Singer Shakira graces the cover of Glamour magazine in February. The celebrity mom opens up about working with mostly men on the set of The Voice, her amazing educational charity and so much more! Take a peek at some excerpts from her interview below!
On working with fellow The Voice judge Adam Levine and other men in the industry:
“Dealing with boys at work and being the only girl can be challenging. I have my insecurities, but I’ve learned I have to be a good sport. I have to be able to take certain jokes and not take them personally. There are jokes made almost every second of the day. I had to develop a tough hide. You know, the music industry is dominated by guys. I work with men 98 percent of the time—producers, arrangers, musicians, engineers.”
On her duet with Rihanna: “Working with her was utopia. She’s the sexiest woman on the planet. And at the end of the day, we’re both just basically Caribbean girls. The chemistry was so good and so real. She taught me dance moves. She was a sweet teacher.”
On her success: “Success happened little by little for me. I tasted the flavor of fame in small doses: I started at 10 years old when I won a music contest; I was performing at birthday parties, company meetings. I met with a record executive when I was 13 and sang ‘Material Girl’ to a cassette-tape boom box. I’ve shaken hands at every radio station, from Honduras to Ryan Seacrest’s. One day [I realized I was famous] enough. But here’s the thing: I’m still hungry. But I’m not hungry for fame—just the need to prove to myself that I can still do this.”
On her life’s purpose: “I feel like I’m not on earth just to shake it and shake it endlessly, you know?”
On whether she has gotten any grief from Latin fans about her blond hair or being too thin: “At the beginning. But my man, Gerard, prefers meat over bone. He doesn’t like too skinny. [Laughs.] That takes pressure off. I already have a lot to worry about. This month I’m not exercising because I have an album to finish and I have a baby. And I like these pastries in front of me.”
On whether the injustice she saw growing up planted the seed for her education charity: “Being raised in a developing country opened my eyes to so much I cannot tolerate. In Colombia, education is sometimes considered a luxury, not a human right. And it’s not a priority in the agendas of many leaders. I feel a real sense of duty to use the voice and the platform I’ve been afforded by my fame to speak out for those whose voices don’t get a chance to be heard. [The Barefoot Foundation] provides education to vulnerable kids who live in extreme poverty. We’ve built six schools in Colombia and do work in South Africa and Haiti. We teach 5,000 students.”
Photos by Glamour/ Nicolas Moore
