Entertainment
Giant Shakira statue unveiled in star’s hometown in Colombia
A giant bronze statue of Shakira in her trademark hip-swinging pose has been unveiled in her hometown in Colombia.
The singer shared photographs from the site in Barranquilla, a port city along the Caribbean Sea, as the 6.5m (21.3ft) tribute was unveiled.
Shakira‘s pictures showed her parents and brothers visiting the statue, along with the Spanish inscription dedicated to the 46-year-old star, which describes her birthday, 2 February 1977, as the day the city was “born to the world”.
‘Too much for my little heart’
Pic: dpa/picture-alliance/AP
It also praises her “heart that composes”, “unmatched talent”, “voice that moves masses”, and “hips that do not lie”, in a nod to one of her biggest hits.
Posting the photographs to her 90.3 million Instagram followers, Shakira said the dedication was “too much for my little heart”.
The sculpture was made by the artist Yino Marquez with the support of students and graduates of the District School of Arts.
Its unveiling was also attended by Barranquilla’s mayor Jaime Pumarejo Heins.
Shakira was the most googled musician in 2023, the tech company revealed earlier in December.
Pic: dpa/picture-alliance/AP
The star had attended court in Spain a month earlier, reaching a deal with authorities on the morning a tax fraud trial was due to begin.
She agreed to pay a fine of €7m (£6.1m) and also received a suspended three-year sentence, the AP news agency reported.
Shakira, who has two sons with her ex-partner, footballer Gerard Pique, said her lawyers had been “confident” the court would have ruled in her favour following a trial, but she decided to resolve the matter beforehand “with the best interest of my kids at heart, who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal wellbeing in this fight”.
The deal came just days after she was named one of the big winners at the Latin Grammys, taking home three awards.
She was presented with one prize by Sergio Ramos, former Spanish international teammate of Pique and defender for Real Madrid, rivals of Pique’s former club Barcelona.