Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen Shakira’s name trending on Thursday and heard it’s something about her ex, soccer star Gerard Pique? We’re here to help.
Yep, Shakira’s name was everywhere on Thursday morning, and the buzz was off the charts.
In a new single she recorded with Bizarrap, an Argentine DJ and producer, the lyrics sound very much like she’s going completely scorched earth on her ex-partner of 12 years, Gerard Piqué, after they separated last summer.
What’s it all about? Let’s explain it all for you:
What's the deal here?
Shakira, the Colombian superstar known for songs like Hips Don’t Lie, Waka Waka and Whenever, Wherever, teamed up with Bizarrap for a song that dropped on Thursday, and the lyrics are very much about an ex:
And we're sure the lyrics are about Piqué?
She doesn’t say it outright, but the translated Spanish lyrics — collected by Billboard — sure sound like they’re about him. A sampling:
You left me the in-laws as my neighbors
Media outlets at my door and in debt
You thought you hurt me, but you made me stronger
Women don’t cry anymore, they cash in. …From love to hate there’s a step
Don’t come back here, pay attention to me
Zero grudge baby,
I wish you good luck with my supposed replacement
I don’t even know what happened to you
You are so strange that I can’t even distinguish you
I’m worth two of 22 [year old]
You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo
You traded a Rolex for a Casio
You’re going fast, slow down
A lot of exercises but work the brain a little too
Tell me more.
The “22 year old” line could refer to the soccer player’s new girlfriend, Clara Chia Marti, who is actually 23, but rumors flew last year that the two were dating BEFORE Shakira and Piqué split.
And the Daily Mail noted this:
Shakira makes another clear allusion to Clara with the lyrics: ‘She’s got the name of a good person. Clearly is not how it sounds.
‘Clearly’ in English translates as ‘Claramente’ in Spanish, clearly referencing Clara, as one fan pointed out.
What about that line about "debt"?
She’s heading toward a trial in Spain over tax fraud. From Time in September:
The Spanish government has charged Shakira with defrauding the country of 14.5 million euros in taxes (roughly $13.9 million) between 2012 and 2014. Three separate government entities have accused her of six fiscal crimes. The crux of the argument lies in whether the singer lived in Spain during that time—or technically spent more than 183 days in the country—which would qualify her as a Spanish resident for tax purposes.
Shakira claims, however, that she was a resident of the Bahamas during that time period. She moved to Barcelona in 2015, where she lived with her then-partner Gerard Piqué, an FC Barcelona soccer player, until recently. The Spanish government first made accusations of tax fraud against the musician in 2018.
