Playback the Music Podcast

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and Shakira's Impact on Latin Music

• Playback Hosts • Season 1 • Episode 9

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Singer-songwriters and producers Nina Blu and J. Xander celebrate their Latinx heritage and the impact Shakira has had on the Latin Music industry as well as their own songwriting. They talk about Shakira as an icon, as a songwriter, and countdown their picks for the top ten Shakira songs of all time.

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Nina:

Welcome to Playback, the music podcast all about what's hot and trending in music right now. I'm singer songwriter Nina Blu.

J. Xander:

And I am singer songwriter producer J. Xander.

Nina:

J, happy Hispanic Heritage Month.

J. Xander:

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, Nina.

Nina:

This week in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, you and I decided that we should talk about Latin music and the impact it's had on pop music overall, and especially the queen of Latin music herself, Shakira. RIAA reports that Latin music revenue has reached a record high of 627 million at mid year in 2023, so this is not just some small trend, this is something that has been coming, it's been happening.

J. Xander:

Oh yeah, like Latin music videos on YouTube, they get like billions of views, like almost every single one of them. It's kind of crazy.

Nina:

It is! I mean, Latin music, I feel like, is rivaling K pop. Internationally, at least. And has been.

J. Xander:

I would say so,

Nina:

Yeah. It's, for sure, having a moment in the U. S., finally, we've seen even, like, non Latin pop artists incorporated into their music. There's a huge Latin influence, I feel, on Ed Sheeran's most recent music. Um, Travis Scott has had a couple of Spanish speaking rappers, and do you remember when Beyonce had a Spanish speaking verse on J Balvin's Mijente?

J. Xander:

Yes. But, real quick, going back to Ed Sheeran, he's actually, like, been on, I believe the Latin billboard charts quite a few times. He has! And I, I do, I would just like to say, Ed is a great writer and everything, his Spanish is terrible.

Nina:

Oh, it's terrible. But I have to say, I think he's my favorite gringo.

J. Xander:

Maybe. I don't know, but just, just saying to any other artists out there, if you're thinking about experimenting, if he can do it, so can you.

Nina:

Oh, you know what? That should, that should be our motto. If Ed Sheeran can do it, so can you. Cause we've talked about how, where he started. And where he is now. And he's, who knows? He could be speaking native in a few years.

J. Xander:

Yeah. And it sounds like we're talking shit about him, but we're really not. We're not, no. I say it in a, we mean it in a respectful way. It's just like, look how far he's come.

Nina:

I have been a fan of Ed Sheeran since I was 16. Like, and I came back to the U. S. from the UK. And nobody had heard of him. At all. And I was like, no, you have to listen to this guy. He's so good. And then as soon as he popped off in the US, concert tickets were too expensive for me to go. So I still haven't seen him live. I'm a little bitter about it. Sorry. So Latin music is having such a moment right now. Bad Bunny and Karol G have become household names. Karol G in March had the first all Spanish language album by a Latin female artist to top the Billboard 200, which is no small feat. I think Latin music really had a big explosion on the scene when Despacito came out. And I saw my gringo friends singing along to Despacito. That was, that was a big moment for me.

J. Xander:

Yeah. And we talked about that song a couple episodes ago, but like, Nina, what do you think kind of made that song in particular take off? For me, it's like two distinct things, really.

Nina:

I think it was the perfect mix of different Latin genres with modern pop music and I think the hook was so good and it was easy to pronounce for I think anyone because it was said so slowly, which also was the Prosody, for those of you who don't know, like despacito means like slowly, and so the way that it's sung fits really well, it hits the English speaking ear really nicely, and I think it's interesting enough to be hooky. That is a dirty, dirty song, though.

J. Xander:

Mm hmm. Just how we like it here on Playback. Dirty, dirty. Um, no, I agree. For me, it's definitely the hook. I didn't think about the production aspects of it, but you're right. It is leaning towards like a kind of a very modern like pop, but also almost hip hop, reggaeton flavor to it. But I was gonna say the feature. Um, including Justin Bieber on it. I know a lot of people like had mixed feelings about that, but when you cross genres like that, that's very cool. That can have like a lot of appeal to it. So again, if you're, you know, you're out there and you're an artist and you're thinking about starting it, getting into some Latin stuff or just exploring some other kind of genres, go for it and see what happens.

Nina:

Go for it and include like Latine friends in what you're doing, right? Like, I think it's It's easy to step on toes when you're crossing, um, genres that have these kind of cultural lines And so being willing to jump on a track with a friend who is Latine. I think that makes a big difference, um, and that's a great way to dip your toes in, too, because they will probably be more knowledgeable just by the nature of, like, growing up with it. But Justin Bieber, even though that's not my favorite rendition of the song, I prefer the one without him on it.

J. Xander:

Like the original.

Nina:

The original. Um. It's still great, it's still really good, and he did help that moment happen. I mean, with his huge fanbase, it popped off. Alright guys, getting into the meat of the episode, we wanted to talk about the queen of Latin music herself, crowned the queen of Latin music for the last two decades by Billboard, Shakira. J, what do you think of when you think of Shakira?

