Shakira

Shakira’s long tax-fraud nightmare has ended with the government of Spain on the hook to refund nearly $70 million to the Colombian-born singer after prosecutors failed to prove she spent enough time in that country to owe it a chunk of her earnings.

Since 2018, the singer has been accused of defrauding the Spanish government in three cases, for the tax years 2011, 2012-2014 and 2018. Over the years, deals were offered, rejected and accepted; charges were dropped, other charges were filed; and an eight-year prison sentence was threatened.

Shakira maintained her innocence, saying in 2022 that “Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate,” referring to her relationship with Barcelona-born footballer Gerard Piqué, the father of their sons Milan and Sasha. Piqué and the singer, who met in 2010 when she did “Waka Waka,” the official song of that year’s FIFA World Cup, separated in 2022.

A representative for the singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, did not respond immediately to The Times’ request for comment on the court decision.

However, despite there being no fraud, Shakira told People on Monday in a statement that “for nearly a decade, I was treated as guilty. Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers.”

She added, “Today, that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling.”

Everything revolved around how many days Shakira spent in Spain in the years in question. With her legal residence in the Bahamas before she declared Spain her fiscal home in 2014, she had to spend more than half the year outside of her beau’s home country to avoid paying taxes there.

“They knew I wasn’t in Spain the required time, that Spain wasn’t my place of work or my source of income, but they still came after me, with their eyes on the prize,” Shakira told Elle in 2022, adding that she was confident that justice would prevail in her favor at trial. “I have enough proof.”

The amount the Spanish government owes her includes fines and interest in addition to the money she handed over, despite having no legal obligation to pay it.

In other Shakira news, she and Burna Boy just released the 2026 FIFA World Cup song, titled “Dai Dai.”

South Korean boy band BTS, U.S. pop culture icon Madonna and Latin music superstar Shakira will be performing at halftime during the World Cup final July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., FIFA announced Thursday morning.

The performance will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is looking to raise $100 million to assist children in accessing education and soccer.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram that the show “will be a truly special moment, bringing together music, football and a shared commitment to improving the lives of children around the world.”

The show is being curated by Coldplay leader Chris Martin and, if this event announcement video is to be believed, a bunch of Muppets.

“It’s a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are,” Martin explains to Elmo in the video.

The three acts will bring a variety of cultures, musical styles and generations of fans to the Super Bowl-style concert, which will be the first of its kind for a World Cup final.

Madonna headlined the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show in 2012, and Shakira teamed with Jennifer Lopez to co-headline the Super Bowl LIV halftime show in 2020. Also, Coldplay headlined the Super Bowl 50 halftime show in 2016.

No duration time has been announced for the World Cup show, although soccer halftimes are not supposed to last more than 15 minutes. Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LX in February lasted 13 minutes.

Among the three of them, Madonna, Shakira and BTS have compiled 20 No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, 10 Grammys and 37 MTV Video Music Awards. Shakira is scheduled to release “Dai Dai” with Nigerian singer Burna Boy as the official song of the 2026 World Cup this month.

May 5 (UPI) — Colombian singer Shakira drew an estimated 2 million people to a free concert on Copacabana beach, generating an estimated $160 million economic impact, according to data from the city government and municipal agencies.

The show, held Saturday in front of the Copacabana Palace hotel, was part of the third edition of the “Todo Mundo no Rio” program, an initiative led by the Rio city government to attract tourism and economic activity during May, traditionally a low season.

According to Riotur and the Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development, the event boosted sectors such as hospitality, food services, transportation and retail. The city deployed a comprehensive operation covering security, logistics and public services, with the Operations and Resilience Center running at full capacity.

The concert opened with a show of 1,500 drones — described as one of the largest displays of its kind at a music event — forming a she-wolf in the sky, a symbol associated with the artist. Minutes later, Shakira appeared on stage dressed in the colors of Brazil.

During the show, the artist spoke in Portuguese and recalled her early years in the country.

“Brazil, I love you. It is magical to see millions of souls together, ready to sing, feel and dance,” she told the crowd.

The performance included more than two hours of hits spanning different stages of her career, along with segments dedicated to women.

“Women don’t cry anymore. Alone we may be more vulnerable, but together we are invincible,” she said.

The show also featured appearances by well-known Brazilian artists, such as Anitta, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania and Ivete Sangalo.

The “Todo Mundo no Rio” program aims to position Rio as a global destination for large-scale events. It was launched in 2024 with Madonna, who drew 1.6 million people, and continued in 2025 with Lady Gaga, who attracted 2.5 million.

