“I know how to be sexy, believe me.�
Sweater, Tse; jeans, J Brand; earrings, Jennifer Fisher; heels, Christian Louboutin. Go to glamour.com/ magazine for more shopping information. Fashion editor: Anne Christensen
Shakira,
Shakira! She’s a mother, a mogul, and full of shockingly good career advice. With hit songs in more than 55 countries— and a seat next to Adam Levine on The Voice—what’s left for Shakira to do? Jason Sheeler finds out. photographs by Nicolas Moore
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“Success happened little by little. It took me a long time to get here.�
Top, Tees by Tina. Go to glamour.com/ magazine for more shopping information.
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alking into Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Los Angeles, I can spot Shakira just by her mane of hair. Today those lush and much-attended-to curls aren’t spilling over the back of a red and hydraulically lifted chair on an NBC soundstage. But her seat is a throne all the same: ornate wood, gold leather, and perched in the restaurant’s window, overlooking the city she calls home while filming The Voice. She is undoubtedly music royalty. The 37-year-old Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll has sold more than 50 million albums all over the world and racked up a combined 10 Latin and American Grammys. (“Hips Don’t Lie,” by the way, is worldwide the biggest-selling single of the twenty-first century. True story.) Along the way Shakira has picked up a Spanish soccer star (boyfriend Gerard Piqué, father of her baby, Milan); a whole new fan base, thanks to her seat on the hugely successful singing competition show; and a cause: providing education to children living in poverty through her Fundación Pies Descalzos/ The Barefoot Foundation. “I’m a perennial student myself,” she says modestly. And hey—lest you be wary of celebrities with charities, Shakira’s doing a lot more than just writing a check (although she did write a $10 million one to start a fund for educational centers throughout Latin America). Ask Bono: “When she gets going on the subject of child poverty,” U2’s philanthropic front man has said, “she can be pretty scary.” But on this afternoon Shakira’s not baring any fangs. In fact, when I sit down and make a joke about hoping her chair would spin around, she ups the game. She pulls her chair closer to mine. Welcome to Team Shakira. GLAMOUR: First off, congrats. Because at your shoot a colleague of mine elected you “the most real famous person” they’d ever met. SHAKIRA: That’s probably the best compliment I’ve ever received. GLAMOUR: I can’t even find much crazy talk about you online either. However—Twitter is burning down right now with talk of you and Rihanna working on a duet. SHAKIRA: Those rumors are true! We’ve been keeping it undercover, but we just shot the video. I never thought we could come together—with me on The Voice; taking care of my baby, Milan; and Rihanna touring. But working with her was utopia. She’s the sexiest woman on the planet. And at the end of the day, we’re both just basically Caribbean girls. The chemistry was so good and so real. She taught me dance moves. She was a sweet teacher. GLAMOUR: OK, straight men’s heads everywhere just exploded. But let’s talk about The Voice. You seem to relish mentoring the contestants. When you were approached initially, did you have any reservations about doing a reality show? SHAKIRA: I definitely did. I was thinking, I can’t go to L.A. and spend months there. I have a man and a baby; I need to be on top of my personal life. GLAMOUR: Had you been watching the show before you joined? SHAKIRA: No. But when I watched it, I saw that it’s not the kind of show that makes good ratings by creating a circus and destroying people’s self-esteem, you know? The criticism we give to our artists is very constructive. I really like to teach. GLAMOUR: If you were just starting out, would you go on it? SHAKIRA: Absolutely! I went through that contest thing early in my career in Colombia. GLAMOUR: You have to wonder which one of the guys would turn his chair around for you. SHAKIRA: Probably Adam. But when I started, Adam was like, “Oh, poor thing. Let’s help her. Poor little Colombian girl, she can
“ I feel like I’m not on earth just to shake it and shake it endlessly, you know?” barely speak English.” And then two hours into the first show, my claws came out. GLAMOUR: Atta girl. SHAKIRA: And he was like, “What the eff?! I thought you were so fragile.” Dealing with boys at work and being the only girl can be challenging. I have my insecurities, but I’ve learned I have to be a good sport. I have to be able to take certain jokes and not take them personally. There are jokes made almost every second of the day. I had to develop a tough hide. You know, the music industry is dominated by guys. I work with men 98 percent of the time— producers, arrangers, musicians, engineers. GLAMOUR: OK, you have to tell us Shakira’s Working-With-Men Strategy. SHAKIRA: Most of all, it’s about having a sense of humor. Be a little self-deprecating when it’s needed. Oh, and it certainly helps to understand their weaknesses. That’s a good tool! GLAMOUR: Well played. I hear you and Miranda Lambert [cojudge Blake Shelton’s wife] are friends. SHAKIRA: I love Miranda. I love the truthfulness of her songs. My lyrics are usually very revealing. Everything we put on paper reveals some subconscious purpose, you know. GLAMOUR: Like your lyric: “Lucky that my breasts are small and humble so you don’t confuse them with mountains”? SHAKIRA: [Laughs.] That’s gonna haunt me for the rest of my life! Thank God I haven’t had silicone yet! GLAMOUR: Sorry. Anyway, back to Miranda. SHAKIRA: She’s an adviser on my team this season—and not Blake’s! [Laughs.] She’s the real deal. I’ve met a lot of sketchy people in this industry who have lost contact with reality. Sudden fame can be quite overwhelming. GLAMOUR: Have you had moments when being “Shakira” has been too much? SHAKIRA: Success happened little by little for me. I tasted the flavor of fame in small doses: I started at 10 years old when I won a music contest; I was performing at birthday parties, company meetings. I met with a record executive when I was 13 and sang “Material Girl” to a cassette-tape boom box. I’ve shaken hands at every radio station, from Honduras to Ryan Seacrest’s. One day [I realized I was famous] enough. But here’s the thing: I’m still hungry. But I’m not hungry for fame—just the need to prove to myself that I can still do this. GLAMOUR: I want to ask you, I was listening to that Calle 13 song you guest on, “Gordita.” The guys rap in Spanish that they miss you plumper and with black hair. SHAKIRA: Sometimes I do too. But I can’t complain—I’ve had a lot of fun being blond! GLAMOUR: Have you gotten any grief from Latin fans about your blond hair or being too thin or just altogether too Hollywood? SHAKIRA: At the beginning. But my man, Gerard, prefers meat over bone. He doesn’t like too skinny. [Laughs.] That takes pressure off. I already have a lot to worry Continued on next page
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2. Find a hot soccer star. (Gerard Piqué has said, “Milan could not have a better mom.”)
