Eli DhiansanAt 40, Shakira makes motherhood look and sound so sexy
Shakira could not ask for more: a doting dad to her two sons, and a singing career that’s always on a pedestal. Her newest album El Dorado is a treasure trove of her personal experiences and abundant graces she works hard for. A work in progress since motherhood took over the Colombian singer/songwriter/producer/dancer’s life, the eleventh album sounds like the soundtrack reflective of a new chapter in her life as an empowered woman and a vibrato of her heart’s deepest feelings. Make no mistake, Shakira still has the groovy moves and suave voice and listening to her new album brings me back to my childhood days when I was smitten by her belly-dancing moves and poetic, lyrical, and eclectic approach to her musical progression, and OMG I still do fangirl about the whole thing!
I have to admit that writing this piece from a fan’s point of view proved to be difficult. I don’t want to disappoint like-minded fans. Listening to the album makes me feel that Shakira outgrew her pop-rock style towards a tamed and mellow tune. And I love her still the same. Just listen to El Dorado and be the judge of Shakira’s lyrical prowess.
I really admire Shakira because there’s no artist quite like her that you can fully describe in a word except for eclectic. She has always been proud of her Colombian roots and even looks back to her Arabic (from her father) and Spanish-Italian (from her mother) influences. Her fondness to exhibit her cultural references makes her Latin pop model goddess-like artist a beautiful gift to the world, though her critics continuously hurled her of trying to “Americanize” her image and sound. Shakira will always be Shakira, and there’s no one quite her who could “dance like this.”
And sing and perform the songs “written by the hands of God” (or Goddess).
Without further ado, here’s how El Dorado album lives up to its name like a real lost-and-found gem.
Inspiration for El Dorado
1. Love of her life, Gerard Pique.
The two met during 2010 FIFA World Cup. Gerard Pique is a Spanish footballer who plays as a centre-back and Shakira was performing for the worldwide sporting event with her single, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” in which Pique appeared in the music video of the same title. The couple share the same birthday, only that Shakira is 10 years his senior. Shakira dedicated “Me Enamore” (I Fell in Love) in which she detailed how she allowed herself to fall for the football player.
“I thought: This is still a boy
But what are you doing?
—
I saw it by myself and I threw myself
I fell in love
I’m in love
—
With you I would have ten children
Let’s start with two children
I only tell you
In case you want to practice”
Another song, Coconut Tree, is about their initial stages of relationship and how she would like to leave behind the world with only Gerard by her side. The song also describes the fun the two had during their romantic and blissful escape to their own world.
“We took off our gloves and danced like if we got mad
Took a dip in the ocean
To wash away all the sand
I’m not alone
Not anymore this time
I found my love
Under a coconut tree
Where we created a universe
Hiding from all of that
Where nothing mattered but you and me
—
Under the stars
Floating above the sea
And we were lost like
We always dreamt to be”
