How Shakira’s Son Processed His Parents’ Split With Music
Shakira attends the "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" album release party at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on March 21, 2024 in Hollywood, Florida.
Shakira’s son has turned his parents' split into a positive outlet, turning to music. Milan, who is the “Whenever Wherever” singer’s eldest, has followed in his mother’s footsteps to turn his heartache into songwriting. The Colombian singer shares 11-year-old Milan and 9-year-old Sasha with her ex, retired soccer player Gerard Piqué. Shakira and Piqué announced their split in 2022 after more than 10 years together amid rumors of the soccer star being a cheater.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for MTV)
In a new interview, Shakira, 47, said that her sons know that she uses music to express herself and is one of her outlets in healing. With Milan, she proudly says her son wrote “two beautiful songs” during the former couple’s separation process. Apparently, the pre-teen’s lyrics and piano combo were enough to earn his mother’s compliment of being able to “make anyone cry.”
Whenever Shakira’s son is feeling down, she says he goes to the piano and gets to songwriting. “That is also his catharsis, his therapy,” she adds. Though he is a talented musician like his mother, Shakira believes her son will be a producer or be a soccer player like his father, former Manchester United center-back. With no rush or pressure on the kid, Shakira recognizes him as a “really great” songwriter and producer already.
As for her raising her kids as a single mother since her split, the “La Tortura” singer admits there is a “learning curve.” Much like the hips she proclaimed don’t lie almost ten years ago, the singer is aware that children know when they’re being lied to. She believes that children can see through hidden feelings and can perceive things in more ways than one.
She continued, “They want the truth. And if you don’t give them the truth, they make up their own version. But if you’re brave enough to talk about things with them, try to understand how they’re perceiving reality, and open up a conversation where they can also give their opinion—they know that life is not always perfect, and it’s okay to face losses—what’s important is we learn to express how we feel.”
The singer released her twelfth studio album this week, titled Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women no longer cry). Writing that after “life’s ups and downs and a long time working on this album,” the singer added that she dedicated a song to her children. “Última” is the second ballad on the album besides “Acróstico,” and the song was “embedded” within her, needing to be released with the album despite the deadline being up.
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.
