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  • Mau y Ricky Are Continuing Their Father Ricardo Montaner’s Legacy

    Mau y Ricky Are Continuing Their Father Ricardo Montaner’s Legacy

    Although some celebrities shy away from the topic of their famous parents, that’s never been the case for Mau y Ricky. The Venezuelan singer-songwriters are the sons of Latine pop icon Ricardo Montaner. However, the talent in the Montaner family doesn’t end with Mau, Ricky, and Ricardo. Mau and Ricky’s sister, Evaluna Montaner, and their brother-in-law, Camilo, are also impacting the industry. If you listen closely, the elder Evaluna and Camilo’s voices can be heard on Mau y Ricky’s new album “Hotel Caracas,” which also marked the brothers’ return to Venezuela for the first time in over a decade. Family and community are core tenets for the duo.

    “There’s no hiding the obvious,” Ricky Montaner says of his famous family. “I’m proud as a family that we’ve been able to lift each other up, inspire each other, and connect with people in this way. It’s beautiful and special.”

    Growing up in Caracas, Mau and Ricky saw their father perform big-time hits like “Tan Enamorados” and “Bésame” to sold-out crowds. He would even bring them on stage to sing with him occasionally. Ricardo also once had a record label with Venezuelan brothers Servando & Florentino. They often rehearsed at home and showed the younger Montaner brothers that a sibling duo in Latin music was possible. Now, the sons are inviting their dad to sing their songs. In a hidden feature on the song “Muriendo de Miedo,” Ricardo’s voice beautifully harmonizes with his sons’.

    “It’s full circle,” Mau Montaner says. “I feel like he had to be in it. We’re so grateful for what he has meant to us as a father, obviously as support in the early years and as an influence. It’s like paying homage to him and musically thanking him for everything he has meant for us and honoring what he’s done.”

    Despite having the Montaner connection, Mau y Ricky still had to work hard on their own to gain respect within the industry. While developing their musical act, they also formed a songwriting collective that included longtime collaborator JonTheProducer and their future brother-in-law, Camilo. They helped pen hits like Becky G and Natti Natasha’s “Sin Pijama,” Karol G’s “Pineapple,” Ricky Martin’s “Vente Pa’ Ca” with Maluma, and their own breakthrough hit “Desconocidos,” which served as a launching pad for Camilo’s pop career. Mau y Ricky cowrote a song on Camilo’s recent album “Cuatro,” and their brother-in-law is also featured on their song “Karma.”

    “It’s pretty crazy and wild to think back on what we were able to accomplish that started from being these fucking four hopeful kids that had big dreams to one day make it in music,” Ricky recalls, referring to himself, Mau, Camilo, and JonTheProducer.

    “We did it our way, and it was in a collective with people we love,” Mau says. “Being able to get together and have these little moments of creative bonding is beautiful. We created some of my favorite music alongside Cami.”

    “Hotel Caracas” signals a new era in Mau y Ricky’s music. It marks the first album release on their own label, Why Club Records, in partnership with Warner Music Latina. The LP also comes on the heels of Mau y Ricky expanding their own families. In 2022, Mau and his wife Sara Escobar welcomed their first child, Apollo, and Ricky later married Argentine model Stefi Roitman. It’s their most personal and daring album, with songs about romance, heartbreak, and sex.

    “Being married and starting our own families has given us a sense of security,” Ricky says. “At this point, my wife knows me exactly as I am, and I can tell the stories I’m telling, and many of them speak of my past or Mau’s past. Before, we might have been like, ‘You’re not going to say that.’ With that sense of security, I’m like, ‘I’ve been through all this, and I got to say it because I know that it can help somebody.’”

    To promote the “Hotel Caracas” album, Mau y Ricky are putting on intimate Lobby Bar concerts around the US and Latin America. The brothers also plan to hit the road with a tour at the end of the year. Mau admits that he is adjusting to juggling being a father to Apollo and living out his dreams as a pop star with his brother.

