It was neither your fault nor mine / the monotony was to blame / I never said anything but it hurt me / I knew this would happen, translates the opening lines of Shakira’s new single “Monotonía.”
Videos by American Songwriter
The international pop star released the Bachata track and accompanying music video, both featuring Puerto Rican artist Ozuna, on Wednesday (Oct. 19). Shakira co-directed the video alongside Jaume de la Iguana. It depicts a downtrodden Shakira aimlessly walking the aisles of a grocery store when she encounters her ex. She tearfully confronts the man when he blows her heart out of her chest.
With the bloody organ in hand and a giant hole in her chest where it used to belong, she runs out of the store. Racing through the streets, the singer searches for someone to take her heart from her for safe keeping. Emotional and heartbreaking, but an honest and real look at a love lost, “Monotonía” comes after quite a momentous year for the “Hips Don’t Lie” artist.
Last month, Shakira opened up about her “darkest hour.” In an ELLE cover story, she detailed her split from longtime partner, soccer star Gerard Piqué, the custody status of their two sons, her troubles with the Spanish government over claims of tax evasion, and how music has helped her through it all. “I’ve remained quiet and just tried to process it all,” she explained of everything that has happened. “It’s hard to talk about it, especially because I’m still going through it.”
Shakira is preparing to drop her first album in five years. She told the magazine, “I have a full album’s worth of music that I’m so excited about … I’m really, really thrilled about not only the body of work that I have right now to share with the people who are waiting for it but also how gratifying the whole process has been for me. How therapeutic as well.”
The first preview of her new music came with the April release of “Te Felicito.” Maybe we’ll see even more of the raw, unfiltered superstar that captivates in the music video, below.
