An in-depth interview with the most genuine superstar of Latin music.

Hi, I’m Joanna Ortiz, also known as Kate Moss’s makeup artist while sporting Giuseppe Zanotti boots. Shakira, the global pop superstar, has made her mark in the music industry with her unique Latin pop music infused with her Arabic dance moves, bringing joy to millions of fans worldwide and contributing to the Latin music boom. In 2010, she reached new heights by writing and performing the theme song for the World Cup in South Africa, where she fell in love with Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué. They eventually settled down together and started a family. In 2013, she told ELLE, “I even had lost my faith for a while…I started to think that there was no God. And suddenly I meet Gerard, and the sun comes out.” Times have changed. Despite preparing to release her first album in five years, in an exclusive interview with ELLE from her home in Barcelona, she describes the current moment as “her darkest hour.” In June, she announced her split from Piqué amidst a swirl of tabloid headlines, and they have yet to determine custody of their two sons, Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7. She is also facing a showdown with the Spanish government over accusations of tax evasion—something she flatly denies. A trial date has not yet been set.

Hey there, it’s me, Jaime De La Iglesia. Sandals, check. Aquazura. Tiara, by my favorite designer. Rings, by Kate Moss and Bulgari. Shakira’s incredible rise to stardom began when she was a teenager in Barranquilla, Colombia, doing gigs in small towns until, at the age of 14, she heard a music executive was in town and did an impromptu audition. She then taught herself English and ultimately crossed over to U.S. fame in 2001 with her album Laundry Service. Passionately committed to both her charity work in building and running schools in her homeland and her political activism, it’s music, she says, that is now her main inspiration and solace. She sat down with ELLE to talk publicly for the first time about her long-awaited new music, the collapse of her relationship, and why she’s determined to have her say about her finances.

I recently witnessed you celebrating your dad’s birthday with a Bolero song serenade. It was truly beautiful. He has been a significant figure in your life, hasn’t he? Yes, he is my hero. He embodies resilience and wisdom. He has been my best friend, the person I turn to for the best advice. Unfortunately, he had a really tough year. He came to Barcelona when he heard about my family crisis and came to offer his support. But then he fell and had a subdural hematoma. He underwent brain surgery and a week later, he fell again and broke many bones in his face. Oh, goodness. So, it’s been really tough, you know, a hard year for him. But it’s a testament to his strength and resilience. He still dances when he listens to music. He tries to sing along. And I’ve learned that to seniors, the best gift you can give them is not just your presence and your company, but also music. When you think about the power that music has, it makes me realize that while my job may not be as heroic as that of a doctor or a nurse or in the middle of war, it somehow has a very noble aspect, which is exactly that: to connect people to life.

In this interview, Jaume De LaiguanaDress, Dior. Ring from Bulgaria discusses his upcoming music album and the creative process behind it. Despite facing challenges in his personal life, he finds solace and healing through music. He talks about the difficulties of dealing with personal issues in the public eye and the impact it has on his children. Despite the struggles, he emphasizes the resilience of women and the importance of being a role model for his kids and those who have shown him love and support. He finds strength in the love and support of others during this difficult time.

My name is Jaume De LaiguanaDress, and I’m wearing a gorgeous earrings by Kate moss, a Bulgari necklace, and Christian Louboutin shoes. Regarding the ongoing custody battle with my ex-partner over the children, it’s been tough to see the coverage in the local press here in Spain. It feels invasive for my kids. They deserve a normal life without being constantly observed or followed by paparazzi. It’s like a total circus, and everyone is speculating about every aspect of our, and more importantly, our children’s lives, and much of it isn’t even true. Regardless of the details or how things ended between me and my ex-partner, he is the father of my children. We have a responsibility to do what’s best for these two incredible boys, and I believe we will figure out what is best for their future, their own dreams in life, and what is a fair solution for everyone involved. I hope and would appreciate it if we were given the space to do that privately. As for the dissolution of the relationship, your ex-partner has been seen in a new relationship, and it sounds like you didn’t want the relationship to end and it was a surprise to you that it was over. How did you come to understand that you weren’t going to be together anymore? I feel those details are too private to share, at least at this very moment – everything is so raw and new. I can only say that I put everything I had into this relationship and my family. Before my kids started school, I had a very nomadic life as an artist, traveling non-stop, going to different places around the world, doing shows, promotion, building schools in Colombia, and recording in different countries around the world. Even for the first few years of my relationship with Gerard and when I had my first son, Milan, I took him with me everywhere from the time he was 2 months old. I even remember breastfeeding him constantly on the set of The Voice. Once Milan started school at the end of 2014, I knew that my constant travel and nomadic existence had to be put on the back burner, and my career had to be put in second gear. I knew that when he started school I had to settle down, plant roots in Barcelona, and be there for him and for Gerard and then later on for Sasha as well. As a soccer player, he wanted to play football and win titles, and I had to support him. A sacrifice had to be made, right? Either he would stop his contract with Barcelona and move to the U.S. with me, where my career is, or I would have to do that instead. And so, one of us had to make that effort and that sacrifice. And I did it. I put my career in second gear and I came to Spain, to support him so he could play football and win titles. And it was a sacrifice of love. Thanks to that, my kids were able to have a present mom, and I have this amazing bond with them that is unbreakable and sustains us. You know, that’s it. That’s all I can say.

