Shakira discusses pausing music career to support ex-partner Pique's football dreams

Colombian pop star Shakira has revealed she paused her music career to support her ex-partner, former professional footballer Gerard Pique, throughout his sports career.

The couple, who were together for 11 years and share two children, announced their separation in June 2022.

Now, at 47, Shakira is preparing to release "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" (Women No Longer Cry), her first album in seven years since the launch of "El Dorado" in 2017.

In an interview with The Times, Shakira reflected on her sacrifices for love, stating, "For a long time I put my career on hold, to be next to Gerard, so he could play football. There was a lot of sacrifice for love."

The singer views her upcoming album as a journey of turning her pain and frustrations into creative and productive energy.

Shakira described the process of working through her personal turmoil, stating, "There were so many pieces of my life that crumbled in front of my eyes and I had to rebuild myself in a way, picking up the bones from the floor and putting them all together. And the glue that kept it all together was music."

The album features the single "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53," which has gained attention as a potential "diss track" directed at Pique.

Another song, "Ultima" (Last), contains lyrics that hint at a hope for Pique's future regrets and a desire to return, with Shakira saying, "Surely with time you'll regret it / And some day you'll want to come back to my door."

When asked if these sentiments were about Pique, Shakira confirmed, "It's hopefully the last song that I will write about this, and to him."

Shakira further shared a touching moment related to her music's impact saying, "I felt that there was still something there, stuck in my throat, and I needed to get it out. I played it to the marketing head at Sony and he started crying. I'd never seen a man cry in my studio before."