Shakira sent temperatures soaring in already-balmy Miami on Wednesday when she made an appearance at the Faena Forum for Billboard’s Latin Music Week.
The 46-year-old Colombian songstress was on hand for a conversation about her whirlwind career, her songwriting inspirations and her move to the US from Barcelona, Spain.
The hitmaker — whose rumored love interest Jimmy Butler recently shot down suggestions that they were dating — looked years younger than her true age thanks to her flawless skin and a steamy black leather mini dress that she sported on her way to the on-stage chat.
Shakira (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) put on a busty display in her plunging dress, which featured skinny spaghetti straps.
The lustrous look included a thick belt around her midriff to emphasize her hourglass figure.
Sweltering: Shakira sent temperatures soaring in already-balmy Miami on Wednesday when she made an appearance at the Faena Forum for Billboard’s Latin Music Week
The skirt had a thick pleated skirt that made it resemble a romper, and the singer–songwriter showed off a hint of her thighs below it.
Shakira didn’t seem too concerned about wearing an outfit that wasn’t particularly breathable, based on her ear-to-ear grin.
The 5ft2in beauty elevated her height a bit with her tall black leather boots, which featured platform soles and tall heels.
She styled her long hair with a middle part and wore her caramel-colored locks down in voluminous waves cascading down her shoulders while framing her impeccably made-up face.
She accessorized with a set of chunky brown Versace sunglasses and a striking black leather handbag decorated with large silver ovals.
She added some more sparkle to the edgy ensemble with a striking silver and gold chain around her throat.
Shakira looked like a queen arriving at the Faena Forum, where she was surrounded by security and employees.
As she strutted into the building, she stopped to chat with a little girl who was excited to see her.
Update: The 46-year-old Colombian songstress was on hand for a conversation about her whirlwind career, her songwriting inspirations and her move to the US from Barcelona, Spain
Back in black: The hitmaker looked years younger than her true age thanks to her flawless skin and a steamy black leather mini dress that she sported on her way to the on-stage chat
Fit figure: Shakira put on a busty display in her plunging dress. The lustrous look included a thick belt around her midriff to emphasize her hourglass figure
Curves ahead! The lustrous look included a thick belt around her midriff to emphasize her hourglass figure
Standing tall: The 5ft2in beauty elevated her height a bit with her tall black leather boots, which featured platform soles and tall heels
Gorgeous: She styled her long hair with a middle part and wore her caramel-colored locks down in voluminous waves cascading down her shoulders while framing her impeccably made-up face
Sweet: Shakira looked like a queen arriving at the Faena Forum, where she was surrounded by security and employees. As she strutted into the building, she stopped to chat with a little girl who was excited to see her
Inside the event, Shakira spoke about her long carer and her inspirations.
She joked that her creative juices were flowing at the moment, though at other times she had to be ‘dragged’ into the studio to record new music.
‘I’m very inspired, I’m in the mood,’ she said, according to Billboard. ‘There have been times when they have to take me with a crane to the studio, they have to drag me.
‘Sometimes you fight with your work, everyone does. But now I’m in a honeymoon phase with making music and with my career. I’m in love with what I do,’ she gushed.
She went on to describe writing new songs as being ‘therapeutic,’ and she thanked her legions of fans for ’embracing’ and ‘comforting’ her through her various struggles.
Shakira also admitted that her young sons Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven — both of whom she shares with her former partner Gerard Piqué — had turned her on to new musical collaborators despite being so young.
She also dished about her move from Barcelona to Miami following her difficult split from Piqué. The songstress also faces two separate Spanish trials for tax evasion, which may have also motivated her move out of the country.
She said she felt that living in Barcelona was like ‘practically being alone,’ as the city has no ‘active music industry.’ She added that whenever she had ideas for new music, she had to put them on hold until her producer was already in Europe and ‘felt like coming to Barcelona.’
Motivation: Inside the event, Shakira spoke about her long carer and her inspirations. She joked that her creative juices were flowing at the moment, though at other times she had to be ‘dragged’ into the studio to record new music
Change of location: She also dished about her move from Barcelona to Miami after splitting from Gerard Piqué. She faces two separate Spanish trials for tax evasion, which may have also motivated her move
Away from the action: She complained that Barcelona had no major music industry, and she had to wait until her producer was traveling through there if she wanted to record something
Stage time: Once inside the event venue, she took the stage
Wow! She oozed sex appeal as she walked across the stage in her sky-high black vinyl boots
Having a ball! Shakira let out a laugh as she held a Q&A
The arrangement meant that some of her ideas fizzled out before they could be developed in the studio.
‘I think that’s why I was also unmotivated,’ she added. ‘Now being here, close to so many colleagues, producers, musicians and friends, is a great motivation.’
She also mused that singing in her native Spanish had become ‘the coolest thing,’ compared to her early American breakthroughs, when she was required to sing in English to attract new audiences.
‘Age doesn’t matter, the genre doesn’t matter, the condition doesn’t matter, the language doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘What matters is that if an artist connects with their audience, through music.’
