Shakira says ex Gerard Piqué was ‘dragging’ her down: ‘Now I’m free’

Now that Shakira is "husband-less," the three-time Grammy Award-winning artist is focusing on the future. 

On Monday, the singer opened up about how her split from longtime boyfriend Gerard Piqué has affected her career for the better. 

"I've been putting out music here and there, but it was really hard for me to put together a body of work," said Shakira, who recently released her 12th studio album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran." "I didn't have time. It was the husband factor. Now I'm husband-less. Yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I'm free. Now I can actually work."

"It's men's turn now," Shakira added of the album's title, which translates to "Women no longer cry." "For too long we have been sent to cry with a script in our hands and without an end just because we are women. We have to conceal our pain in front of our kids, in front of society."

SHAKIRA'S EX GERARD PIQUÉ GOES PUBLIC WITH NEW GIRL CLARA CHIA MARTI, 23, AFTER BEING BURNED IN DISS TRACK

Speaking to Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," she said, "We have to heal in a certain way. And I don't think anyone is supposed to tell us how to heal. No one is supposed to tell a She-wolf how to lick her wounds."

Shakira and Pique first split in 2022 after 11 years together. They share two sons, Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9.

After Fallon displayed the star's emerald, ruby, diamond and sapphire vinyl covers, Shakira explained the symbolism. 

"I was raw. I was dealing with a lot of stuff. I felt at times with a knife between my teeth," she said of working on her first album in seven years. "I was picking up the pieces of myself from the floor. I was trying to rebuild myself. Music was the glue."

"I was transforming pain and anger and frustration into creativity, productivity, strength and resilience …. the resilience of a diamond, you know? So that's why I picked the metaphor of the precious stones, because of the resilience that us women have today when we have to face adversity," she added.

In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music last week, the singer explained that following the end of her 11-year relationship, she is prioritizing "friendship" going forward.

"I think friendship lasts longer than love," Shakira said. "Though I still think experiencing love, fully experiencing it with all its peaks and valleys, it's so essential to the human life."

"I love love, but I think I even love friendship a little bit more. Because I thought love would be there forever for me. And that's one of my, you know, broken dreams. Perhaps I will. I don't know if I'll like find that again. Probably not. Well, I don't know. But friendship, I have."

Shakira explained that while she always valued "family and having a partner" first, she has since learned the power of true friendship. 

"But then when that wasn't there, and when I lost my boys and when I had to face the darkest and the hardest moments of my life, friends were there and they kept me together," Shakira said. "Those who did really showed me the true, the true meaning of life. I might not grow old with a partner, but I will grow old surrounded by good friends."