‘I’ve witnessed love, I just haven’t been that lucky myself,’ singer says
Shakira has spoken candidly about monogamy, and why she feels it is a “utopia”.
The “Hips Don’t Lie”singer opened up in an interview with Marie Claire about how she feels about love two years after her split from her ex-boyfriend of 11 years, Gerard Piqué with who she shares her two sons – Milan, 11, and Sasha, nine.
According to Shakira, a lot of her inspiration to keep going after love comes from her parents. “I cannot say that I don’t believe in love because I see the example of my parents after 50 years together; how they look into each other’s eyes and hold hands and can’t live apart from each other,” the singer told the outlet.
“I’ve witnessed love, I just haven’t been that lucky myself. Monogamy is a utopia. But I’ve been compensated in other ways, with the love of my fans and my children and true friends.”
She explained that over the last couple of years she has witnessed the differences between the type of love seen in a friendship as opposed to a romantic partner, and the benefits that come with such relationships.
“Oscar Wilde said that friendship is the purest form of love and I think that’s true. It lasts longer – at least in my experience. My relationship [lasted] 12 years but my friends will be there a lifetime. When hardship came, that’s when I learned how truly important friendship was,” Shakira said.
She’s acknowledged that finding a love like her parents used to be a priority for her, but that plans can change along the way. “Deep down, I always thought having a husband was the most important thing in my life,” the singer relayed.
“I was in search for that man like my dad, who I’d have kids with and then make plans to be with forever – like my parents, who are still so in love. I made many sacrifices for this. I was loyal. But sometimes things don’t go as planned. You move on.”
When Piqué and Shakira first split, a representative for the singer shared a statement to announce her breakup, which read: “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
At the time, many of her fans began to speculate that they split up because of the soccer player’s alleged infidelity. Rumours circulated that Shakira found out about the alleged infidelity because of strawberry jam.
However, Shakira denied the rumour while speaking to The Sunday Times, telling the outlet the claim was “not true”.
As for the “Wherever, Whenever” singer’s current goals, despite her wish for a family of four, she is pouring as much love as she currently can into her two sons.
“I’ve made it my own personal objective to raise loyal boys, honest men,” she told Marie Claire. “I want them to be men of their word. In today’s world, a person’s word is often worthless. People over-promise and under-deliver. And I want my kids to be exactly the opposite.”