Shakira says she is “proud” to be from Latin America after ex Gerard Piqué appeared to take aim at the singer and her fans in a recent interview.
As the Colombian singer prepares to leave Spain with her and Piqué’s two children, the former professional footballer talked about the mental health toll of receiving negative comments online following his split from Shakira in a recent podcast appearance.
Piqué used Shakira’s Latin American fans as an example of just some of the hate he receives on social media.
“My ex-partner is Latin American and you have no idea what I’ve received over social media from people that are fans of her,” he said during the conversation in Spanish, per ¡Hola! magazine. “I don’t know them, it’s people who I guess don’t have lives. Why should you care about them? Zero. You’ll never meet them in your life, they’re like robots.”
The 36-year-old Manchester United star instantly received backlash for his comments, especially from social media users who wondered: “What does her being Latin American have to do with anything????”
In response, Shakira took to Twitter on Sunday 2 April to share her support for her fans and her fellow Latin American community.
“Orgullosa de ser Latinoamericana,” she tweeted, which translated in English means: “Proud to be Latin American.”
Along with her tweet, the “Waka Waka” singer included 29 emojis representing the flag of Latin American countries.
Shakira’s subtle clap back at her ex-partner came just hours after announcing that she will be moving away from Barcelona, where she has spent the last nine years raising their two sons: Milan, 10, and Sasha, eight. It’s rumoured the singer will be moving to Miami, Florida, with her children, who will be starting school in their new hometown on 11 April.
In an Instagram post, Shakira reflected on her time living in Spain and shared she will be starting a “new chapter” to give her children “their happiness”.
“I settled in Barcelona to give my children stability, the same we are now looking for in another corner of the world next to family, friends and the sea,” she captioned the post, which featured a picture of the Barcelona cityscape. “Today, we start a new chapter in the pursuit of their happiness.”
“Thank you to everyone who surfed alongside my many waves there in Barcelona, the city where I learned that friendship is certainly longer than love,” she continued. “Thank you to everyone who has been there to cheer me up, dried my tears, inspired me and made me grow.”
She also thanked her fans in Barcelona, adding: “Thank you to my Spanish audience who have always wrapped me in their love and loyalty.”
“For you, just a see you later and, as my father said so many times, see you around the curves!” she concluded the post.
In June 2022, Shakira and Gerard Piqué announced they were separating after 11 years together.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” they said in a joint statement. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy.
Since then, Piqué has gone public with his romance with 23-year-old Clara Chia Marti on social media. In March, the footballer broke his silence about his ex and explained why he didn’t publicly address their breakup.
“Everyone has their responsibility to try to do what is best for their children,” he told Spanish newspaper El Pais on 19 March. “It is about protecting them. That is the job of all parents with children. That is what I am focused on and that is my job as a father.”
Meanwhile, Shakira has opened up about finding her strength and prioritising her children since the split.
“I have to be stronger than a lion,” the singer said during an interview with En Punto con Enrique Acevedo last month. “That strength, in order for it to be real and not a facade, it needs to be the result of a great pain – accepting that pain and tolerating the frustration because there are things in life that don’t turn out the way we want them to. I feel complete – because I feel like I can depend on myself and I have two kids who depend on me.”
