Shakira‘s first album in seven years, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, arrived last week, and the artist celebrated her comeback with a massive surprise concert in Times Square.
The “pop up” show, which was broadcast live on YouTube, was announced on her social media just hours before she was set to perform at 7:15 p.m. E.T. According to the star on her official account, 40,000 people flocked to Times Square in New York City.
A giant digital billboard displayed a clock counting down the time, and after the crowd counted to zero, Shakira took to the TSX stage from atop a towering pedestal. The singer, appearing in a black shirt and pants adorned with silver embellishments, opened with her iconic Number One hit, “Hips Don’t Lie.”
“Hola New York! Wow, this is amazing, absolutely insane. Incredible to be here,” she beamed after, addressing the crowd in both English and Spanish. “It’s so awesome to see you again. Thank you so much for all the love that you’ve been giving me this week during the release of my new album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, and thank you, thank you, thank you for showing up.”
She then dived into her 30-minute set, flocked with backup dancers as she performed tracks from her new album including lead single “Te Felicito,” “Punteria,” and “Cómo Dónde y Cuándo.” As the sea of people sang along, Shakira closed the show with her hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” a collab track with Bizarrap that sees the singer reflecting on her ex, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué.
The surprise show took place a day after Shakira stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, during which she outlined the ways the end of their marriage gave her the freedom to explore more fulfilling avenues.
“I didn’t have time because of the husband factor,” Shakira said when discussing her creative endeavors. “Now I’m husbandless. Yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I’m free. Now I can actually work.”
“For too long we’ve been sent to cry with script in our hands and without an end just because we’re women,” she continued. “We have to conceal our pain in front of our kids, in front of society. We have to heal in a certain way.” Shakira shares two children, ages 11 and 9, with Piqué.
In a review of Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, Rolling Stone wrote: “Shakira finally gets to turn the page on these tempestuous past two years, and reintroduce herself — not as Shakira the soccer mom, nor Shakira the heartbroken — but Shakira fucking Mebarak, international pop icon and undefeated champ.”
