Shakira is gearing up for her first album release since 2017 and said it's helping to distract her from the public dissolution of her relationship with Gerard Piqué.
Speaking to ELLE, the hitmaker called her forthcoming effort "therapeutic" because it's "an incredible outlet for me to make sense of things." Shakira says writing music allows her to process "grief or stress."
"I think that writing music is like going to the shrink, only cheaper," she said, adding it's helping her to "make sense of [my emotions]."
"There have been days when I had to pick up the pieces of me from the floor. And the only way to do that, to actually do that, has been through music," she admitted.
Shakira is now ready to break her silence on ending her 12-year relationship with Piqué, even though it is "hard to talk about it."
"It's been tough not only for me, but also for my kids. Incredibly difficult," she explained. "I have paparazzi camping outside, in front of my house, 24/7. And there's not a place where I can hide from them with my kids, except for my own house."
Shakira, who is the mother of 9-year-old Milan and 7-year-old Sasha, says she's trying to "conceal the situation" from her sons to "protect them."
She noted, "It’s really upsetting for two kids who are trying to process their parents’ separation," which she said has been "vulgarized and cheapened by the media."
"This is probably the darkest hour of my life," she added but insisted her sons are the priority right now. "I need to become an example for my kids."
She also shouted out Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and her "Don't You Worry" collaborator will.i.am for supporting her during this difficult time.
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