Shakira Enters Her Corrido Era With the Help of Fuerza Régida on ‘El Jefe’

Put on your cowboy boots and sombrero: Shakira is going the corridos route. On Wednesday, the Colombian superstar released her empowering corrido, titled “El Jefe,” alongside Fuerza Régida.

The track follows the story of a man from a small town who dreams of getting out and becoming a “boss with potential.” The video shows JOP, Fuera Régida’s frontman, playing the role of a hard worker carrying heavy boxes while singing the track’s lyrics about having a “de mierda” employer.

“You’re dreaming of leaving the barrio/You have everything to be a millionaire,” she sings in the chorus. “You have expensive taste, the mentality/All you need is the salary.”

The video ends with Shakira and JOP standing up to their bosses, and the Colombian star pouring wine on her boss’ head. The visual ends with a contemplative Shakira staring into the camera while riding a horse and sporting an all-red outfit.

Elsewhere on the song, Shakira shouts out her longtime nanny Lili Melgar, with the line: “This song is for you, since you weren’t paid severance.” Fans and tabloids have rumored that Melgar helped Shakira find out about Piqué’s infidelity, and that she was later let go without compensation. Melgar makes an appearance in the visual.

Shakira first teased the new track over the weekend, garnering nearly 2.5 million likes. She later shared an Instagram video of herself making trumpet noises, “the human trumpet,” she joked, recorded for the song.

“She is not playing,” commented Jimmy Humilde, the head of Fuerz Régida’s label Rancho Humilde. “She’s a complete genius and it was an honor being there for the process.”

The collab with Fuerza Régida follows the release of tracks like “Copa Vacía” with Manuel Turizo, “Acróstico,” and “TQG” with Karol G. Earlier this week, she received seven nominations for the 2023 Latin Grammys, including for Record and Song of the Year.

Fuerza Régida, for their part, is currently on their Otro Pedo tour across the United States. They recently joined Calle 24 and Chino Pacas for “Qué Onda,” and dropped viral singles “Sabor Fresa” and “TQM” this summer.

A cross-genre collab like this one is a fitting next step for Fuerza Régida. The group’s frontman JOP told Rolling Stone in December 2022 that the next step is to “go global, bro.”

“Now I can do this Marshmello shit. Now I can do this Myke Towers shit,” he said. “My people are going to respect it and then we’re going to go crazy and change the game.”

From Rolling Stone US.