Shakira talks new album: 'Writing music is like going to the shrink'

Colombian singer Shakira is opening up about her new album and how music helped her overcome some of the lows in her life. 

The 45-year-old is set to release her first album in five years. The 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' hitmaker spoke to Elle for the magazine's October issue. Shakira says her fans will get to hear some new songs from the offering very soon.

"Some are in English and some in Spanish, different genres. But I’m really, really thrilled about not only the body of work that I have right now to share with the people who are waiting for it, but also how gratifying the whole process has been for me," she told Elle.

Shakira has had a tough few months. In June, she announced that she was parting ways with her partner of 11 years, Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué. 

She is also facing an eight-year prison sentence in Spain for tax fraud, but the star is confident she will win the "baseless" case. 

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Shakira says recording her new album has been therapeutic for her. 

"I think everyone has their own processes or their own mechanisms to process grief or stress or anxiety. We all go through stuff in life. But in my case, I think that writing music is like going to the shrink, only cheaper [laughs]. It just helps me process my emotions and make sense of them.

"I feel like in this moment of my life, which is probably one of the most difficult, darkest hours of my life, music has brought light." she revealed. 

Shakira says it is hard to talk about the end of her marriage. She has two children - Milan and Sasha - with Gerard. The couple fell in love during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. 

"It’s really upsetting for two kids who are trying to process their parents’ separation. And sometimes I just feel like this is all a bad dream and that I’m going to wake up at some point," she admitted. 

The star - who reportedly has a net worth of more than $300-million - also addressed her tax issues.

"These are false accusations... I’ve paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit. So as of today, I owe zero to them. And finally, I was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers, so I was confident that I was doing things correctly and transparently from day one," she said. 

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Main image credit: Elle magazine