J. Xander:

Nina, you gotta say, you gotta say it twice. Shakira, Shakira. Otherwise, it's just, it's a missed opportunity.

Nina:

Shakira. Shakira. That what an iconic moment. Yeah, we'll get to it. Shakira, to me is like, without a doubt, the most influential Latin artist because she put Latin music on the map for the last two decades. If anyone was breaking through, it was Shakira.

J. Xander:

Yeah, for me, it's Shakira or Selena, but obviously because of just the longevity of career, um, Shakira, but they're both definitely up there, I would say top two.

Nina:

R. I. P. Selena.

J. Xander:

So we'll do a top 10 for her eventually, y'all.

Nina:

Oh, yes, that'd be so much fun. Okay, so the other Latin artists that I've heard other people bring up is JLo. My argument with JLo is she was not making Latin music for a long, long time. She was a Latina person making pop music. So, I think, I thought that was a mismatch with the Super Bowl halftime show it was fun to watch, but culturally, the two of them haven't really had the same career.

J. Xander:

Yeah, I mean, for me, I always have looked at JLo as more like a pop or R& B like artist, so for me, I, yeah, watching that felt a little bit off to me. They felt like two very different segments

Nina:

They feel like two very different artists. It felt like a bunch of American guys in a room getting both were like, oh, they're both Latin, so that makes sense. And while they did a really good job, I think they're friends, I'm not sure. They did a great job together, they put on a good show, it just, it felt like a mismatch to me. And I think it really proved why Shakira is, like, the Latin music queen. She was given the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award this year for 2023 at the MVAs and I love Shakira's music videos. I remember when Hips Don't Lie came out and there is that like traditional Colombian moment that looks so much like a traditional Panamanian moment to me that I felt so represented for the first time in my life seeing her do the dance with the faldas. It was, it was a big emotional moment for me. Shakira, because she's from Barranquilla, Colombia, she has always been I felt like my, the closest to my representation that I was ever gonna get.

J. Xander:

That's fair. I, I always feel that when I see like a Latin artist perform, even if they're not from, because I'm from El Salvador, and we just, we haven't had, you know, anybody mainstream break through yet, but for me, just like anytime I see somebody, like a Hispanic performer, get up there and like really do it on a big scale, like I always feel somewhat of a connection.

Nina:

Me too, yeah, She exploded onto the scene in 2001, and her hips have not told a single lie since then. She has received numerous awards, including three Grammys, twelve Latin Grammys, five MTV Music Video Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, thirty nine Billboard Latin Music Awards, 21 Guinness World Records and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I feel like I just sang that song the 12 days of Christmas but it's the 12 days of Shakira.

J. Xander:

How long did it take you to come up with that intro, Nina?

Nina:

And a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

J. Xander:

Yeah, I'm picturing you like Spending like 10 minutes stringing together a bunch of Shakira songs into a sentence.

Nina:

Don't tempt me, I will attempt it. She, without a doubt, is, she's a moment. BMI describes Shakira as a pioneer who extended the global reach of lots of Latine singers, and I don't think that we would have this moment right now if it weren't for her.

J. Xander:

No, I don't either. So what do you think makes Shakira special before we start getting into our lists?

Nina:

She's a hell of a songwriter and she can, she can write a hook. I think that's what it is. I think she's really good about writing a hook and then forming the rest of the song around it. And she has great instincts on instrumentation, I feel, because I've watched a few videos of her talking about, like, the writing process and stuff, how she wants to include things, why she works within certain, like, sub genres of Latin music, why she feels like they work. How she works with people. She's a great collaborator, which I don't think we talk about enough as being a huge, huge skill that puts you on the map.

J. Xander:

When I was making my list, actually, I was surprised at how many of her collabs I put on it, just like intuitively without even thinking about it. I've got about four on there, which I think is a lot for a top 10 list, but yeah, you're absolutely right. And it's just like, she's so unique that. Yeah, she does Latin music, but Shakira is almost like her, her own genre, if that makes sense. Like, there's nobody that sounds like her. There's nobody that really performs Latin music in the way that she does. She's really unique. And she's like, she's always evolving because, I mean, she essentially, from my perspective, started off as like Latin America's version of Alanis Morissette. And she's certainly not that anymore. But that's, you know. Kinda how she was presenting at first in her earlier career.

Nina:

Yes, and I remember reading this, I, I could not find it today when I was doing, uh, when I was searching for the episode, but I remember hearing the story that her choir teacher in high school told her that she sounded like a chattering monkey or something similar.

J. Xander:

Yeah, I've seen that too.

Nina:

Okay. Okay, so I'm not crazy, I didn't make it up.

J. Xander:

No, yeah, it was something insulting like that.

Nina:

Super bonkers insulting. I don't think I would have been able to come back from that, that just speaks to Shakira's character.