    “To be honest, it’s hard, but it’s also super fun,” he says. “Let’s say 60 years from now, I love knowing that those songs [on ‘Hotel Caracas’] are a part of his childhood. I love the idea that he learned to say certain words and that he learned to play pretend drums or pretend trumpets because he heard these songs. They’re a part of his development, and music has more of a development in kids’ brains than we even realize.”

    “Hotel Caracas” also marks Mau y Ricky’s return to their home country of Venezuela. The songs drip with Venezuelan swagger and use local slang. All 15 music videos for the album were shot in cities around Venezuela, with an upcoming documentary that captured their experience. Mau y Ricky worked with over 200 crew members based in Venezuela for the project.

    “We needed to reconnect,” Mau says. “We felt like we were going through this identity crisis or lack of feeling a part of somewhere. For the longest time, we felt that, and as you mature, you start noticing those little wounds that you have to heal. That was one of them. It was beautiful when we got to heal that [wound] when we went back to our country. It was three months of getting to know our country in the best way possible, plus filming the videos to represent the beauty of Venezuela.”

    Lucas Villa is a Mexican American music journalist who covers pop and Latin music. Over 11 years, he has interviewed pop queens and Latin music superstars for places like PS, Allure, Elle, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV News, Paper, W Magazine, Vibe, and LGBTQ Nation.

    Lucas Villa

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  • Thalia’s “A Mucha Honra” Album Is a Love Letter to Música Mexicana

    Thalia’s “A Mucha Honra” Album Is a Love Letter to Música Mexicana

    Throughout her illustrious career, Thalia has proudly represented Mexican culture through her music, iconic looks, and unforgettable performances. With música Mexicana going global, the Mexican pop icon is tapping into the sounds of her roots through her new album “A Mucha Honra,” where she pays homage to the music of her country while embracing the new wave of corridos.

    “This album is called ‘A Mucha Honra’ because, as a Mexican, it makes me so excited to sing this music,” she tells PS. “It’s in my DNA. I feel like with everything happening now with our music on a global level, it’s made us so proud. This is a celebration of our music and Mexican culture.”

    Thalia’s career spans five decades since she entered the scene in the ’80s as a member of the Mexican children’s group Timbiriche. In the ’90s, she launched her solo career, which took her worldwide, transforming her into a global artist. Among the many genres she’s explored as a top Latina pop star, Mexican rhythms like mariachi and ranchera have always been present in her biggest hits like the empowering “Piel Morena” or the sultry “Amor a la Mexicana.” Thalia credits her longevity to always changing with the times.

    “Follow your pulse,” she says. “Follow your intuition, which will soon guide you in learning different things about yourself. Sing different styles of music. Embrace things that will help you refresh your style and help you grow, change, and evolve. You have to dare yourself to take chances. I believe that’s always been a principle of my career.”

    “A Mucha Honra” isn’t Thalia’s first rodeo in the música Mexicana realm. In addition to her aforementioned hits, she also released a banda music album in 2001. “Thalia Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos” included her classics like “Arrasando,” “Entre el Mar y una Estrella,” and “María la del Barrio,” the theme song to one of her famous telenovelas, which was rerecorded in the banda style. Thalia shakes off the criticisms of people who overlook her past in the música Mexicana genre.

    “In my music, I’ve always sung with Mexican arrangements in different albums throughout my career,” she says. “It’s something that’s always been constant within my discography. I have a wonderful fan base. My Thali-familia are incredible for remembering things that we’ve done together. That’s beautiful because they have a strong connection with me. This isn’t something that I’m doing out of nowhere. I’ve always done it.”