How to Become a World-Dominating Bombshell (in 5 Easy Steps) 3.
3. Find your mission in life: “Education allows you to capitalize on your own unique potential,” Shakira says of her foundation’s work. 4. Work some seriously good hair (postgame with baby Milan in Barcelona).
5. Mentor the next big things graciously on The Voice. (Sexiest working mom on TV, BTW.)
about. This month I’m not exercising because I have an album to finish and I have a baby. And I like these pastries in front of me. GLAMOUR: Do you feel any pressure to fit into that voluptuous, sexy Latina mold? SHAKIRA: No. The only pressure I feel is to be able to maintain what I’ve achieved. I don’t want to stop being successful. Does that sound blunt? GLAMOUR: No—that’s refreshing. By the way, what do you think of Kate McKinnon’s impression of you on Saturday Night Live? It’s kind of a Sofia Vergara–on–Modern Family impression. SHAKIRA: So I talk like that—so what? You know, Sofia and I used to live near each other back home, in Barranquilla. Like, a few blocks away. When we get together our accents really come out. GLAMOUR: That’s another skit waiting to happen. SHAKIRA: You wouldn’t understand a word! [Laughs.] I’ve known her since she was blond. She dyed her hair dark to make it in America. They needed the Latina profile. But I’m like, “Come on, Sofia, go blond again!” She looked like Brigitte Bardot. GLAMOUR: You’ve said you grew up seeing a lot of injustice. Did that plant the seed for your education charity? SHAKIRA: Absolutely. Being raised in a developing country opened my eyes to so much I cannot tolerate. In Colombia, education is sometimes considered a luxury, not a human right. And it’s not a priority in the agendas of many leaders. I feel a real sense of duty to use the voice and the platform I’ve been afforded by my fame to speak out for those whose voices don’t get a chance to be heard. [The Barefoot Foundation] provides education to vulnerable kids who live in extreme poverty. We’ve built six schools in Colombia and do work in South Africa and Haiti. We teach 5,000 students. GLAMOUR: What about your childhood inspired this work? SHAKIRA: When I was young, my dad lost everything. And a lot of people turned their backs on him. We lost it all overnight: our cars, our furniture. I remember that moment vividly. [Tearing up.] But I also remember what I had. Because my mom and dad explained to me at that moment what my priorities were. GLAMOUR: What did they tell you? SHAKIRA: They showed me children who didn’t have a place to live or a school. I had no furniture, but I had an education. And I knew I had to achieve my dreams. Because I had to vindicate my family and vindicate their economic position as well. But I never forgot those kids. Because I knew they weren’t ever going to have much. I had what was essential: opportunity. And I was going to succeed. GLAMOUR: I just saw fire in your eyes. SHAKIRA: Yeah. I don’t want to turn this conversation into an existentialist one, but it’s true that at some point we all ask ourselves, “Why are we here?” I feel like I’m not on earth just to shake it and shake it endlessly, you know? GLAMOUR: You’ve definitely done that. SHAKIRA: Quite a few times. Believe me, I know how to be sexy. But there’s got to be something more. GLAMOUR: When did you realize this? A lot of people want to find purpose but say they don’t know where to look. SHAKIRA: You have to keep your eyes open. A few years ago, after a 10-year relationship, I was stuck. I was stagnant. My life wasn’t in sync with my wishes. It took me a bit to realize I was just in the wrong place. GLAMOUR: Is this when you met Gerard? SHAKIRA: I have to say: The sun came out. I began to understand what I wanted. It was a turning point. I was at a crossroad, everything seemed complicated, and it was like God was playing a bad joke. But he wasn’t. I opened my eyes. n
Shakira, Pregnant: Marbella Photo/Rex Features via AP Images. OnStage: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/Corbis. In Colombia: STR/ AFP/Getty Images. With Son: KEYPIXX/WENN.com. On The Voice: Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
1. Rule the airwaves with contagiously danceable songs (see: “Hips Don’t Lie”), and perform in gold lamé at the Grammys.
“I’m not hungry for fame—just the need to prove to myself that I can still do this.” Top, skirt, Roland Mouret; earrings, Jennifer Fisher; sandals, Jimmy Choo. Go to glamour.com/magazine for more shopping information. Hair: Kim Kimble; makeup: Christian McCulloch; manicure: Nettie Davis; production: Peter McClafferty/ petermcclafferty.com.
“My man, Gerard, prefers meat over bone. He doesn’t like too skinny. That takes some pressure off.” 145