J. Xander:

Ay, there's a lot, a lot of shitty choir directors out there. Mine, one of mine was an asshole to me, so it's very much out there in music education, sadly.

Nina:

I've seen it, I've seen it multiple times, so for our younger listeners, don't, don't let those comments ruin your career because usually when someone says something like that, it's more about them than it is about you, which is funny because we talked about critique last episode. So Shakira has a Dolly Parton effect where I don't think yet the general public has reckoned with how good of a songwriter she is because nowadays when you talk about Dolly Parton, most people recognize and acknowledge that and acknowledge her philanthropy, but 10, 20 years ago, the first thing someone would say after you mentioned Dolly Parton is they would make a boob joke.

J. Xander:

Yeah, very disparaging

Nina:

And Shakira, the first thing people will say is they will make a joke about her dancing or they'll make a comment about how sexual her stuff is. And I remember I went to work the next day after the Super Bowl halftime show and there were all kinds of people making these thinly veiled racist comments about how inappropriate these two Latin artists were when they were very much just showing our styles of dance.

J. Xander:

Right. Well, people were also just even saying the same thing about Rihanna when she was completely covered up, head to toe. So it's just like, people will say anything about pop artists.

Nina:

You're so provocative.

J. Xander:

Yeah, like, come on.

Nina:

So, I feel like we haven't yet reckoned, as a society writ large, how good of a songwriter Shakira really is. I think she's starting to get some of those accolades, but not quite yet. What do you think makes Shakira such a pioneer, such a moment?

J. Xander:

I think one of the reasons is actually just jumping off from the previous conversation about like, her voice. I think that her voice is so distinct that it works in her favor to be able to make hooks just that way. You know, because it's just like, it's so distinct and it's got so much character to it that I think that's another thing that people don't necessarily talk about too much in like the recording or songwriting process. That sometimes it kind of just boils down to the performer themselves and the little quirks and tics that they have that they can incorporate to bring character to a song. And I mean, I can't think of a better example than Shakira of being able to do that.

Nina:

She has such an identifiable voice. I know instantly that I'm hearing a Shakira song. I have no doubt in my mind, in whatever language she's singing in, it doesn't matter. It's still Shakira. Um, I think you're right. There are so many times that I've heard young pop artists trying to be somebody who already exists.

J. Xander:

Right.

Nina:

And the song is good, but they're trying to mimic someone else instead of just be themselves and explore the individualistic qualities of their voice.

J. Xander:

Right.

Nina:

You're the vocal coach. What do you think of Shakira's voice?

J. Xander:

Putting me on the spot here. Traditionally, she's not what, like, a classically trained teacher would find as define as beautiful or classically trained or anything like that like she doesn't fit the conventions of that but in my opinion you have to look at what the artist's intention is. And with Shakira a lot of the time it's just about capturing like the character or the essence of the song so for her it's like technique takes a backseat to whatever emotion or like feeling she's doing during her song so it's very hard to critique somebody like that because a lot of it is so based on just like what her artistic intent is that I can't really be like oh well she should have done this or that when in reality it's just like well but she did that to serve the song's purpose so

Nina:

Yeah and that's a great point too that's usually the best way to make decisions is to serve the song's purpose and I think she has militaristic discipline to that, on all levels. I think it comes to her naturally, but I mean, she just, she constantly serves the song.

J. Xander:

Yes.

Nina:

So, this week, you and I thought it would be really fun to go through our top 10 most iconic or favorite Shakira songs. We have not seen each other's list. So we're gonna name the songs and see where it falls on each other's list or if it falls on each other's list at all. J, do you want to kick it off? What was your 10th Shakira song?

J. Xander:

Yeah, so my number 10 is gonna be Loca featuring El Cata. And again, it just boils down to the hook itself. This song starts immediately on the hook. So it's just like, if this song had come out today, this would absolutely, it's going to make a comeback as a TikTok sound. I know it, it just, it absolutely has to, like, there's so much potential there. She was TikTok ing before the kids were TikTok ing, y'all. So that's, yeah. But also, um, one thing, And maybe you noticed this about her stuff too, Nina, because a lot of the songs that I picked were like 2000s or like 2010s, something like that, and the production for her stuff, um, is really different than anything you hear now as well. The instruments play a way bigger part, they're, you know, those are hooks too, whereas I feel like production has kind of strayed away from that, and I, I wish we would get back to that, because I feel like that's a missed opportunity.

Nina:

I feel like we've gotten to a point where so many producers are not also instrumentalists is one of the issues. Shakira doesn't get enough credit for being the instrumentalist that she is and the number of instruments that she plays. Yeah. Um, because she's a really good dancer too. This woman is just god tier. Yeah. Loca for me was my third.

J. Xander:

Oh, and I'm putting it at 10. I'm putting it way low.

Nina:

I love that song.

J. Xander:

Yeah, it's a fun song. But yeah, I mean, just going back to, it's, it's a weird song too, which is very fitting, but like the lead instrumental is like a brass section. Da da da, da da da, da da da, like even that's really catchy, you know?

