Shakira follows Madonna and Lady Gaga in giving a huge free concert on Copacabana Beach

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 3, (AP): Colombian superstar Shakira gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night, an event that the city's mayor said drew 2 million people to one of the world’s most iconic waterfronts. The performance followed similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year, which also were attended by huge crowds that danced on the sprawling sands.

For Shakira, it was part of her "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” or "Women No Longer Cry,” world tour named after her 2024 album. Shakira's set kicked off around 11 p.m., more than hour after the scheduled slot, to her fans screaming with excitement and frantic applause as skywriting drones flew overhead, spelling out in the sky, "I love you Brazil” in Portuguese.

The megastar spoke fondly about the first time she came to Brazil, some three decades ago. "I arrived here when I was 18 years old, dreaming about singing for you,” Shakira told the crowd shortly after coming on stage. "And now look at this. Life is magical.” The much-loved pop star sang fan favorites such as "Hips Don’t Lie,” "La Tortura” and "La Bicicleta."

She ended with "BZRP Music Sessions #53/66,” which followed her separation from Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué. She also took the time to celebrate women’s resilience during the show. "Us women, every time we fall we get up a little wiser,” she said. Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said on X that 2 million people attended the performance.

"The She-Wolf made history in Rio,” he posted, referring to Shakira's 2009 hit. When Shakira first performed in Brazil in the 1990s, she established an amazing connection with the Brazilian public, according to Felipe Maia, an ethnomusicologist pursuing a doctoral degree on popular music and digital technologies at Paris Nanterre University.

That success in Brazil "has a lot to do with the fact that she comes from Colombia, a country whose culture has many similarities with Brazil,” Maia said, adding that Saturday’s performance "crowns the relationship she has had with Brazil for a very long time.” Erica Monteiro, a 38-year-old accountant, said she has listened to Shakira since childhood. "For me she represents the strength of our Latino community,” Monteiro said ahead of the concert. "We’re treated as if we were inferior but in fact we have much more strength.”