BarcelonaAfter weeks of rumours, Shakira has put her fans to rest: she will not be performing at the World Cup in Qatar. The environment of the Colombian singer has confirmed this to the Efe agency. In addition, Shakira’s team has noted that everything that has been published so far about the singer’s alleged participation in some ceremony of the controversial World Cup has been based on rumors and unofficial information. So, the Colombian will not appear at the opening of the sporting event, which starts on Sunday, or at any other time of the event.
With her refusal, Shakira joins a long list of artists who have refused to participate due to the violation of rights in Qatar. One of the singers who has been more decisive in refusing any kind of invitation from the Qatari government has been Dua Lipa. In one story of Instagram, the British singer of Albanian-Kosovar origin explained that at no time has she negotiated a performance at the World Cup in Qatar. He also added that he will only visit the country when the government respects the human rights of all people, as he promised when he was appointed host of the sports competition. Ethical reasons were also the cause of Rod Stewart turning down over a million dollars to perform at the event. “I didn’t think it was right to go there,” he said in an interview with the Sunday Times.
Link with the world of sport
Although she has announced that she will not be at the World Cup in Qatar, Shakira’s music has been linked to several major sporting events in recent years. His songs have played at three World Cups. In this sense, his most remembered performance is the one that took place at the World Cup in South Africa, which served to make his popular Waka Waka. That World Cup, held in 2010, was not only the origin of one of its greats hits, but it was also where her relationship with Gerard Piqué began, from whom she officially separated this June and with whom she has just reached an agreement for the custody of her two children. The last time Shakira performed at a World Cup was in 2014, when she participated in the closing ceremony of the World Cup held in Brazil. He then performed at the Maracana stadium alongside the singer and composer Carlinhos Brown.
In addition to performing at three World Cups, one of Shakira’s biggest professional milestones was her performance at the 2020 Super Bowl alongside Jennifer Lopez. one performance which is considered one of the best that has ever been seen in the grand final of American football, a whole sporting macro-event of planetary scope.
In recent months, Shakira has not stopped appearing in the headlines of the media, either because of her problems with the Treasury or because of her separation from Piqué. The refusal to perform at the World Cup in Qatar allows him to distance himself from an event that is surrounded by controversy and that can affect the public image of the artists who decide to participate.
