Shakira has become an international sensation with the announcement of her new single, “Don’t Wait Up,” which will be released on July 16. Earlier this week, the Colombian singer teased an impending release by updating her social media platforms with multi-hued pink branding and providing a secret pre-save link. She verified the news with a teaser video depicting a furious text chat on Tuesday afternoon.
“Where are you?” that’s how the smartphone exchange begins. “Won’t you put down your phone?” Shakira, aka Shak, replies. It’s clear that the everlasting hitmaker wants to blow off some steam by throwing her own party. “Don’t be afraid if it gets late… I need to do something for myself,” she writes. Her final word? “Don’t wait up.” Short glimpses of the song can be heard in the teaser video, which is likely to be the Latin icon’s first English-language single since 2016’s “Try Anything.”
The announcement was not entirely unexpected. Since early 2020, when she promised fans that she was working on new music while in quarantine, she has been working on new songs. After fans trended #ShakiraReleaseNewMusic, the 44-year-old quipped on Instagram, “I’ve seen your tweets bosses!” “I’m on it!” exclaims the narrator. Shakira has maintained a strong profile despite the passage of four years after the Grammy-winning “El Dorado” was released.
Shakira launched “Shakira In Concert: El Dorado World Tour” in 2019, a documentary film that chronicled her career-threatening vocal chord injury and successful recovery. That video also shed attention on the superstar’s philanthropic efforts in impoverished countries. She increased her efforts in 2020, encouraging international leaders to give resources and vaccinations to people in most need.
Then there are the bangers. Last year, Shakira also found time to record a few stand-alone collaborations, including the Anuel AA-assisted “Me Gusta” and “Girl Like Me” with the Black Eyed Peas. In Europe, the latter was a huge success. “Don’t Wait Up” is rumored to be the lead single from Shakira’s upcoming 12th studio album, which has yet to be named.
On Tuesday (July 13), Shak posted a 30-second video of what may be the name and lyrics of her upcoming song.
Shakira has updated her social media logos to an orange and purple gradient picture, as well as a pre-save link for fans to have first dibs on her new song.
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