How much of a sensation is Shakira? She’s such a big star that even Mother She Wolf managed to convince me to tune into “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” a show I haven’t bothered watching since its host playfully tousled Donald Trump’s hair in 2016.
The Latin pop sensation from Colombia made a special guest appearance on the late-night show on Monday to promote her new album “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” her first release in seven years. Shakira not only performed her latest hit “Punteria,” but also participated in the show’s opening skit and sat down for a chat with Fallon where she threw some shade at her ex, former soccer star Gerard Piqué. Her presence on the show was a major event, celebrating her return to the music scene with a bang. This iconic artist has once again delivered a masterpiece with her latest album, which has already achieved seven-time platinum status since its release last Friday according to the RIAA.
The album release and comeback of Shakira couldn’t have been timed better. Since her pop-reggaetón hit “El Dorado” in 2017, Latin American music has reached new heights of commercial success in the United States. According to former De Los culture columnist Suzy Exposito’s insightful review in Rolling Stone, new artists from both Latin America and the U.S. have stepped up to continue pushing Latin music into the American mainstream during Shakira’s absence. The days when Latin music was considered niche are long gone. Superstars like Karol G and Bad Bunny are selling out arenas and ruling the charts, while rising talents like Bizarrap and Peso Pluma are landing spots at major U.S. festivals such as Coachella. Latin music’s influence is so widespread that it’s even crossing over into other genres. Recently, Carin León made history by debuting at the Grand Ole Opry, a renowned country music venue in Nashville.
As per a Luminate Data report, Latin music had been streamed an impressive 57.9 billion times in the U.S. in the first 34 weeks of 2023, marking a substantial increase of over 22% compared to the previous year. This diverse genre, encompassing reggaetón and musica Mexicana, has now secured the 5th position in terms of streams in the U.S., closely following country music. This achievement did not occur in isolation. Gustavo Menéndez, the president of Warner Chappell Music’s U.S. Latin and Latin America division, attributed this success to longstanding societal factors. “It’s a result of population trends. The growing awareness and connection to their cultural roots by first and second-generation U.S. Latinos are propelling this upward trajectory,” he explained.
Since the start of the 2000s, marked by Shakira’s “Laundry Service” album, the U.S. Latinx community has been recognized for its youthful presence. In 2021, the median age was 29.5, making Latinxs the youngest racial or ethnic group in the nation. For U.S.-born Latinxs, the median age drops even lower to 21. Menéndez pointed out that Latin music is here to stay, as it has evolved into a powerful movement. Thanks to changing demographics, Latin artists can now attract huge audiences without needing to crossover to mainstream music. This new generation of artists is proud of their cultural heritage and is blending it with other music genres to create something fresh. Menéndez shared that at Warner Chappell, they have been sending Mexican regional artists to songwriting camps in Nashville, where they have been warmly welcomed by local artists.
This is the landscape that Shakira is returning to with her latest album, “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.” It marks the triumphant comeback of a legendary icon and serves as a celebration of the significant advancements Latin music has made in recent decades. The album features collaborations with Karol G, Cardi B, Rauw Alejandro, Bizarrap, Grupo Frontera, and Fuerza Regida, allowing each artist to showcase their talent. However, there is no doubt that Shakira, known as la loba, remains the leader of this pack.