    What is different about Thalia’s latest exploration of música Mexicana is that she’s taking on contemporary sounds. What has helped the genre go global is the rise of corridos tumbados, or the trap-infused take on the traditional Mexican corrido and sierreño. Corridos tumbados were first popularized in 2019 by Mexican singer Natanael Cano and his LA-based label Rancho Humilde. More Gen Z artists like his labelmates Junior H and Fuerza Regida and Mexican superstar Peso Pluma have pushed corridos tumbados to the top of the charts. Sierreño has also made waves thanks to the success of the Mexican American group Eslabon Armado. For “A Mucha Honra,” Thalia tapped Rancho Humilde founder Jimmy Humilde and Edgar Rodríguez, who has produced hits for this new generation of artists. She seamlessly blends sierreño and pop in the heartbreaking ballad “Bebé, Perdón.”

    “[Edgar] has the Yellow Room [recording studio] where all the música Mexicana stars have recorded,” she says. “This album was created at the center of the Mexican movement that’s taking over. It has that strong and intense essence of that movement and captures what Jimmy and Edgar do best. The songs and arrangements are spectacular.”

    Men largely dominate the música Mexicana scene. Though there have been patronas in the past, like the late Selena Quintanilla and Jenni Rivera, young women are still trying to break through in this latest movement. Thalia uses her platform to highlight those women in the genre, like Estilo Sin Limite’s Dania Valenzuela and Ángela Aguilar, the daughter of música Mexicana icon Pepe Aguilar. Thalia and Valenzuela tell their exes to get lost in the kiss-off corrido “Choro,” and Aguilar later joins her for the tequila-kissed love song “Troca.”

    “I love to be able to bring girl power to música Mexicana,” she says. “It’s beautiful to plant this seed and open that door so that more women can exist in this genre.”

    Música Mexicana also has a history of excluding the LGBTQ+ community, who make up a large part of Thalia’s fan base. When I tell her that queer fans are ready to put on their cowboy boots and sombreros to enjoy this album, she says with a laugh, “I love that!” She adds, “The message in my music has always been about love. It’s about unity. That’s what I’ve always wanted to share. It’s a celebration of life. If I can unite hearts through my music, that is the most beautiful gift to me as a singer and artist.”

    Thalia has continued to thrive over the years, thanks to her willingness to embrace different genres. She blended reggaeton and pop in the global hits “No Me Acuerdo” with Natti Natasha and “Desde Esa Noche” featuring Maluma, both of which have over a billion views on YouTube. She also looks to the past for inspiration, such as with her last album, “Thalia’s Mixtape,” where she revisited rock en español with the legends of that era. Now Thalia is adding corridos and sierreño to her música Mexicana palette.

    A surprise that all Thalia fans will love on “A Mucha Honra” is her new version of “Amor a la Mexicana.” She rerecorded the 1997 hit with a fiery corrido arrangement. Like throughout most of the album, Thalia digs deep to show off a more husky and soulful side to her voice. Nearly 30 years later, she still knows how to fiercely serve up love — Mexican style.

    “What more I could do to round out this full-circle moment was sing a song that’s a part of my stamp on music,” she says. “It’s what I’ve always been singing for — Mexico. It’s logical. When I finished recording that new version, I said, ‘Wow! That’s really me now.’”

    Lucas Villa is a Mexican American music journalist who covers pop and Latin music. Over 11 years, he has interviewed pop queens and Latin music superstars for places like PS, Allure, Elle, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV News, Paper, W Magazine, Vibe, and LGBTQ Nation.

    Lucas Villa

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  • Selena Quintanilla Deserves to Be Celebrated This Year — Not Exploited

    Selena Quintanilla Deserves to Be Celebrated This Year — Not Exploited

    Fifty-three years ago today, the world was blessed with the birth of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who became an eternal icon in Latin pop culture and music. Selena blazed a trail for the música Mexicana explosion that we’re seeing today and the Latina pop stars who have followed in her footsteps. Her impact is often minimized in comparison to the circumstances of her tragic death. However, her music — and how she bridged the gap between her Mexican and American identities — continue to resonate with new generations of Latine fans.

    Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, and grew up in Corpus Christi, TX. She was an Aries, a sign often described as “passionate, brave, and headstrong.” Indeed of conforming with the música Mexicana artists of the time, she paved the way for herself by proudly embracing her Chicana identity. With influences like Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Jody Watley, and Gloria Estefan, Selena pushed Tejano music forward and made the genre fresh and palatable for listeners beyond Texas. Into the late eighties, the singer became the top Tejano artist in a genre that men previously dominated. At the Tejano Music Awards, she won best female vocalist and female entertainer of the year for 12 years straight.

    After conquering Texas, Selena was ready to take on the world, and she signed with the label Latin EMI in 1989. From there, she released the most iconic albums of her career, including 1990’s “Ven Conmigo,” 1992’s “Entre a Mi Mundo,” and 1993’s “Selena Live!,” which earned her a Grammy award at the 1994 ceremony. She also became the female Tejano artist to win in the Best Mexican/American Album category.

    That year, she released the last album of her lifetime, “Amor Prohibido.” The LP yielded four No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. Soon after, she made history as the first Tejano artist to reach the summit of Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

    On March 31, 1995, while Selena was preparing her first English-language album, she was tragically murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, a close friend of Selena’s who ran her fan club. Since then, Selena’s family, including her father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, have kept her memory alive through several posthumous projects. In July 1995, the album “Dreaming of You” was released, which included her English classics like the beautiful title track and the haunting “I Could Fall in Love With You.” After her death, Selena continued to make history with the first Latin album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1997, her family authorized the “Selena” biopic, which featured Jennifer Lopez in the star-making role. Through the endearing movie, the world fell in love with Selena and saw how she was just like any other Mexican American trying to find her place between worlds. It’s a story that still resonates with Latine folks in the US today.

    It’s important to note that Selena’s music and image belong to her family, and they have a right to celebrate her legacy as they please. In the following years, Selena’s family hosted memorial concerts like Selena ¡Vive! in 2005 and Fiesta de la Flor in Corpus Christi, where her fans could unite in her honor. There was the Mirador de la Flor monument of Selena in Corpus Christi and a Netflix series later followed. There were also brand deals that Selena’s fan base loved. In 2016, MAC worked closely on a Selena makeup line with her sister, Suzette Quintanilla. Due to a high demand for cosmetics, MAC released a second capsule collection in 2020.

    While these are great ways to give back to the fans who are keeping her memory alive, Selena’s family has also been criticized for cash-grab moments that fans perceived as disrespectful to Selena. For example, in 2022, the family released the remix album “Moonchild Mixes,” in which Selena’s voice as a child was manipulated through studio technology to sound older. Amidst the discussions of the ethics of creating a project in her name in that way, the L.A. Times’ Fidel Martinez called it a “Selena robot album.”

    Thanks to the barriers Selena broke down for Latinas, Mexican Americans, and Mexican culture, her fan base has continued to grow exponentially nearly 30 years after her death. As a Mexican American myself, I’ve also found solace in her music as a gay man. Her songs like “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido,” which detail forbidden romances, have become anthems for the LGBTQ+ community. While promoting “Moonchild Mixes,” I interviewed Abraham and Suzette Quintanilla. As much as it was an honor for me to talk with the family of an icon who has meant so much to me, I was a little disappointed when they appeared to brush off my question about Selena’s connection to her queer fans by changing the subject about how she connected with “everyone.” With Selena’s music being performed by drag queens and recently on “Drag Race México,” her family could try to understand better everyone who makes up her fan base now.

    It’s not only Selena’s family that has been called out for exploitative projects. Back in February, Oxygen released the most disrespectful docuseries since Selena’s death, “Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.” The series is about Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who managed Selena’s fan club and who murdered the singer. The show, which was not authorized by Selena’s family, attempted to excuse the actions of Saldívar, and it was shameful because this woman would now be eligible to apply for parole next year.