Copacabana has also hosted some of the largest concerts in the world. Rod Stewart drew 3.5 million people in 1994, The Rolling Stones, about 1.5 million in 2006, and Stevie Wonder, some 2 million in 2012.

According to official data released by Agencia Brasil, medical services handled about 400 cases during the event, with 64 transfers to hospitals due to general discomfort, minor injuries and alcohol consumption. Cleanup crews collected about 362 tons of waste, with nearly 2,000 workers deployed.

After her stop in Brazil, Shakira will head to the North American leg of her tour, with concerts in the United States between June and July. These include dates in Inglewood, Palm Desert and San Jose, Calif., Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Baltimore, Boston, Newark, N.J., and New York, before ending this leg in Atlantic City, N.J. on July 25.

SHAKIRA suffered major tech issues during her huge Copacabana Beach concert over the weekend.

The global superstar faced backlash as eagle-eyed viewers spotted the mishaps during the performance.

An estimated 2 million people attended the show in Rio De Janeiro, where the popstar delivered a nearly 30-song set that included guest appearances by Anitta, Maria Bethania, and Caetano Veloso.

Although she performed in style, the sound and visuals didn’t match up at times.

Clips from the gig quickly went viral on X, but while some viewers were left disappointed, others weren’t surprised, saying it’s common at large-scale shows.

Taking to X, one person said: “If ur gonna lip at least make it believable”.

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Another added: “This is genuinely a f******* mess”.

The Colombian singer’s performance follows similar shows by Lady Gaga last year and Madonna in 2024, which were also attended by huge crowds.

“I arrived here when I was 18 years old, dreaming about singing for you,” Shakira told the crowd. “And now look at this. Life is magical.”

She sang several fan favourites during her set, including Hips Don’t Lie, La Tortura, Waka Waka, Whenever Wherever, She Wolf and La Bicicleta.

The show also featured a massive drone show, which amazed the crowd.

Despite being a free concert, Shakira’s show was expected to generate an estimated $150 million in tourism revenue to the city, according to local government.

This isn’t the first mishap the pop star has had live on stage.

In February, Shakira suffered a nasty fall during a live stage performance, with the singer twisting her ankle in the middle of her concert.

She was performing in San Salvador when she left fans worried during a mid-song tumble.

Singing her hit song Si Te Vas during the night, Shakira was walking across the stage when her right ankle suddenly twisted.

She then completely toppled to her side, falling onto her elbow as she brought her microphone stand down with her.

During the moment, Shakira stopped singing as gasps could be heard amongst the audience.

But ever the professional, she quickly got herself back up and managed to continue the song – with the star’s band continuing as her guitarist cheered her on.

SHAKIRA has been slammed by fans for her ice cold reaction after one of her cameramen fell over in front of her during a live performance.

A video of the awkward moment is currently circulating on X, with the Colombian pop star, 49, seen stepping around the fallen production member on the ground.

In the clip, the cameraman is filming Shakira as she makes her way through a walkway between the crowd, but trips over equipment during the moment.

Shakira side steps around the cameraman, who is on the floor, to continue her journey to the stage and move on with her performance.

Sharing the clip to X, one user wrote: “The camera operator filming Shakira falls, and she doesn’t make the slightest attempt to help him.”

Another said: “Lack of empathy, period. Bet if it were her who trips, they’d pause the show for a few minutes, right? …

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“Anyway, it’s the world we live in today, nothing to be done.”

While some branded the move cold, others defended Shakira, noting that the show follows strict timings, and others were there to help him.

One fan said: “The show timings are timed, if she stopped to help the cameraman she probably would have ruined part of the choreography.”

Another agreed: “There are more people there who can help him. She runs off because if she wasn’t on stage on time, it delays the show.

“It’s a live show.”

The circulating moment comes just a few months after Shakira suffered a nasty fall herself on stage.

During a performance in San Salvador in February, Shakira was singing her hit song Si Te Vas when her right ankle suddenly twisted.

She then completely toppled to her side, falling onto her elbow as she brought her microphone stand down with her.

During the moment, Shakira stopped singing as gasps could be heard amongst the audience.

But ever the professional, she quickly got herself back up and managed to continue the song – with the star’s band continuing as her guitarist cheered her on.

The star is currently on her massive Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which translates to “Women No Longer Cry”.

Her next performance will take place on May 2, when Shakira will perform in Rio De Janeiro, before she heads to the USA.