Nina:

I remember I was in the car with my roommate and it came on shuffle on her... Phone. And I started laughing because her jaw dropped because I knew every word. I love that song. It's a good one. So good. Alright, so my number 10 was Chantaje featuring Love of My Life, Maluma. It's a more recent song. They're more recent songwriting partners. It's got a great hook to it. I am disappointed it didn't do better.

J. Xander:

I know. That one's not on my list either, so, but I do really like that song, and I actually, I would probably put that as 11th, because I was debating that with a couple other ones, too.

Nina:

I do have some honorable mentions, but we can get to them later, but mostly just because they had, they had more of an iconic moment as much as, like, the songwriting. The songwriting is really good on this. I listened to an interview with Shakira talk about it, and she said that she and Maluma got into the studio, and they just kind of understood each other. And she's like, the song was effortless. And I love stories like that. It just feels like things were meant to come into being. Yeah. Alright J, what was your number nine?

J. Xander:

My number nine was Give It Up To Me featuring Lil Wayne. Um, there's no particular reason for like this one other than just, I remember just this song back when I was like 16 was stuck in my head, like. All the time and even though I'm not really that big of a fan of Lil Wayne, sorry if that offends anybody out there, um, I, I do also think that his voice is very memorable in this situation so it's like, so it's like you have two very very distinct voices on a track and you know it shouldn't work but it just does and it's a really cool song that very much fit with like the whole um, She Wolf narrative album like that phase that she was in back then.

Nina:

You're right. Those are two very distinct, and I would even venture to say iconic, voices. Lil Wayne is also one of those voices I know immediately. Without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, I know that I'm listening to Lil Wayne. And the fact that these two voices came together, and not only was it good that it charted, is amazing. I will say though, it did not make it on my list. It is not in my top ten.

J. Xander:

This is the one I was actually, yeah, like, questioning, but I still liked it so much because I just remember it so much.

Nina:

Hey, it's okay, don't overthink it. Alright, so, my number nine is Underneath Your Clothes. It's from her first English language album. And it goes with your comment about she was like the Latin Alanis Morissette. I think that's where we really see a lot of it. Uh, it was a big moment for her. It was a good moment for her as a songwriter. I actually don't think it was the best song for her voice. I feel like if I were Shakira and I had written it, I might have sold it to another artist.

J. Xander:

Yeah, actually

Nina:

That might be controversial, but that's just me.

J. Xander:

Actually, this song reminds me a lot of, um, Underneath It All, by No Doubt. Very similar messages, but that's interesting because it still kind of fits into that 90s Alanis Morissette, like, rocker girl. Or I should say like alternative girl aesthetic, you know what I mean?

Nina:

It does.

J. Xander:

This song is not on my list because I did feel again that um, I, I do not like a lot of Shakira's ballads for some reason just when I think of Shakira I think of like high energy and dancing. So it's not that I don't like this song. It's just not one of my favorites

Nina:

I do too. I will say that's the only ballad on my list because I'm not a big fan of ballads in general. You really have to, like, impress me with a ballad.

J. Xander:

Yeah, you gotta, you gotta do a lot.

Nina:

You gotta bring it. Yeah. Alright, J, what was your next pick?

J. Xander:

I put, um, as my number eight, Can't Remember to Forget You featuring Rihanna. Because again this is one that starts on the hook pretty well pretty soon it gets into it doesn't waste too much time but also it was just like this was a big moment for both of them like they were both titans at the time so when you know this came out it was like it was a big deal

Nina:

it did not make my list that might be my list of like least favorite Shakira songs

J. Xander:

oh really yes i love it

Nina:

i don't know i just As much as I like the artists separately, individually, I don't know if that was the right way for them to come together. It did not, it did not make my Shakira top 10.

J. Xander:

Okay. What's your number eight?

Nina:

My number eight is Rabiosa from what I think is actually her best album, which is Sale El Sol. I love that song.

J. Xander:

That's not on mine either.

Nina:

that might be a little bit niche, but I remember when that song came out, I sang that song, like, or I remember when the album came out, I sang that album, like, top to bottom, front to back, for months. I loved that album. And Rabiosa, has such a great beat to it. However, I haven't heard anybody else be like, oh, that's one of my favorite Shakira songs. So that might just be, that just might be a Nina thing.

J. Xander:

I don't know that one even to be frank with you.

Nina:

That's on like all of my Latin music playlists.

J. Xander:

Yeah, I'll take a look at it after, after this. Um, but anyway, my number seven is kind of the only one that I have from her like weird girl era, which is Ojos Así, um, because it's a really, it's a really interesting sounding song. Even at the beginning, it sounds like, Middle Eastern music that you would hear in like a classic like fantasy movie where like you know the main character goes to an ethnic world so this is the kind of music that they would play in the background.

Nina:

Phrygian.

J. Xander:

Yeah there you go, Phrygian.

Nina:

I actually don't know if that song is Phrygian but as as we know that is almost like an automatic move for most film composers is oh this happens. In the eastern part of the world, Phrygian.

