The Best Shakira Songs to Rock Out to

April 15, 2023

1“Whenever, Wherever”

You gotta love this global chart topper from Shakira for its lyrics alone. Sure, the Latin beats and instrumentals courtesy of the charango and panpipes add flavor and originality to the song, but it doesn’t get more authentic than her line about her ʙosoм’s fortune: “Lucky that my breasts are small and humble / So you don’t confuse them with mountains.”

2“Perro Fiel” featuring Nicky Jam

Shakira welcomes Puerto Rican singer Nicky Jam to help her with her 11th studio album, El Dorado, which the songstress declares is “a tribute to Colombia.” With “Perro Fiel” (rough translation: “Faithful Dog”), she and Nicky trade verses, each one affirming their undying love for one another. In the sultry video, there are wolves, gold body paint, and torque racing—because of course there are.

3“Chantaje” featuring Maluma

Admittedly, high school Spanish doesn’t help too much with deciphering the song-and-dance between Shakira and her feature man, Colombian singer Maluma—not that it matters much though. The two are dripping with enough Sєx appeal and seduction to transcend language barriers. If you’re curious though, “Chantaje,” a 2016 reggae tune that hit number one on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, translates to “Blackmail.”

“ 4 Hips Don’t Lie” featuring Wyclef Jean

Another genre-blending tune coupled with eccentric lyrics, “Hips Don’t Lie” mixes hip-hop, Latin, and reggae beats, while Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean each do their thing. The song sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for weeks in 2006, not to mention it came with a video of Shakira showing off her moves and giving the entire world ab envy.

5 “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”

Every four years, the FIFA World Cup dominates the Sports world. And every four years, the quadrennial tournament’s official anthem takes over the musical sphere. One of the best of those songs is “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” Not only listed as “the most successful World Cup anthem ever” by Billboard, the publication also solidified her as “the queen of the World Cup.”

6 “Clandestino” featuring Maluma

Shakira and frequent collaborator Maluma team for the third time with “Clandestino,” a stimulating track about two lovers’ forbidden secret affair: “Ours is illegal and I will not deny you / That I pay the sentence because I kissed you.” According to Shakira, the pair have “absolute chemistry,” and not even a verse into “Clandestino,” we believe her.

7 “La Tortura” featuring Alejandro Sanz

Shakira gives her trademark belly-dancing moves a serious workout in the video for “La Tortura,” her colossal international hit that translates to “Torture.” Featuring Spanish musician Alejandro Sanz, the song gives off major cumbia vibes—cumbia, NPR explains, is the “musical backbone” of Latin America.