Shakira Opens Up About Being a Single Mother, Break-Up From Gerard Pique & Whether She'll Find Love Again

On the process of creating her new album and her deep connection and relationship with her fans…

“I felt that my experiences were reflected in these songs, but a lot of [my fan’s] experiences and a lot of women out there who were going through similar situations as mine were also reflected on these songs. So there was a constant echo, a constant communication. It wasn’t a monologue. And I feel that that made this process very emotional and very visceral and not intellectual at all…I feel that the fans have really demonstrated, their loyalty and by demonstrating their loyalty and their love I felt so backed up. And so I feel that I owe them big time. And so I’m working my ass off because I want to make sure that I give back to them at least a quarter of what they’ve given to me. They are the best fans in the freaking world.”

On making the most out of life’s complex situations…

“I try to make the most out of those, traumatic experiences, and in a way sublimate, you know, a lot of desires and elaborate my own frustrations, my anger, my feelings of dissolution and, transform them into something productive, into creativity, into resilience and strength. I heal through this music, and I’m still healing. It’s a process, but music has definitely played a very therapeutic role. I say that when I write music, it’s like going to the therapist, only cheaper. And it does help you exercise a lot of intense emotions and feelings that otherwise would just fossilize.”

On the most valuable lesson she’s learned…

“It’s better to trust than never to trust. It’s better to trust and see, and find yourself betrayed than never to trust. Because, I try to teach my kids, there’s a lot more good people in the world and it is worth it. It’s worth it to love. Love is the most amazing experience a human can live. And no one should take away that opinion you know, from you. I think that there’s so much good in people, there’s so much, uh, and it doesn’t matter the the shitty experiences you go through in life, you have, there’s just there’s always a lot more to look forward.”