Shakira plans new album this month

New York, United States | AFP |  Shakira announced Thursday that she will release a new album later this month after the superstar sported a reggaeton sound on her first single.

Shakira, one of the top-selling Latin artists of all time, told her nearly 45 million Twitter followers that her 11th studio album, “El Dorado,” will come out on May 26.

The album’s title refers to the mythical city of riches which Spanish explorers sought in her native Colombia. The cover art of “El Dorado,” however, is somber with Shakira’s face peeking out of an off-white background.

To preview the album, Shakira last year released the single “Chantaje,” which means “Blackmail,” a playful duet about temptation and desire with Colombian reggaeton singer Maluma.

The video, in which the pink-haired Shakira and Maluma dance flirtatiously through a secret club hidden in an Indian grocery store, was the fastest Spanish-language piece to generate 100 million views on hosting site Vevo.

Shakira last month followed up with a second track, “Me Enamore” (“I Fell In Love”), which has touches of reggaeton rhythms as she sings of her relationship with Spanish footballer Gerard Pique.

The danceable, sultry feel marks a return to classic Shakira. Her last album in 2014, which was largely in English and entitled simply “Shakira,” featured her singing confessional-style to an acoustic guitar in a sound more in line with US singer-songwriters.

Shakira’s last album reflected at times on motherhood. She has two children with Pique and gave birth just before and after the album.

With her mix of Latin and Arabic rhythms and rock influences, Shakira is one of the biggest crossover acts from Latin America, scoring major global hits with songs such as “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Whenever, Wherever.”

Want to know the tracklisting for ‘El Dorado’? I’ve hidden the song titles in goldspots all over the world. Go hunt! https://t.co/7EtsVYVdpa pic.twitter.com/huNZVtaG36

— Shakira (@shakira) May 11, 2017