J. Xander:

Yeah, eastern part, I got you. That's what those composers do.

Nina:

She is Middle Eastern, she is Lebanese, and people forget that. I forgot about her Weird Girl era. I can't remember the last time I heard that song, so I can't even comment on it.

J. Xander:

Oh, no. Okay, well at least now we have homework.

Nina:

That's not on my list.

J. Xander:

Yeah, now we can, you know, listen to each other's lists after this.

Nina:

Okay, this might be a really good playlist, actually, just to make separate from our picks of the week.

J. Xander:

Yeah.

Nina:

Okay, my number seven is Addicted to You, which is also from Sale El Sol. So I had two in a row and that one is so fascinating because the whole song is in Spanish except for I'm addicted to you. But that's the hook because all of a sudden she's switching to English and then she goes immediately back to Spanish. It's got great instrumentation to it, it's really catchy, and it's my favorite song off of my favorite Shakira album, so.

J. Xander:

I don't think I re I don't think I remember that one, so it's not on my list.

Nina:

That album flew, like, so under the radar.

J. Xander:

Really?

Nina:

To the degree, like, I don't know why I got so hooked onto it, but I did. And it was probably my favorite album that came out that year.

J. Xander:

Yeah. Well, you know, I think I think every artist has, like, that one or two albums that they are kind of obsessed with, but, like, nobody else really knows that much about it. So, I mean... That makes sense.

Nina:

So they're my personal favorites, but that's why they're kind of lower on the list because they're not like big moments. And I actually haven't seen her sing either of them in a performance either at the Super Bowl or with the Video Vanguard performance, so.

J. Xander:

Yeah. Well, that's interesting you say that, because moving forward my list is, like, her big. I feel like her, you know, important.

Nina:

I feel like we're about to overlap a lot more.

J. Xander:

Yeah, her important catalog. I was about to say, I hope that happens. Well, I kind of like that we have very different lists, because, you know.

Nina:

Me too.

J. Xander:

People get to, you know, listeners get to explore a little bit more about Shakira's work if they don't know those songs. Um, but my number six is Waka Waka from the FIFA World Cup. Because it's it's just like this this song is for me is like peak Shakira It's just like. What's so wonderful about her is that again, even though she does Latin music she's not afraid to embrace like other Cultures, but she does it in a way that's like super respectful and she invites those cultures into her music so this is just like a very celebratory thing that invites a lot of different people to just come in and dance to a very catchy, infectious hook. I have a lot of students that actually want to come in and sing this song and they're like six, seven years old and this song came out.

Nina:

Really?

J. Xander:

Yeah.

Nina:

So they weren't even born when this song came out.

J. Xander:

Exactly. And I'm just like, how do you even know this song? That's wild to me.

Nina:

Oh my God. Can I tell you, this was my number two. Waka Waka was my number two. I love this song. It's so catchy. I love the way that she invited in the culture and it's not just her singing it like she's the big name, but she's very much on invitation experiencing the culture and that's the best way to do it. I listened to an interview with her. She said it, it was one of her most relevant songs, one of the songs she's most proud of. And she says, I have my sons because of that song, because shortly after that she met her husband because she was at the FIFA World Cup. Or her ex husband, I should say, but we'll get into that later.

J. Xander:

Yeah.

Nina:

All right, so my next song that I hear her play every time, it was at the Super Bowl, and it was at the Video Vanguard performance, I think I saw her perform a snippet of it on The Voice, is Te Aviso, Te Anuncio, and is a tango that somehow turns into like a surfer bop and is kind of both. And this was on her first album that I ever had, when I had a CD when I was a really little kid, and I remember this song stuck out to me so much, and I never expected to hear her perform it, but she does so much. She's really proud of this song, and the way it kind of marries cultures. I feel like if I played it for you, you would remember it.

J. Xander:

I do know this song, but it's just, like, it's not on my list. Okay. Unfortunately. I don't know why. I just have, like, the next couple ones for me, like, I have kind of, like, a weird emotional attachment to it for some reason.

Nina:

Okay. Um. That's what this top ten list is for.

J. Xander:

Yeah.

Nina:

Let's keep going.

J. Xander:

Yeah. So, my number five is Beautiful Liar featuring Beyonce because, I mean, come on, this song has to be on this list because it's just, like, they're too... Two icons, you know, arguably.

Nina:

It was on my list and I took it off to put Chantaje on.

J. Xander:

How dare you? That's wild

Nina:

Oh my god, with as big of a fan as I am of both Shakira and Beyonce, that was, that gutted me to take the song off

J. Xander:

You know what? Actually, what made me like revisit this song and appreciate it so much was Beyonce like re performing it, um, in that Dubai concert when you TikTokers, God bless you for posting all that illegal footage. That shit was good. She was singing the house. down. But yeah.

Nina:

That was, I think, the most fun I've ever had on TikTok ever.

