By Prosper Mene
Colombian star says 12-night “Shakira Stadium” run is a response to persecution and a tribute to Latin identity
Shakira is taking her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour to Madrid, but this stop is more than just another concert. The Colombian superstar says her upcoming 12-date residency is a deliberate act of joy in response to the challenges facing Latino communities worldwide.
“This began with pain. It began when I saw our people persecuted simply for being Latino, families forced to live in fear,” Shakira wrote in an op-ed published in El País_.
“Faced with that, anger is legitimate. But I chose to respond with a celebration: the biggest we could possibly imagine. Because the most powerful response to fear is to exist with all the strength, all the joy, and all the dignity in the world.”
While she did not name specific countries, the singer used the essay to highlight the role of immigration and to explain why she chose Spain as the host.
“Because something happens here that the world deserves to see: Latin American immigration isn’t tolerated, it’s celebrated. Spain has embraced it, and that embrace has made it younger, more vibrant, more creative,” she added.
The residency will be held at a custom-built venue dubbed “Shakira Stadium” inside the Iberdrola Music complex. The arena will hold more than 50,000 fans per night.
But Shakira says the project extends beyond music.
“Alongside the stadium, we’re building something more: a city. Thirty acres to celebrate and understand our culture, with over a hundred participating artists,” she wrote.
The cultural space will feature exhibitions, talks, workshops, food experiences and other programming. It is inspired by Macondo, the fictional town from Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Shakira’s Madrid residency kicks off September 18 and runs through October 11, 2026.
The announcement comes months after she wrapped U.S. dates on the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, including a July 20 show at Barclays Center in New York.