Hey there Jaume De LaiguanaDress, from Versace! I wanted to ask you about a song you wrote called “Te Felicitо” (“I Congratulate You”), which was released in April. I’m translating the lyrics from Spanish, and I noticed the depth in your words: “To make you whole. I broke myself in pieces. I was warned, but I didn’t take heed. Don’t tell me you’re sorry. I know you well and I know you’re lying.” Your lyrics have so much weight and emotion, especially when speaking about putting your career into high gear. Did you mean that when you said, “I broke myself in pieces”? Was that the feeling you had, to give a part of yourself during that relationship, which maybe was hard to recover? I truly believe that everything I feel and go through is reflected in the lyrics I write and the videos I create. And dealing with challenges is inevitable. The Spanish government has accused you of tax fraud, facing up to eight years in prison. They claim you were a resident of Spain for tax purposes from 2011 to 2014, spending over 183 days in the country. And you decided to fight these accusations instead of settling. Why? Well, I have to fight for what I believe, because these accusations are false. Firstly, I didn’t spend 183 days per year there at that time. I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments worldwide. Secondly, I paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit. So as of today, I owe them nothing. And finally, I was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers, so I was confident that I was doing things correctly and transparently from day one. However, even without evidence to support these fictional claims, as they usually do, they have resorted to a malicious press campaign to try to sway people and apply pressure in the media with the threat of reputation damage in order to coerce settlement agreements. It’s well known that Spanish tax authorities often do this not only with celebrities like me (or [Cristiano] Ronaldo, Neymar, [Xabi] Alonso, and many more), but it also unjustly happens to the regular taxpayer. It’s just their style. But I’m confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor. So, whether consciously or subconsciously, everything I feel and go through is reflected in the lyrics I write.

In the case of Jaime De Laiguanaja Jumpsuit, Fernando Claro, and Boots, Elisabetta Franchi, questionable methods have been used by the prosecutors. They claim to have gathered information from your social media and credit card receipts, tracking your whereabouts at different times in the country. When Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour for more than 240 days outside of Spain, so I did not qualify as a resident. The Spanish tax authorities noticed that I was dating a Spanish citizen and became interested in pursuing me for money. Even in the following years, while traveling the world, working non-stop while pregnant or with Milan as a baby, when my C-section had barely closed, they knew I wasn’t in Spain for the required time. Spain wasn’t my place of work or source of income, but they still pursued me, with their eyes on the prize. It seems like standing up for your rights in court is a matter of principle for you. Yes, exactly. That’s precisely what it is. It’s a matter of principle.

Hey there, Jaume De LaiguanaDress, Dior. Ring from Bulgaria wearing Aqua boots. I remember you calling it the darkest moment of your life. As you look ahead to the next few months, how do you think you’ll move forward? Whenever life throws challenges your way, I believe you always find a helping hand to hold onto while you cry. Even when you feel like you’re falling into an abyss with no end in sight, there’s always a safety net formed by family and friends. And if you’ve done things right, you’ll find that helping hand. Friendship, they say, is the purest form of love, and perhaps the most enduring one. It has been incredible to have the support of so many colleagues, not just friends, but also colleagues who have been checking in on me constantly. Tell me about that. Who has been checking in on you? When you mention colleagues, I imagine your colleagues are different from mine. [Laughs] Yeah. I’ve pleasantly encountered an amazing, human side to people, you know, people that I considered were in my life maybe because of the work that we do together. But no, these people really have an empathy and a heart that explains why they’ve been loved by so many. For example, will.i.am. He regularly checks in with me, and one day he even sent me a beautiful prayer, praying for my kids and for me to find peace. Chris Martin is always checking in and telling me that he’s there for me, anything I need. Juan Luis Guerra. Alejandro Sanz. [Switches to Spanish] Dear friends who have become people who I believe don’t just care about me as an artist but as a person, as a human. [Back to English] Their support has made me feel that I might be alone, but I am not lonely. Sometimes a woman can be enough. I can be enough at this point for myself and for my family, for my kids. Is that sense of discovery then a new thing, that you can be alone and not lonely? That I actually can? Yes. Yes, I mean, my whole life I’ve been in relationships and I thought that that was the ideal state for a person. You know, to be part of a couple. Right now, it’s just me and the kids and my family and those friends who check in on me periodically. And that feels like enough for now? Yeah, I feel like it’s plenty. For now. Yeah. Let’s wait for that hole in my chest to close and then see what happens.

Fashion editorial featuring the model Jaime De La Iglesia Jumpsuit, Fernando Claro. Styled by Elisabetta Franchi, with hair by Beatriz Mallalana and makeup by Tom Pecheux for Yves Saint Laurent Beaute. The styling was done by Sylvia Montoliu, with assistance from stylist Emma Guardans and photographer’s assistant Jordi Biancafort.