The Latin pop icon says the Wyclef Jean collab “changed my story.”
A Hit That Almost Wasn’t
It’s almost impossible to imagine Shakira’s career without “Hips Don’t Lie,” the 2006 global smash hit that turned her into a household name across every continent. But as the Colombian superstar recently revealed, that song almost didn’t see the light of day.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 8, Shakira opened up about the behind-the-scenes struggle to get the track released. At the time, her album Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 had already been distributed and stocked in stores, and adding a last-minute song wasn’t something her label was eager to do.
“I remember my album was already distributed, and then this idea came up, and Wyclef and I met,” Shakira said. “This song came about. I knew I had a hit.”
Pleading With the Label
Shakira didn’t waste time. She called Donny Ienner, who was then head of Sony Music Label Group U.S., and begged him to recall the albums already in stores so the song could be included in a re-release.
“Donny, you have to pick up the albums from the stores,” she recalled telling him.
His response was firm: “No way, this album is already out there.”
But Shakira wouldn’t let go of the idea. “You’ve got to believe me. You’ve got to trust me,” she told Ienner. “You do that, we have a hit.”
Against the odds — and probably against every conventional marketing plan — the label relented. They pulled the original albums, reissued them with the new track, and released “Hips Don’t Lie” in February 2006.
A Global Phenomenon
The rest, as they say, is history.
“Hips Don’t Lie,” a collaboration with Haitian rapper and producer Wyclef Jean, quickly shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Shakira the first Colombian artist to top the chart. It spent two weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. and reached the top spot in over 25 countries worldwide.
The song, which samples Wyclef’s earlier track “Dance Like This,” brought together Latin, reggae, and hip-hop influences in a way that was fresh, vibrant, and unmistakably Shakira. With its now-iconic horn riff, energetic vocals, and danceable beat, the song became a cultural phenomenon and one of the most memorable hits of the 2000s.
“It changed my story,” Shakira told Fallon.
Celebrating 20 Years
Nearly 20 years later, Shakira and Wyclef Jean reunited on The Tonight Show to perform “Hips Don’t Lie” once again. The special performance marked two decades since the song’s release — and reminded fans of just how big a moment it was, both for Shakira and pop music.
Her appearance came just days before she’s set to launch the U.S. leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour. The tour, which kicks off May 13 in Charlotte, N.C., follows the release of her 2024 studio album and a successful run of concerts across Latin America earlier this year.
A Times Square Surprise
During the interview, Shakira also recalled her surprise performance in Times Square in March 2024. The concert was announced just two hours before it happened, and the singer admitted she was terrified no one would come.
“I was peeking through the window,” she said. “I was so scared, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is the end of my career.’”
But her fears were unfounded. “In the last 20 minutes, it was a sea of people,” she said, reflecting on the crowd of 40,000 fans who flooded the New York landmark to see her perform.
A Legacy of Belief
As she embarks on a new tour and celebrates a new era in her music, Shakira is looking back not just on the big hits — but on the bold decisions that made them possible. “Hips Don’t Lie” is more than just a chart-topper. It’s proof that trusting your instincts, even in the face of resistance, can lead to career-defining moments.
If she hadn’t spoken up, we might never have heard the hit that “changed her story.” And Shakira’s story — filled with gutsy choices, crossover success, and global love — is still being written.
