Shakira's lips don't lie when it comes to getting candid about parenting.
In fact, the singer recently shared how she navigates being a single mom to her and ex Gerard Piqué sons Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7, while continuing on her hugely successful music career.
"Sometimes I think being a single mom and the rhythm of being a pop star aren't compatible," Shakira told Billboard in an interview published Sept. 21. "I have to put my kids to bed, go to the recording studio; everything is uphill. When you don't have a husband who can stay home with the kids, it's constant juggling because I like to be a present mom and I need to be there every moment with my children: take them to school, have breakfast with them, take them to play dates. And aside from that, I have to make money."
However, bouncing back from a tough year—her and Gerard broke up in June 2022—makes the Grammy winner feel invincible.
"I feel like a cat with more than nine lives," Shakira confessed. "Whenever I think I can't get any better, I suddenly get a second wind. I've gone through several stages: denial, anger, pain, frustration, anger again, pain again. Now I'm in a survival stage. Like, just get your head above water. And it's a reflection stage. And a stage of working very hard and when I have time with my children, really spend it with them."
Another major life change after her split from the former soccer player? Relocating with her boys from Barcelona to Miami. Amid acclimating her sons to their new home, the artist herself had to come to terms with a new normal.
"Like a blessing in disguise? I think that nothing can compensate for the pain of destroying a family," Shakira noted. "Of course, I have to keep going for my children's sake; that's my greatest motivation. But my biggest dream, more than collecting platinum albums and Grammys, was to raise my sons with their father. Overcome obstacles and grow old together. I know I'm not getting that now."
As for what the "Whenever, Wherever" artist has learned about herself throughout the process? "My strength. I thought I was much weaker," she continued. "I used to crumble before the stupidest problems. I'd create a drama because I chipped my tooth or that kind of stuff. But maturing, going through truly difficult things, gives you a sense of perspective and empathy. You learn how to value the good moments and how not to amplify the bad ones."
Earlier this year, Shakira shared why she decided to start over in a new city with her boys.
"I settled in Barcelona to give my children stability, the same that we are now looking for in another corner of the world next to family, friends and the sea," she captioned her April 2 Instagram post, via translation. "Today we start a new chapter in the pursuit of their happiness."
Gerard has also been vocal about protecting Milan and Sasha's privacy in the aftermath of the breakup.
"It is about protecting them," the soccer star told El Pais during an interview published in March, via translation. "That is the job of all parents with children. That is what I am focused on and that is my job as a father."