Before Shakira crossed over - I've been told - she was known as the Madonna of Latin pop. Then, with the help of the Estefans, she crossed over and all comparisons to Madonna had to go, because Shakira had created her own style.
You can recognize a Shakira song instantly once she begins to sing. Her squeezed vocals is something you either love or hate. It's actually quite an achievement that she held on to it throughout her career, because many vocal coaches will try to get rid of the squeeze during singing lessons. An 'open' sound is usually considered to improve your chances at a singing career. Goes to show, not to take too much notice of what others tell you.
And the latter is exactly what her new song is about. Shakira has just released "Try Everything", which she recorded for Disney's new movie Zootopia. She provides the vocals for Gazelle, one of the main characters of the movie. To my knowledge, this is her first gig as a voice actress.
The cheerful and positive "Try Everything" is written by Sia and Stargate and it completely fits the Disney kid-proof format. The song was announced in 2015, but this week Shakira has uploaded the video for the track.
I personally have underestimated her side projects before - I'm probably the only person on the planet who seriously didn't like "Waka Waka". "Try Everything" is really fitting for a movie. It's also very fitting to a mother with young kids like Shakira. I bet her sons love this track.
Shakira herself has musically truly tried everything. Though she has tried to remain as true to her Latin roots as she could, she has stepped out to R&B with Wyclef Jean and incorporated an African sound in, the previously mentioned, "Waka Waka", whilst also being highly contemporary with "She Wolf".
I keep repeating myself, but I really like artists like that. Artists who can make any genre their own, because their sound is their unique or versatile voice.
When it comes to her own music, life and love (or perhaps the other way around in her case) got in the way with Shakira. She was just embarking on a comeback with some new music and lots of various endorsement deals, when she got pregnant with her second son and had to slow it down again. Whether this single will be leading a new album is not yet known, but there are many people patiently awaiting it.
