Shakira comes to The Voice in March.
Wow! For the first time ever, something I’ve written for Al Día has been printed in English! Which is great, as I think it might appeal to all Shakira fans, whether they speak Spanish or not! Check out my latest column!
EXCERPT:
I love Shakira. Especially her Spanish-language music. I was thrilled when I heard that she, along with Usher, would be joining The Voice as a judge (http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/09/17/the-voice-usher-shakira/) this year! I’ve loved her since Dónde están los ladrones? I was just starting college when I bought that album, and I was amazed by her lyrics as well as by the fact that a Colombian rock star existed, which I’d never thought to expect. I’ll admit it, growing up Nuyorican I was surprisingly sheltered when it came to Spanish-language culture. I watched novelas, Sabado Gigante, and Cristina with my mom. I knew of Olga Tanon, and Selena, and Thalia…but that was about it. I figured all of Latino culture could be neatly divided into Salsa, Merengue, Mariachi, and Son. And sometimes there was crossover pop music. Sometimes.
And then there was Shakira, who was not only a Latina Alanis Morrisette (I was really into Alanis in high school and college, so this was a good thing), but one-upped her and everyone else I was listening to with her poetic, substantive lyrics. She was not only a rock star, she was smart and had something to say. She was beautiful, but you always felt that she would beat the crap out of you rather than allow you to underestimate her as just another hot, female musician. I loved her, because she is intelligent and singular and brave; because she seemed to want to challenge expectations.
I was listening to the radio the other day (yes, the actual radio. My iPod has that function and I use it. For my feelings about radio, click here) and Shakira’s “Rabiosa” came on. As I listened, it occurred to me that Shakira’s been man-crazy lately. After all, she’s rabiosa. Sometimes men make her Loca with desire. Her Hips Don’t Lie and do all her talking for her, and when it’s really bad, she turns into a Loba.
I don’t know how I feel about all this.
To read the full article, or to comment on the post, CLICK HERE!
good article! i hope it generates some thoughtful discussion.
Thank you! I hope so, too. It’s such a complicated thing, both from a feminist and a cultural perspective. Ugh. Being a brown woman is hard.