Paquita la del Barrio to Shakira: ‘You Have Your Whole Life, Mija, So Don’t Worry’
Paquita la del Barrio, the iconic Mexican singer of heartbreak classics, shared an emotional message with Shakira after the Colombian star was compared to her on social media following the release instant diss hit “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53″ with Bizarrap against ex Gerard Piqué.
“I heard that you had a problem with your family. I am with you because I am a woman, and if anyone in life knows about these things, it is your friend,” Paquita said in a video in Spanish posted Sunday (Jan. 15) on her Instagram account. “What can I tell you? That you give it your best shot. The important thing is that you have your children, you have someone to live for and you have your whole life, mija, so don’t worry.”
“And look, I’m in Mexico. If you need anything from me, you know that we are at your service here. I send you a big hug. God bless you,” added the 75-year-old artist to her 45-year-old colleague.
To conclude her message, she sang a fragment of her song “Para Que Hinques a Tu Madre”: “Y ahí te dejo el remedio milagroso, te lo va a poner por si algo te arde/ Y ahí te dejo este par de rodilleras, ¿sabes para qué?/ Para que hinques a tu madre.” The lyrics roughly translate to: “And here I leave you the miracle remedy, put it on in case something burns/ And here I leave you this pair of kneepads, you know what for/ So you can go funk yourself.”
In the nearly four-minute dance-pop track, Shakira sings — more empowered than ever — as she makes clear references to her breakup with the Spanish soccer star.
For five decades, Paquita la del Barrio — whose real name is Francisca Viveros Barradas — has distinguished herself by performing songs of spite and reproach to men such as “Rata De Dos Patas,” “Tres Veces Te Engañé,” and “Cheque en Blanco,” which have become classics.
The phrase “¿Me estas oyendo, inútil?” (“Are you hearing me, inutil?”) included in “Rata De Dos Patas” is of popular domain, although she has explained in repeated interviews that with her songs, she seeks to share her experiences “from woman to woman” to empower others.
Paquita made reference to the famous phrase at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards, when Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny accompanied her to the stage and helped her adjust the microphone. “Eres un inútil,” she told him laughing, apparently in jest.
“Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” debuted on Wednesday (Jan. 11), and within 24 hours, its video had accumulated more than 50 million views, making it the best-ever release of a Spanish-language song on YouTube. By Sunday night it had more than 131 million views.
Isabela Raygoza
Billboard