    The media needs to move on from Selena’s death, which also keeps the name of her murderer relevant. Thanks to the barriers she broke down for Latinas, Mexican Americans, and Mexican culture, her fan base has continued to grow exponentially nearly 30 years after her death. As a Mexican American myself, I’ve also found solace in her music as a gay man. Her songs like “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido,” which detail forbidden romances, have become anthems for the LGBTQ+ community. Selena’s music has become a staple for Latine drag queens to perform. It made me so happy last year to see “Como La Flor” performed on the first season of “Drag Race México,” which was like a collision of my Latine, Mexican, and queer identities. Like how she lived during her lifetime, Selena showed me to embrace everything that makes up who I am.

    To truly celebrate Selena, it’s time to focus on her life and legacy. Karol G recently sported a Selena shirt in the video for her Tejano-inspired song “Mi Ex Tenía Razón.” Shakira later paid tribute to Selena by emulating her iconic washing machine spins in “(Entre Paréntesis)” with Texas-based band Grupo Frontera.

    For Selena’s birthday this year, let’s create parties in her honor and play her music out loud. Selena’s impact will never wilt, thanks to the fans who continue to find joy and inspiration from her story.

    Lucas Villa

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  • Prince Royce Talks Life After Divorce and How It Inspired His New Album, “Llamada Perdida”

    Prince Royce Talks Life After Divorce and How It Inspired His New Album, “Llamada Perdida”

    “I get way more scared and embarrassed having to talk about my personal life in interviews than saying it in a song,” Prince Royce admits during an interview in Los Angeles for his new album, “Llamada Perdida,” which dropped Friday. With a decade-plus career that has generally been free of controversy, the Dominican American bachata artist and pop star is wearing his heart on his sleeve in his first LP since a very public divorce. Prince Royce says he has found healing through music while re-prioritizing himself and pushing the bachata genre to new places.

    “Right now, I feel like I’m in a good place,” he tells POPSUGAR. “Everybody has problems. It’s just how you deal with them, and I think it’s all part of growth. That’s how I took in this experience in my personal life that happened in the last two years.”

    Royce is referring to his split with ex-wife and Mexican Lebanese actress Emeraude Toubia. After their fairy-tale-like wedding in 2018, the two announced their divorce in 2022 after 12 years together. For Prince Royce, it was the first time that a difficult moment in his private life had gone very public.

    “Some of these things in my personal life had been going on for a while. You’re kind of battling this thing in private until it actually explodes to the people.”

    “A lot of people thought when they saw it on Instagram, that’s when it actually happened,” he recalls. “Some of these things in my personal life had been going on for a while. You’re kind of battling this thing in private until it actually explodes to the people. Fans want to know what happened, and what if I don’t want the fans to know? I tried to stay away from social media for some time.”

    Prince Royce’s vast catalog of hits includes love songs alongside bachata tracks about heartbreak. There’s classics like 2014’s “El Amor Que Perdimos,” and “Culpa al Corazón,” which was released a few years later. He admits that while he didn’t experience any breakups while writing those songs, they struck a different chord when he revisited them after his divorce.

    “I started listening to songs of the past, and I started to believe I was living what I wrote,” he says. “I was living my past songs in the present. It was actually mad weird and scary. I cried to one of my old songs, and I felt like I was vibing with a Prince Royce that saw Prince Royce’s future.”

    Prince Royce’s divorce, compounded with the COVID-19 pandemic, left him with a lot to reflect on. He temporarily stepped away from the spotlight and surrounded himself with loved ones. During his brief hiatus from music, the bachatero reevaluated how he wanted to move on with his life and his career.

    “I started listening to these podcasts about manifestation,” he says. “When problems come, I just try to be positive. I’m genuinely trying to be a better person, make better decisions, and take care of my health. I want to try to put out the best music that I can do. I want to feel good about it. I want to do new things.”