J. Xander:

Yeah, but what's very interesting about these two artists to me is that, I mean, they're very different, obviously, but in this era for them especially, they both, well, always for Shakira, but Beyonce had like a big affinity for like Phrygian sounding stuff as well. So like, uh, Baby Boy sounded a lot like that. Yes. As well. So it, it just seemed like a perfect vibe. The song was perfect for these two to bring these two artists together. I think so. Yeah, I love this.

Nina:

I think that's right. I think my problem with the Rihanna Shakira song was I would have really liked more Caribbean influence on it if these two massive artists were going to come together. And so I was a little disappointed in it being such a. strong pop song and I would have preferred to hear kind of both of their cultures come in and I think they could have done it in a really cool way. Especially as good as Shakira is like with Waka Waka at entering into other cultures so I do love this song with Beyonce and Shakira because you're right it fit both of them it was perfect at the right time. I think even like Drunk in Love has that almost like kind of Phrygian feel to it too. So it does, it does fit both of them really well.

J. Xander:

Yeah, I could hear that.

Nina:

I've been drinking.

J. Xander:

Yeah.

Nina:

All right, I'm really curious to see if my next song is on your list. It is Whenever Wherever or Suerte.

J. Xander:

How could that, that's, that's my number two. How could that not be?

Nina:

I was gonna be so upset if it wasn't, but I got a whole lot of overlap.

J. Xander:

I was gonna say, neither of us should be doing this fucking list if that song isn't on both.

Nina:

That was the first time I heard Shakira and then I remember I heard the English version and I was like, okay, that's nice. And then I heard Suerte and I was like, stop it. I love this. I was like a little, little kid that was, I was really young singing this and I loved it.

J. Xander:

Yeah. I mean, this is such a hard song to even talk about. Cause it's just like,

Nina:

it is, it's, it's so big. What's really odd about the song is the translation, which works really well, but the translation is almost like verbatim from English to Spanish, Spanish to English rather, in the verses. And it is completely different in the chorus. The chorus goes to two different places, which is really very interesting to me. Because instead of wherever, whenever, she says, um, with you for life is the translation. That's just a little, it works, it works so well, um, that it was a good call to make that change. But yeah, I love both versions. That holds a special, special place in my heart forever.

J. Xander:

Yeah, I agree. And it's just like, even, even the instrumentation of that one, like you've been mentioning throughout, is really good. That dunnnnn is so like, it's fitting for her. And it's like, that's like two notes.

Nina:

The random, what is, what is that note? It's some type of flute, right?

J. Xander:

I actually think it's like a stringed instrument, but I could be wrong.

Nina:

Is it?

J. Xander:

I don't know.

Nina:

We'd have to look this up.

J. Xander:

Yeah. But I like that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Nina:

Yes! That song is a behemoth. Like, that song will be pop culture forever.

J. Xander:

Yeah, for sure.

Nina:

I don't know why more, like, comedies haven't teased it the way that some, you know, pop culture references have just become such a punchline, and not necessarily in a negative way. I wish, I don't know, I wish I'd seen more pop culture references to it because it was such an iconic moment.

J. Xander:

Mm hmm. Alright. Alright. I don't, yeah, I don't have much more to say about that song either. So, moving on, uh, my number four is La Tortura featuring Alejandro Sanz. Because this, this song is, I mean, it was, it was a game changer. And again, this is another instance of two very distinct voices, because Alejandro Sanz has a raspy ass cigarette smoking, you know, he sounds like he smokes two packs a day. But I still, I like his voice, actually. I think it works well together with hers, especially, and this is again, another example of like, A, her working really well with another artist, and B, The strong instrumentation here, too. That guitar is solid.

Nina:

So fire. J, that was my number one. That was my number one Shakira pick. That is my favorite Shakira song of all time. That guitar goes so hard. The hooks are great in it. The lyrics are, like, really deep and cutting and emotional, but you almost miss them because the melody is so good. I That song kills me. Every time. Yeah. So good. Yeah, that's my That was my number one pick. Okay. Alright. So my fourth pick is She Wolf or Loba, los dos.

J. Xander:

That's my number three.

Nina:

Really? Yeah. Oh, we got a little bit closer together. Yeah. Okay, so that song was such a moment. Apparently she had asked Sia to write the lyrics in English for her, because she said she didn't trust herself enough to write the lyrics in English, because she had written it in Spanish first, and she wasn't sure about the translation or how it would work, and then she wound up not using what Sia wrote. She wound up doing it herself. Because she is Shakira and she's always right.

J. Xander:

I mean, she's, she's literally a genius though. Like she has like a Mensa level IQ for anybody that doesn't know. So

Nina:

I did not know that.

J. Xander:

Yeah.

Nina:

I would have just fought anyone tooth and nail that she was a genius. Wow, literally a genius. This song is genius written by a genius. Like, oh my gosh, this song is so good. It was such a moment. I loved it. I loved every second of it. What a great random little hook.

J. Xander:

I tell you, when she started that song at the Vanguard Awards, I was just like, she was gonna kill it anyway, but I was like, this shit is about to be Fire right now.

