Shakira Latina Magazine Interview

Latina Magazine Interview - July 2001

Well, here it is. You're about to become huge, really huge. Feeling any pressure?

Shakira: I'm always trying to escape from the pressure of expectation. But the biggest pressure is from the people who want this record to be done in 15 days! That kind of pressure can turn into an aggression against your work. But I'm a perfectionist without remedy. I'm not making detergent here; I'm making music. You can't put a knife to the neck of sensibility.

You're already a big star all over the Latin world. Why is making it in the United States such a big deal if you're already huge in a bunch of other places?

I want my music to transcend all the barriers. The spirit of conquest is a trait that has survived in human beings from the beginning. I want it for the same reason the Spaniards wanted to come to America. You have to cross the oceans. To be able to sink my Colombian flag in this land, that is a motivation.

With incredible successes, there are usually sacrifices. What are you willing to give up to have that kind of superstardom?

The most essential things are the hardest to give up, like just being able to sit and drink a cup of coffee without running. I imagine it's like Queen Elizabeth [I]; to be respected and to be able to govern, she had to chop off a couple of heads. That's the part about ambition that scares me the most, making some difficult decisions. But, thank God, I've never had to chop off any heads. The one thing I'm not willing to sacrifice is love. Or the pleasure of being home relaxing.

What have you learned about success from Madonna and Michael Jackson?

Both are marketing geniuses and strategists. If you want this kind of career and you have that kind of ambition, you have to be a very good planner and strategy.

What's your strategy?

To work a lot without taking for granted the happiness of the people I love.