The new issue of Elle magazine includes an exclusive interview with Shakira, the superstar of Latin music. And although she is currently preparing to release her first album in five years, from her home in Barcelona she describes the present moment as “her now darker than her”.

In June, he announced his separation from Piquéamid a flurry of tabloid headlines, and have yet to determine the custody of their two children, Milan and Sasha, aged 9 and 7.

It also faces an open case with the Spanish prosecutor’s office for her alleged tax evasion, which she categorically denies. The date of the trial is yet to be defined.

The interview

-You said that music is somehow a therapy when you are going through a difficult time. How?

-I think we all have our own processes for managing pain, stress or anxiety. We all go through things in life. But for me, I think writing music is like going to a psychiatrist, only cheaper. (laughs). It just helps me process my emotions and make sense of them. And it helps me heal. I think it is the best medicine, and together with the love of my family and my children, that support me.

Music is definitely one of those tools, one of the few tools I have to survive extreme situations. It’s kind of a castaway board, that piece of wood that you cling to when you feel like you’re drowning. Music is a salvation. There were days when I had to pick up my pieces from the ground. And the only way to do it, to really do it, was through music. You know, I really like getting back on my feet and looking in the mirror and knowing that I’m a mom and my kids depend on me.

In those days, when I felt that I lacked strength, as if I had no legs, in those days I wrote songs, and I felt that I was reborn and came out stronger. It’s like a vitamin shot (laughs).

There have been other times when work has scared me … I just wanted to be there with my children. I mean, I just wanted to be in bed, curled up with my kids. But I had to get up, shoot a video and fulfill my obligations. But now I am so grateful for my work! It allows us to recompose ourselves, to understand who we are and why we are here, what is our purpose and our mission. I think you can find that reconstructive power in any type of work. Work ennobles man.

– It means the person.

-Exactly. And I feel that in this moment of my life, which is probably one of the darkest and most difficult hours of my life, music has brought me the light.

How is the separation process going?

-Oh, it is very difficult to talk about it, especially since it is the first time that I am talking about this situation in an interview. I remained silent and just tried to process everything. Hmmm, and yes, it’s hard to talk about, mostly because I’m still going through it and because they’re in the public eye, and because our breakup isn’t like a normal breakup. So it was difficult not only for me, but also for my children. Incredibly difficult.

I have paparazzi camping out in front of my house, 24/7. And there is nowhere I can hide from them with my children, except in my own house. You know, we can’t take a walk in the park like a normal family or go get ice cream or do any activity without photographers following us.

So it’s hard. And I tried to hide the situation from my children. I try to protect them, because this is my priority in life. But then at school they hear things from their friends or they come across unpleasant news on the Internet, and that only gets to them, you know?

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