23 (Shakira song)

"23"
Song by Shakira
from the album Shakira
Recorded2013
GenrePop rock, country
Length4:00
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"23" is a song recorded by Colombian songwriter Shakira for her eponymous album (2014). It was written by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa and produced by Busbee and Shakira together with Ochoa. "23" is a pop rock song with country influences. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song is written about Shakira's relationship with her then-boyfriend Gerard Piqué.[1][2]

Background and composition

"Since Milan was born, I have been in the happiest moment of my life, the most complete. I dedicated '23' to Gerard because that is the age he was when I met him, he was 23 and I was 33".

—Shakira for Primer Impacto.[3]

In November 2012, Shakira revealed in an interview with Billboard magazine that she had begun writing new material and working with various producers for a new record.[4] The following year, she ended her recording contract with Epic Records and signed under Roc Nation for management purposes.[5] In December 2013, it was announced that Shakira had signed a recording contract with RCA Records, under which the record would be released.[6] On March 21, 2014, the album was released under the eponymous title Shakira.[7] "This album is very close to my heart and reflects a stage in my life", commented Shakira on the album's content.[8]

"23" was written by Shakira together with Luis Fernando Ochoa.[9] The song was produced by Busbee and Shakira, while Luis Fernando Ochoa provided additional production. "23" was recorded at Estopa Estudios in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona by Dave Clauss and Eric Eylands served as engineering assistant.[9] Also Clauss mixed the song at Grabaciones Silvestres in Sant Quirze Safaja, Barcelona and Joel Condal who served as mixing assistant.[9] Busbee provided the programming and the bass, David Levita provided the guitar while Alejandro Serrano the flugelhorn. The song also had the participation by Shakira's son Milan who provided the backing vocals.[9] Milan was in the studio as Shakira recorded the song, and his laughter can be heard at the end.[1] "I put a pair of headphones on him and he was listening really intently and after I finished the last little bit of the song ... he goes 'muau' and he just stayed there on the final recording, just like it happened. It was very emotional, it brought tears to my eyes," Shakira emphasized on the recording process.[10][11]

Lyrically, "23" honors Shakira's relationship with Piqué and reflects on his impact on her life.[3] In the song, she reflects on the moment she first met Piqué, expressing that she felt an immediate connection between them and that fate played a role in bringing them together when he was just 23.[12] Shakira commented that it's "one of the most personal songs" she has ever written.[10]

Critical reception

Direct Lyrics review the song positively by saying it was "Without a doubt Shakira's most-personal song on the album".[13] Leila Cobo at the Billboard said that the song is "The overall effect is one of innocence and vulnerability".[14] At Sputnikmusic, Brendan Schroer review the instrumentation of the song like an "Shakira's highly honest and reflective performances".[15] Elysa Gardner of USA Today defines the song as "a gently blissed-out track" and praised the fact that Shakira credited her son Milan as the "youngest background vocalist in the world!".[16] At The New York Times' Jon Pareles said that "23" shows "her professions of love sound both innocent and obsessive, and the idiosyncrasies of her English lyrics".[17] David Ferrell at PopMatters concludes that "motherhood seems to have brought out Shakira’s soft side on the charming "23"".[18]

Live performances

Shakira first performed "23" at the album launch parties in Barcelona on 20 March 2014,[19] and at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, California on 24 March 2024.[20] On 10 May 2014, Shakira performed the song alongside other songs at the Wango Tango concert in Los Angeles,[21] as she did on 10 July, when she performed it on Fantástico at the TV Globo studios in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro.[22]

Credits and personnel

Recording and mixing
  • Recorded at Estopa Estudios, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; mixed at Grabaciones Silvestres, Sant Quirze Safaja, Barcelona.
Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Shakira, RCA Records, Sony Music Latin.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Incluyó la voz de su hijo en '23'". www.critica.com.pa (in Spanish). 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  2. ^ "Shakira presenta Shakira". www.elcolombiano.com (in European Spanish). 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  3. ^ a b Durango, El Siglo de (2014-03-27). "Emocionada y nerviosa por su nuevo disco". www.elsiglodedurango.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  4. ^ Cobo, Leila (4 November 2011). "Shakira Needs to Record: 'My Body Is Asking for It'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  5. ^ Ryon, Sean (20 February 2012). "Shakira Signs To Roc Nation Management". HipHopDX. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  6. ^ Cantor-Navas, Judy (17 December 2013). "New Shakira Single Set for January". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Shakira. by Shakira". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  8. ^ "Shakira viene con un disco muy personal". El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e Shakira (inlay cover). Shakira. RCA Records. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ a b "Shakira lloró al grabar "23", la canción de su nuevo disco". diariolasamericas.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  11. ^ País, El (2014-03-28). "Shakira generó polémica en redes sociales con su nuevo disco". Noticias de Cali, Valle y Colombia - Periodico: Diario El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  12. ^ República, La (2022-06-02). ""23″, la canción con la que Shakira homenajeaba su relación con Gerard Piqué". larepublica.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  13. ^ "[Review] Shakira - "Shakira" Album (Track-by-Track)".
  14. ^ Cobo, Leila (25 March 2014). "Shakira, 'Shakira': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  15. ^ Wood, Mikael (29 March 2014). "Album review: Shakira". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  16. ^ Gardner, Elysa (25 March 2014). "Album of the week: 'Shakira' savors contentment". USA Today. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  17. ^ Pareles, Jon (March 27, 2014). "New Music by Shakira, Juanes, Enrique Iglesias and Wisin - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  18. ^ Farrell, David (April 17, 2014). "Shakira: Shakira | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  19. ^ "Shakira encabeza las listas de iTunes en España. #1 con su nuevo disco "SHAKIRA", y con su canción "Boig Per Tu"". Comunicae (in Spanish). 28 March 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  20. ^ Aguila, Justino (25 March 2014). "Shakira Talks New Music, Love and Her 86 Million Facebook Friends at Album Release Bash". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Кристина Агилера и другие звезды на концерте Wango Tango". spletnik.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  22. ^ "Shakira faz show para "Fantástico" antes da festa de encerramento da Copa". UOL TV e Famosos (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-24.