I dimension her up: vast, almond-shaped eyes, lined with smoky kohl, fearlessly unblinking; plush lips impeccably traced in a wealthy darkish brown and completed off with a shiny nude middle; pores and skin clean however not solely devoid of strains. A cropped bustier reveals toned biceps and tight triceps, low-slung cargo pants hold off these well-known hips. Mayyyyybe 5’4” in platform sneakers. “Tiny however mighty,” I whisper to myself. Her eyes develop wider. Oh shit, can she hear me? I seize my bag and stand by for the supervisor’s beckoning.

The three-time Grammy winner will let you know that look isn’t her superpower—“I didn’t assume magnificence was my forte,” she says. “I assumed it was only one thing more that I might exploit” —but there’s no denying that hips, nicely, they don’t lie. (And neither do her hair, face, and varied different physique elements.) However right here’s the factor in regards to the smash hit of the early aughts (“Hips Don’t Lie,” after all) that has garnered over a billion views and launched 1,000,000 memes: Shakira didn’t solely deliver her well-known curves to the get together—she additionally wrote the lyrics, composed the music, choreographed the dance, and coproduced the video.

The artist acknowledged early on that whereas magnificence might assist get her out of Colombia to share her concepts with the world, Botticelli curls and stomach dancing alone weren’t going to make her one of many best-selling music artists of all time or the primary singer to carry out at three of the largest sporting occasions on the earth (Tremendous Bowl, FIFA World Cup, NBA All-Star Recreation). As we speak, over 30 years since she signed with Sony, Shakira, now 47, remains to be a viral sensation—and nonetheless revealing new superpowers.

Talking of which, a superhero can be proper at residence cruising in her set of wheels. Anyplace else, a Lamborghini Urus, this wildly unique SUV, can be a spectacle, however in Miami, the place I am a soccer mother, the Urus is a automobile I see at many sporting occasions. This one is tricked out in neon purple. (I might later be taught that the solely nondescript grey minivan trailing is definitely the automobile she makes use of to shuttle her youngsters—Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9—to observe.) Shakira isn’t your typical Miami soccer mother, certain, however she’s not your typical something.

Seven years for the reason that launch of her final album, El Dorado, Shakira is again with Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Ladies No Longer Cry), 16 tracks (a number of ballads, some rock, all dance flooring bangers) with a easy but formidable mission: “I need this music to construct bridges, to empower folks, to assist ladies uncover their very own strengths.” Because the title suggests, the challenge comes after a interval of private ache. “I used to be within the mud,” she says, referring to her very public and messy breakup with Piqué, “I needed to reconstruct myself, to reunite all of the items that had fallen aside.”

“Making this music has proven me that my ache could be remodeled into creativity.” (She is crying diamonds on the duvet.) “The songs are filled with anecdotes and a few very intense feelings I’ve skilled in these two years. However creating this album has been a change during which I’ve been reborn as a lady. I’ve rebuilt myself within the methods I consider are acceptable. Nobody tells me tips on how to cry or when to cry, nobody tells me tips on how to elevate my kids, nobody tells me how I develop into a greater model of myself. I resolve that.”