    For Prince Royce, creating “Llamada Perdida” was a cathartic experience. On the 23-track LP, there are several bachata songs about heartbreak: he sings about suffering from heartache in “Sufro” and later wanting to numb the pain with morphine in the R&B-infused “Morfina,” featuring Paloma Mami. But he maintains that “not every song has to be real.”

    “Some songs are fictional. Some songs are just inspired by [something]. Some songs are not 100 percent. I like to hide myself behind the artistry of what if it is or what if it isn’t,” he explains.

    Throughout his career, Prince Royce has proudly represented bachata music from the Dominican Republic. While recording the album, he rediscovered his joy for making music and innovating the age-old genre in his own way. One of the most poignant collaborations is “Boogie Chata,” featuring A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. The song seamlessly blends bachata with elements of hip-hop.

    “[A Boogie Wit da Hoodie] is such a talented dude,” Prince Royce says. “He’s from the Bronx. I wanted to do something that was like Bronx representation. That’s another one of my favorites. It was a great fusion. We did it just kind of doing our thing and having fun.”

    Prince Royce also taps into the música Mexicana explosion with the song “Cosas de la Peda.” Rising Mexican singer Gabito Ballesteros is featured in the heartbreaking song, which is a freshly unique mix of bachata with corridos tumbados. In the music video, Prince Royce also embraces a Mexican vaquero style as he sings with Ballesteros in a cantina.

    “I did ‘Incondicional’ that had mariachi, and I recorded before with [Mexican singers] Roberto Tapia and Gerardo Ortiz,” he says. “I wanted to push the envelope even more and have a bachata song with a deeper regional Mexican influence. I got to do that on this album. I just felt more free. I wanted to represent bachata and where I’m from with this type of album and still give a little bit of everything.”

    Prince Royce was also excited to explore more Dominican genres — like dembow in “Le Doy 20 Mil” and merengue típico in the fiery “Frío en el Infierno.” One of the songs that mean the most to him is the empowering “La Vida Te Hace Fuerte,” where he sings about the hard knocks of life making him stronger.

    “We all go through very difficult things in our lives very differently,” he says. “We all go through problems, but how do we solve them together? This is an album about overcoming obstacles. I want to just be here, do my thing, do things that make me happy, and try to keep touching people’s hearts.”

    Lucas Villa

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  • Shakira Is Single-Handedly the Latin Artist of the Year

    Shakira Is Single-Handedly the Latin Artist of the Year

    Colombian singer Shakira is often referred to as the Queen of Latin Music. She’s credited as the pioneer who extended the global reach of Latin music singers. Since her breakup with ex Gerald Piqué in June 2022, Shakira has become an ever-stronger artist, releasing several hits, including “Monotonía” and her history-making diss track “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” Shakira has also received a number of accolades and is nominated for several Latin Grammy Awards this year.

    There’s no denying that 2023 became the year of Shakira. Through this collection of stories, we are honoring Shakira’s current success, where she started, and the impact she continues to have on the Latine community.

    Shakira has become unshakable. More than 30 years into her music career, the Colombian pop icon remains on top of the world. Though she has gone through some challenging moments in her life, including a very public breakup with ex Gerard Piqué, Shakira has channeled those difficulties into her biggest hits yet.

    “Women no longer cry, women get paid,” she sings in Spanish in “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” With seven nominations at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards, including a historic three nods in the song of the year category, the queen of Latin music isn’t letting her crown slip.

    “Her success in the past year is a testament to her longevity, her continued evolution as an artist, and the unwavering dedication from her fans,” Jesús Triviño Alarcón, Tidal’s senior director of industry relations and global Latin, tells POPSUGAR.

    Shakira’s impact on the globalization of Latin music is indelible. She conquered Latin America with her rockera album “Pies Descalzos” in 1995 and proved her talent wasn’t limited to one genre with 1998’s “Dónde Están los Ladrones?” Shakira then crossed over in 2001 with her first English-language album, “Laundry Service.” Instead of relying solely on English to make her mark, she brought over her newfound global audience to appreciate her music and artistry in Spanish with 2005’s “Fijación Oral, Vol. 1.”

