Topline
Colombian Grammy winning singer Shakira announced on Thursday she plans to release her first album in seven years next month, including eight new songs and a handful of previously released singles, which will be her first album to be released on vinyl.
Shakira, a three-time Grammy Award winner, will release her first album in seven years on March 22.
Key Facts
The full-length album, called “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” is set to be released on March 22, marking her first album release since “El Dorado” in 2017, which peaked at 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the U.S. Latin charts.
Shakira, who has sold more than 60 million albums in more than three decades in music, released a statement on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) calling the development of the album an “alchemical process,” saying: “While writing each song I was rebuilding myself.”
The album includes eight new tracks and seven previously released songs, including “Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 53,” which she made with DJ and producer Bizarrap, “TQG” (with singer Karol G), and “Te Felicito,” which she recorded with Rauw Alejandro.
Tangent
Shakira’s long-anticipated new album comes amid a promising time for women in music, as more female musicians and female musicians of color top the charts than ever before. In 2023, solo female artists made up more than 40% of the spots on the Billboard Hot 100, nearly a 6% jump from the year before, according to USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Female artists also dominated at the Grammys earlier this month, with pop icon Taylor Swift securing her fourth album of the year win with “Midnights,” and Miley Cyrus winning record of the year and best pop solo performance for her song “Flowers.”
Key Background
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, broke into the Latin music scene as a teenager, landing her recording debut with Sony Music Colombia at 13, and rising to No. 5 on the U.S. Latin Charts with her 1995 album “Pies Descalzos.” Her next album, 1998’s “Donde Están los Ladrones?” and her 2005 album “Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1” hit the top spot on the Latin charts, with the latter winning two Latin Grammy Awards and the Grammy Award for best Latin rock or alternative album. In total, Shakira has won 14 Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards for best Latin pop and rock albums, including “El Dorado” and “Fijacion Oral Vol. 1.”
Surprising Fact
Since releasing her last album, the Latin megastar has had a rollercoaster of highs and lows, performing with Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show while becoming ensnared in a pair of investigations over alleged tax evasion in Spain. Spanish officials launched one of those investigations in 2018 over allegations she failed to pay more than $15 million in taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014. The singer settled that case in an 11th hour deal in November, agreeing to pay a $7.5 million fine just hours before she was set for a court appearance. In a separate investigation, officials in Spain demanded Shakira fork over $7.1 million in unpaid taxes last September, claiming the pop star turned to an offshore holding company to avoid paying taxes on her income in 2018.
Further Reading
Women And Musicians Of Color Releasing More Top-Charting Songs Than Ever (Forbes)