Nina:

I had the same thought!

J. Xander:

This whole thing, I was like, this is I forgot how many hits she had until that song started. I was like, oh my god.

Nina:

I was like, this performance is starting at an 11. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is starting at an 11, and it has nowhere to go but up.

J. Xander:

Exactly.

Nina:

I was so excited. Yeah. Alright J, you have gotten all of my songs, so we're all out of mine. What were your final songs?

J. Xander:

So, we just talked about She Wolf and my number two was Whenever Whenever, but my number one is for sure Hips Don't Lie, featuring Wyclef Jean, because, wait, okay, that song wasn't on your top ten?

Nina:

No, because the men in it ruin it.

J. Xander:

Really?

Nina:

I can't, I can't, I cannot stand some of the lyrics on it, like it, but. It was in my honorable mentions list because it's definitely a guilty pleasure for me.

J. Xander:

I put it as number one because this song, okay, when we're talking about just like songwriting itself, I feel like everybody has their talents, you know what I mean? Like, some people are really good at writing verses, some people are really good at choruses, some people are really good at hooks. Me, myself, I would consider myself more of a hook writer and I feel like this song is full of hooks from beginning to end. Like, there is not a moment where this song does not have a hook in it. From the very beginning.

Nina:

As Bonnie says, it's all frosting, no cake.

J. Xander:

Yeah. And that's totally fine, because, I mean, this song really, when it comes down to it, is just about letting your body speak over your emotions. So it makes sense that this song doesn't have to have deep or profound lyrics. There's literally a moment where she says, what it, what exactly does she say again? She's like, um, see, I'm doing what I can, but I can't. So, you know, that's a bit too hard to explain. But the reason I like that lyric is because every other section of her verse there rhymes perfectly, but the moment that she's talking about being confused and can't control anything, it doesn't. And that kind of showcases to me how important rhyme or breaking a rhyme can be sometimes. So I feel like this song is very smart. It's full of hooks throughout and it just goes hard. Like, her performance, her performance of this song. During the FIFA World Cup is like, it's one of the most epic things I've ever seen.

Nina:

Ever. Ever. This song will forever live in pop culture. Like, it will never be not relevant. So, I made a comment about how Dolly Parton gets a lot of comments about her body, Shakira gets a lot of comments about her body, and I'm okay with hips don't lie jokes. Because this song is so iconic, because she's talking about herself, but it really does bother me when people make a joke outside of the Hips Don't Lie context. I don't know why, that's my fine line, but that's where it is. It is a record breaking song, and I read that she had so much faith in this song. The album was already made and printed, the CDs were printed, they were in boxes, ready to ship out, and she had the physical copies recalled. She called the head of her label. Called back the album so that she could put hips, don't lie on it.

J. Xander:

She did the you did the right thing. Shakira you would've missed out on your, that's genius. You would've missed out on your, your most iconic song. In my opinion, your most iconic song.

Nina:

So it is her most iconic song for sure.

J. Xander:

There you go. So I,

Nina:

I feel like the men ruin it.

J. Xander:

Do, do we wanna do a quick recap of ours?

Nina:

Yes, so my number 10 was Chantaje, 9 was Underneath Your Clothes, 8 was Rabiosa, 7 was Addicted to You, 6 was Te Aviso, Te Anuncio, 5 was Whenever, Wherever, 4 was She Wolf, 3 was Loca, 2 was Waka Waka, and number 1 was La Tortura.

J. Xander:

Alright, and my number 10 was Loca. Number nine was give it up to me. Eight, can't remember to forget you. Seven, Ojos Así. Number six was waka waka. Five, beautiful liar. Cuatro, la tortura featuring Alessandra Sanz. Three, She Wolf. Two, Whenever, Wherever. And number one is Hips Don't Lie. So Let us know who got closer, y'all.

Nina:

Yes, let us know whose list you prefer.

J. Xander:

Or what your list is, too. Like, I'm curious to see what other people think as well. Cause I mean, she's got so many.

Nina:

And let us know if you discovered any good songs from these lists, too. I want to have an honorable mention moment for the Bizarrap Music Sessions, Volume 53. Because Shakira went through a devastating divorce with Pique, and um, fuck that dude. This is one of the best dis tracks I've ever heard. It goes so hard. When she talks about her mother in law, my soul left my body. She went so hard with this. I mean, this is Eminem levels of harsh and I loved every second of it.

J. Xander:

Yep.

Nina:

How many things can I rhyme with my ex husband's name? Let me count the ways. That verse is one of the most creative moments in songwriting I've ever seen, just to be petty and spiteful, and I loved every second of it. It was, it was an incredible pop culture moment. It's an honorable mention because I don't think it's one of her best songs, but I do think it will be, wind up being one of her most iconic.

J. Xander:

I almost wanted to put it on my list because I feel like it's worth talking about when you, you know, mention her. But yeah, I just didn't feel like it was as iconic as like. The other ones.

