Shakira has said goodbye to Gerard Piqué, her ex-partner, and dedicated her latest song to her children Milan and Sasha – aged 10 and 8. Acrostic expresses her love as a mother with phrases whose initials form their names. “MYou taught me that love isn’t cheating and that it doesn’t end when it’s real // YoI tried not to see myself cry, not to see my fragility // LThings are not as we dream // TO Sometimes we run but we don’t get there // NO.Never doubt I’ll be here,” she sings as her eldest son’s name pops up. The video is animated, unlike the last ones. A mother bird protects her pink chicks in the nest and teaches them to fly. Love and resilience are the focus.
The song makes clear how instrumental Milan and Sasha were in moving forward and collects various lessons for them. For example, Sasha’s part relates to the need to know how to forgive and best face the obstacles that life throws at you. “SHe only broke one plate, not all the dishes // TOLearning to forgive is wise, only love comes from these lips // SWhen things get damaged they are not thrown away but repaired, problems are addressed and addressed // HOh to laugh at life / TO Even if the wounds hurt, the heart must be healed.”
The anticipation for Acrostic began on Wednesday evening. A post on Instagram announced the release of the theme, along with an illustration of two chicks and their mother. The followers had no doubt that it was a song for the children. “I don’t know why I feel like crying,” said one user. “This screams Milan and Sasha,” said another.
After publication, a flood of comments quickly erupted. “The love Shakira has for her children transcends the screen… How much teaching is in a single song,” said one YouTube user. Another, meanwhile, pointed to the feeling of experiencing the singer’s breakup process as if it were his own: “I feel too much empathy.” The song moved both mothers and those without children. “It is really words and desires that a mother wants to convey to her children”; “I don’t have any kids but boy does it transfer the lyrics,” responded other followers.
The artist released this song after moving to Miami (USA) with Milan and Sasha last April. The three lived for almost a decade in Barcelona, the city where Piqué played, as the artist’s aim was to put her family first. However, after the media break with the former soccer player and a subsequent agreement, the woman from Barranquilla wanted to start her life again. “I settled in Barcelona to give my children stability, the same one we are now looking for in another corner of the world, next to family, friends and the sea,” she said in April, when she left the Catalan capital said goodbye
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Shakira’s children have suffered particularly from the media coverage of their parents’ split. “They have endured a very difficult year, suffering an incessant siege and relentless pursuit by the paparazzi and various media outlets in Barcelona,” the singer said in a statement. Shakira urged journalists to respect her children’s privacy in the new phase they are beginning: “I ask that you do not follow them to the exit or entrance of the school, wait for them at the door of our house or them to follow them to their extracurricular activities, as happens every day in Barcelona, for photographs or better reviews.”
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After breaking up with Piqué, the singer-songwriter admitted in an interview with Elle Spain magazine that writing music is her therapy to channel her emotions. It was like “going to a psychiatrist,” like using “a throwaway table.” This was reflected last year in four other songs in which he refers to his ex-partner: “I congratulate you”, “Monotonía”, “Session 53” and “TQG”. They were all absolute hits and gradually told of his journey to ending his story with piqué. On each of these subjects, in contrast to the intimacy of acrostic, he collaborated with various Latin American artists. Shakira’s voice blended with the music of Puerto Ricans Rauw Alejandro and Ozuna, Argentinian producer Bizarrap and Colombian Karol G.
“I congratulate you” was the one that fueled speculation in April 2022 about the end of the relationship with Piqué – which became concrete through a brief statement in June. The monotony hinted at the couple’s crisis: “It wasn’t your fault or mine, it was the monotony’s fault.” In January, however, the tone was raised in the tiradera he created with bizarre rap. “So much so that you claim to be a champion and when I needed you, you gave your worst version”; “They left my mother-in-law as a neighbor with the press in front of the door and the national debt”; “I was too big for you and that’s why you’re dating someone like you.” Within 24 hours, Session 53 broke the YouTube view record for a Latin song.
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