whatever."

Listening to her own music, however, leads the Grammy winner to sometimes look down on her past work. "I say, I used to suck. But, I think I've evolved," she said. "I like myself much better now as an artist, but that's only me."

Of course, many listeners fell in love with Shakira through early hits like "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Ojos Así" in the 1990s. "Some of my fans probably like me better in some other stages of my artistic life," she acknowledged. "But I do think that I have evolved and my voice has changed so much."

The "Hips Don't Lie" performer added, "And also stylistically, I think I have matured, you know? Like, I make different stylistic choices than when I was younger."

Shakira's 12th studio album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran will be released on Friday, and the project features previously released hits including "Te Felicito" with Rauw Alejandro, "Monotonía" with Ozuna, "Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53" with Bizarrap and "TQG" with Karol G, among others.

Elsewhere in the interview with Lowe, the "Whenever, Wherever" musician opened up about the "visceral process" of creating the album following her high-profile 2022 split from ex Gerard Piqué after 11 years together. The pair share Milan and Sasha.

"I haven't created these songs by myself. I feel that it has been a process in which my audience also played an important role," said Shakira. "Because as I was going through these complex life situations, they were there supporting me emotionally, giving me their feedback, and I was also finding myself reflected on their own experiences."

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Fans' awareness of the ongoings in the former Voice coach's personal life helped her make the vulnerable album, she noted.

"There was this communion, you know? So, feeling that level of support was a huge help for me. It was a huge encouragement for me to keep going," said Shakira. "I never thought that my fans would come through for me so much in such an important way, as they did in the most important moments, the most fragile moments of my life."