Shakira has defended her latest song after it was branded a “diss track” targeting her ex Gerard Piqué and his girlfriend.
The 45-year-old singer said the “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol 53” track was for “women who rise up against those who make us feel insignificant”.
She said on Instagram about the song, which has reached the top of Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart: “I never thought what for me was a catharsis and a release would go straight to number one in the world.
“I want to embrace the millions of women who rise up against those who make us feel insignificant.
“Women who defend what they feel and think and raise their hand when they don’t agree – they are my inspiration.”
Some social media users accused Shakira of “misogyny” by releasing a song that appeared to target her ex, while her supporters said she was turning her “bad experiences” into artistic material, like many singers before her.
Shakira was earlier reported to have put a life-size witch doll on the balcony of her Spanish home which is said to overlook her former mother-in-law’s home.
Montserrat Bernabeu was said by Spanish newspaper Marca to have noticed the creepy mannequin on the terrace of Shakira’s house in Barcelona.
And according to Spanish show “Más Vale Tarde”, Montserrat reportedly asked one of Shakira’s staff to turn the witch around so it would not face her home which is on the same street.
Spanish journalist Marc Leirado Millan said in a tweet hinting the feud had been going on for several weeks: “Weeks ago, I got some information that Piqué’s mother was worried about an alleged ritual that was done to her with a black witch.
“But I didn’t give it any more importance.”
Shakira and former footballer Gerard, 35, ended their relationship in May after 11 years, and the singer has been reportedly planning a move to Miami with their two children, Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7.
Her new song, which has so far only been released in Spanish, has been interpreted as a “diss” and “revenge” track aimed at her ex, who is now with his 23-year-old girlfriend Clara Chia, with whom he was rumoured to be cheating before his break-up from Shakira – as she sings lines including:
“I’m worth two 22’s. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo. You traded a Rolex for a Casio.”
She also appears to have a dig at Gerard’s intellect by singing: “A lot of gyms. But work your brain a little bit too”.
And in another section she sings the lines: “You left me the mother-in-law as a neighbour. With the press at my door and a debt with the taxman.”
Shakira said last year she felt “violated” by the Spanish tax authorities accusing her of a £12 million fraud.
The singer and her legal team hit out in statements ahead of a trial still to go ahead, that could see her sentenced to eight years in jail if found guilty.
She said: “It is unacceptable that in its accusation the tax authorities are not respecting the legal certainty that must be guaranteed to any taxpayer, not my fundamental rights.
“As well as that, they are trying to damage a reputation earned with the work of many years … in my case they have violated my right to privacy and the presumption of innocence, basic rights of any citizen.”
Shakira is accused of pretending to live abroad and using an offshore corporate accounts structure to avoid meeting tax obligations from 2012 to 2014 and is facing trail over six different charges.
In December, she and Gerard agreed their child custody arrangement in court.
The former couple signed the deal in Barcelona after a 12-hour meeting with lawyers, entering and exiting the court separately while flagged by their legal teams.
They said in a joint statement after the agreement was formalised that their children were their main priority: “Our sole objective is to provide them with the utmost security and protection, and we trust that their privacy will be respected.
“We appreciate the interest shown and hope that the children can continue with their lives with the necessary privacy in a safe and calm environment.”
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