Shakira is now reportedly busy with her 11th album, which will be the follow up to her 2014 self-titled work. As early as now, the upcoming album is being touted as a highly collaborative album, as it will feature several names, which includes Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Will she do well for the Colombiana superstar’s music? While Iggy is now making her name as an in-demand performer and hit-maker, there might be ambivalence towards the possible outcome of her teamup with Shakira.
All throughout her career, Shakira has been known as an innovative artist. She always incorporates various musical styles, ranging from pop to dance, and even country. Collaborating with other artists is very evident in her works, too. With Shakira, the singer recruited country superstar Blake Shelton for the song “Medicine.” Shakira also sought the support of R & B royalty Rihanna for “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” while she solicited help from Magic! in “Cut Me Deep.” While Shakira’s musical diversity is admirable, there is also the tendency for her to lose what people loved in her in the first place – her truthfulness to her Latina roots.
Enlisting musical support from Iggy Azalea can possibly be a career move from Shakira, as it can easily guarantee chart success. However, it might become a diversion as it can result to a generic pop song that does not really mean anything at all. Iggy, too, is already everywhere through her high profile collaborations from last year. This 2015, she is also set to release a song with Britney Spears. It can rather be dangerous for Shakira, as comparisons will be feverishly high. The Iggy Azalea collaboration, if it pushes through, can just be a double-edged sword for Shakira if misdirected.
Shakira’s 2014 album had several gems in it. “Dare (La La La),” for instance, brought back a grand tradition of Shakira’s musical grandeur, which is devoid of any pop mediocrity. “Cut Me Deep,” on the other hand, proved that Shakira, in her most natural state, works well in reggae. However, there were also tracks that were less than stellar. While “Can’t Remember to Forget You” is such a delight to hear, it only just added to the long list of forgettable pop tracks in music today. Now, what assurance can people who love Shakira have that the Iggy duet is something to look forward to?