Shakira opened up about the challenges she faced in creating her new album during an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The 47-year-old Colombian singer revealed that her ex-boyfriend Gerard Piqué was a significant factor that delayed the album’s release, attributing the difficulty in putting together a body of work to her marriage.

“I was putting out songs here and there, but it was really hard for me to put together a body of work,” Shakira explained to Jimmy Fallon. “It was the husband. Now I’m husband-less. Yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I’m free. Now I can actually work.”

Shakira also touched on broader themes of empowerment and resilience for women. She expressed her belief that women should not be dictated to on how to heal from pain or difficult experiences.

“For too long, we have been sent to cry with a script in our hands and without an end just because we are women,” Shakira emphasized. “We have to conceal our pain in front of our kids, in front of society. We have to heal in a certain way. And I don’t think anyone is supposed to tell us how to heal. No one is supposed to tell a She-wolf how to lick her wounds.”

She described the emotional journey that inspired her new album, noting that she was dealing with raw feelings and using music as a way to heal and rebuild herself.

“I was raw. I was dealing with a lot of stuff,” Shakira said. “I felt at times with a knife between my teeth. I was picking up the pieces of myself from the floor. I was trying to rebuild myself. Music was the glue.”

Shakira explained that her creative process involved transforming pain, anger, and frustration into creativity and resilience, likening it to the metaphor of transforming precious stones.

Regarding her future plans, Shakira expressed her desire to go on tour and hinted at an upcoming event in New York, encouraging fans to follow her on social media for updates.

During the show, Shakira also performed one of her new songs dressed in white, showcasing her trademark dance moves that famously “don’t lie,” as Jimmy Fallon humorously referenced with a polygraph gag.