Nina:

It is, it's worth talking about, especially because I think it's her biggest hit this year, if I'm not mistaken.

J. Xander:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Nina:

Yeah, and that was such a moment. The internet was lit on fire. She went after this man, and good for her. J, any closing thoughts on Shakira?

J. Xander:

Not really, but I mean, it's, it's crazy to look back at like certain figures like this that, you know, you kind of grew up with. So it's like, I don't, you know, obviously I don't know them, but it's just like they feel like they're, are kind of like a part of who I am as like an artist and just a person at this point. So, I mean, I guess, I mean, she's probably not gonna hear this, but just like a quick thank you. And just like, I would like to have like an appreciative moment for her because I feel like she's, you know, affected a lot of especially like, um, Latine artists out there. So, I mean, she's the GOAT.

Nina:

She is. She's the GOAT. I feel the same way. I feel like this odd emotional connection with Shakira. Yeah. Um, I have loved her. Since I can remember, like, that was such a moment when I was a kid and discovered who Shakira was, and that she's still so relevant, and she's killing it, and now that I'm a songwriter, that she's become such an influence to me, it's, it is, it's really emotional, I, I love her, I love her to death, as much fun as we had here today, I think her career, is iconic And, we will be singing Shakira songs our whole lives long.

J. Xander:

Yeah, and shout out to MTV for recognizing that, you know?

Nina:

Yes!

J. Xander:

Cause I feel like, you know, everybody makes fun of them for like, not caring about music anymore, but I mean, that was a really nice gesture of them, cause I mean, they could've really... They could have gone with anybody, but they chose to go with like, uh, this Latin artist who very much deserves it, you know?

Nina:

Yep, she did. She deserved it. She served that performance. Like, Shakira doesn't come to play. She shows up. It was incredible. And, um, it touched on so many nostalgic points for me, as well as when I was watching it. There were so many things that I was like, that is just amazing. Like, look at her, look at her history, look at her career, look at how she has stayed relevant, how she has stayed ahead of the trend in a lot of times. And so, for that reason, Shakira, we love you. We love you so much. Now it's time for our final segment, our Playback Picks of the Week. Keeping in theme with the episode, I'm gonna say my favorite Latin hit of the year is Ella Baila Sola. It is by an American regional Mexican group. Eslabón Armando and Mexican singer, Peso Pluma. It was released in March this year. The song was written by Pedro Tovar, the lead singer of Eslabón Armado. It went viral on TikTok and became the first regional Mexican song in history to reach the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as the first to top the Billboard Global 200. It was a really big deal, it was everywhere. What's so interesting about this song is it has that Mexican regional feel that I love, I grew up with, but the melody sounds like something that would have come out of like, indie pop. If you listen to the rhythm, like the melodic rhythms, it sounds like indie pop. Kind of some of the sustained moments, the way that the melody, that the singer builds tension, it totally feels like a crossover moment to me, and I would love for more people to like listen back to it with that in mind and tell me if they hear that or if I'm crazy, like please let me know. Both can be true.

J. Xander:

I think you're crazy. I think that's, that's the obvious choice.

Nina:

I love that song. It's so good. No, it's totally one that I could turn on at a barbecue and my tia would be like, what is this?

J. Xander:

Yeah. Yeah. No, you're, you're absolutely right. I feel that way about most of Peso Pluma's stuff. So that makes sense.

Nina:

Yeah. Yeah, that's always, always a safe one to play at the family, family barbecue.

J. Xander:

It's weirdly comforting. Yeah. All right. So my pick is going to be Mojave Ghost by Tainy and Bad Bunny, which is off of, um, the latest Tainy album. And I think that this song is definitely very, it explores Tainy, you know, he's a legendary reggaeton producer, but this is kind of him going into the future and. Obviously, Bad Bunny has a very like, talking about distinct voices again. It adds a lot of character to this particular song, which is already like a weird song that has like, very interesting production elements to it anyway. So yeah, it's my pick of the week.

Nina:

I have been all about that Tainy album since you suggested it a few weeks ago. And I love that song, Pa Siempre. And I wish that the opening segment would be a TikTok sound.

J. Xander:

That's such a fucking epic opening line for a song, especially for,

Nina:

it's such an opening line,

J. Xander:

especially for him specifically, you know?'cause it's like,

Nina:

soy artista pa siempre I love it and it, it launches the song immediately on. I loved it. But Mojave Ghosts also epic. And speaking of really distinctive voices, for sure, Bad Bunny. Yeah. Who has really been driving a lot of the Latin music traffic.

J. Xander:

Yeah, we can't have this episode without mentioning him at least once, so.

Nina:

Alright guys, we hope you enjoyed our episode on Hispanic Heritage Week. J, any final comments?

J. Xander:

Nope. I think that wraps it up. Long live Shakira.

Nina:

Long live Shakira, the queen of Latin music. We love you, girl. Alright guys, that's everything. We'll see you next week. Go create some good in this world. Bye!

J. Xander:

Bye.

People on this episode

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J. Xander

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Nina Blu

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