    Fellow Colombian Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer of Latin-Español, has documented Shakira’s successes since the beginning, including in her 2021 book “Decoding ‘Despacito’: An Oral History of Latin Music.”

    “I think her big successes reflect what Shakira can do when she is thoroughly focused on her music and her projects,” Cobo says. “It’s a state of mind she had not been in for a decade, and her success is a reflection of what can happen when she is 100 percent committed to the music.”

    Despite being on a roll, including co-headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020 with Jennifer Lopez, Shakira admitted to Cobo at Billboard Latin Music Week last month that her career experienced a bit of a lull while she lived in Barcelona. She relocated there in 2013 with Piqué to raise their sons, Milan and Sasha. Shakira still landed massive hits during that time, including “Can’t Remember to Forget You” with Rihanna and “Chantaje” with Maluma. But she revealed that she felt “alone” and “unmotivated” during that period.

    “She says she had other priorities, her partner and her children, and she was living in Barcelona, which is not a music hub,” Cobo says. “It was difficult for her to leave her children and take on the demanding task of being a music star.”

    In April 2022, Shakira seemingly hinted to something going awry in her relationship with Piqué in the breakup song “Te Felicito,” which put her back on the top of the charts. Sadly, that June, allegations of infidelity in the song appeared to be true when Shakira and Piqué announced their separation. She used her music as a point of processing and healing from the heartbreak in the vulnerable bachata ballad “Monotonía” with Ozuna. The emotional track rocketed to No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

    2023 proved to be the year of the Shakira renaissance when she decided to pull no punches in her follow-up singles. In January, she teamed up with Argentine producer Bizarrap for the kiss-off anthem “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” Shakira lyrically ripped her ex to shreds and also appeared to call out Clara Chia Marti, the woman Piqué allegedly cheated on her with. Thanks to following the advice of her son Milan to record with Bizarrap, Shakira pushed her sound to new places and hit No. 9 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.

    “Shakira has been surprisingly candid in her approach to her music at this time,” Cobo explains. “Many artists speak in metaphors; she’s been very direct in her messaging. What’s interesting is that these very personal situations have resonated with so many people.”

    While closing out this epic saga of songs, Shakira shared the spotlight with another Latina, Colombian superstar Karol G. The two women teamed up for the knockout collaboration “TQG,” in which they sing about how life was much better without their exes around (Piqué in Shakira’s case, and Anuel AA in Karol G’s case). Shakira notched a second top 10 hit on the Hot 100 chart this year with Karol G when the song peaked at No. 7. Their combined star power also complemented a historic moment in Karol G’s career. In March, she became the first woman to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an all-Spanish album when “Mañana Será Bonito” reached the summit.

    “Even when [Shakira] recorded her parts, I was always on set because I didn’t want to miss any moment . . . I remembered her entire career . . . And I thought, ‘She’s a legend, and she’s here with me,’” Karol G told POPSUGAR in February of working with Shakira. Shakira, who has won multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy awards, might add more to her collection. Ahead of the Latin Grammys on Nov. 16, she has made history as the first artist to have three songs nominated for the same song of the year award.

    She is up for “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” “TQG,” and “Acróstico,” which features her sons singing with her. Having relocated to Miami with them, Shakira is continuing to crank out the hits, including the corrido “El Jefe” with Mexican-American group Fuerza Regida and the sultry “Copa Vacía” with Colombian heartthrob Manuel Turizo.

    “I’m very excited about her upcoming album,” Cobo says. “It will be a huge release, and I think it may also top the Billboard 200. I’m also thrilled at the fact that she’s recorded all in Spanish in the past year. That is a huge boost for Latin music.”

    Lucas Villa

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