Giant Shakira statue unveiled in her hometown of Barranquilla

nme.com:

Shakira has been unveiled in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia.The statue is 6.5 metres tall (21.3ft) and features the singer swivelling her hips in the dance move which featured heavily in the video for her popular hit ‘Hips Don’t Lie’.A plaque at the foot of the statue praises her for having “hips that do not lie, a unique talent, a voice that moves masses”.

It also references her charity work through a foundation she created called “Pies descalzos”, Spanish for “bare feet”, which promotes early childhood development.It was unveiled on Tuesday (December 26) at an event which was attended by Shakira’s parents, William Mebarak and Nidia Ripoll, as well as by the mayor of Barranquilla.Shakira then shared a photo of her parents next to the statue to her social media and mentioned (as translated by Instagram) that her mother got to see it on her birthday.A post shared by Shakira (@shakira)Shakira was also crowned the year’s most searched musician according to Google’s 2023 Year In Search.

The Colombian singer released her collaboration with producer Bizarrap in January; ‘BZRP Music Sessions #53’ went viral, inspired by her troubled relationship with ex-partner Gerard Piqué.Last month, the artist settled her long-running dispute with the Spanish authorities after two allegations of tax evasion.

She was alleged to have avoided paying taxes over a number of years by using an offshore company based in a tax haven.The charges of tax fraud were first issued back in July 2021, when Barcelona prosecutors claimed Shakira should have been paying taxes as she was living in Spain for a substantial period between 2012 and 2014.