Shakira's legacy was immortalized with a 21-foot-tall statue in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia.
The memorial, unveiled Tuesday, shows the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner in one of her famous belly dancing outfits, with her hips swaying to the right and her arms gracefully raised toward the sky. The 46-year-old's pose is reminiscent of the iconic music video for her 2006 hit “Hips Don't Lie,” which starred Wyclef Jean.
Shakira and her family celebrated the milestone and posed for photos with the bronze statue, which the singer shared on her Instagram.
“It gives me joy to share this with my parents, especially my mother on her birthday,” the singer shared.
The statue “shows millions of girls that they can achieve their dreams and that each of them can achieve what they want,” Mayor Jaime Pumarejo Heins said during the unveiling ceremony, according to Portal.
A plaque beneath the statue states that on February 2, 1977, the city of Barranquilla and the world witnessed the birth of a heart that composes, hips that do not lie, a voice that moves masses, and a pair of bare feet that walk You for the benefit of children and humanity.”
“This is too much for my little heart,” Shakira wrote of the dedication in her Instagram caption.
Shakira's statue stands on a recently constructed promenade along the Magdalena River, which runs on the edge of her hometown. The bronze giant is not the first Shakira statue in the Caribbean city. In 2006, Barranquilla unveiled a Shakira memorial depicting the pop star in her early days, playing acoustic guitar and wearing jeans and boots. This statue stands near the entrance of the local football stadium.
In a post on XShakira thanked sculptor Yino Marquez and his students at the Barranquilla Public Art Academy for the latest statue, which she called a testament to the “tremendous talent” of Barranquilla's citizens.
A decade after “Hips Don't Lie” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Shakira recalled how a track that “almost wasn't released” became her biggest hit.
“Hips Don't Lie” “had sounds that were not only interesting and fresh to the pop scene, but also ones that I really wanted to experiment with and share, such as cumbia and typical Colombian folkloric percussion and instrumentation,” said Shakira Billboard in 2016. “They were also deeply personal, right down to the reference to my hometown of Barranquilla.”
The song's success was “an acknowledgment that I didn't have to sacrifice anything that makes me special to connect with a global audience,” she added.
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More: Shakira takes the VMA stage after 17 years to perform an electrifying medley of hits and receives the Vanguard Award
In November, the pop star struck a last-minute deal to avoid the risk of jail time in her tax fraud trial in Barcelona. She had maintained her innocence in the case for almost five years.
Under the deal, Shakira was to receive a suspended sentence of three years and a fine of 7 million euros ($7.6 million). Prosecutors said in July that they would seek a prison sentence of eight years and two months and a fine of 24 million euros ($26 million) for the singer.
“I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter in the best interests of my children, who do not want their mother to sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,” Shakira said in a statement. “I need to overcome the stress and emotional strain of the last few years and focus on the things I love, my children and all the opportunities that exist in my career.”
Shakira's tax fraud case: The Spanish public prosecutor's office had requested an eight-year prison sentence
Contributor: Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press