Shakira is a three-time GRAMMY winner and a Golden Globe-nominated artist, but sometimes even the highest of accolades aren’t enough to stop her from cringing at some of her past work.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer opened up about what makes her wince when she listens to her old music, telling Hot Ones host Sean Evans exactly why she feels that way and how her voice has evolved over the years. The conversation came up after the 47-year-old mother of two told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, “I used to suck.”

Shakira ultimately relented, saying she didn’t “suck,” but rather her most recent work is a testament to her evolving. But that particular quote had Evans wondering why she used to think that way.

“Ugh, so many things. I think I used to overdo the cries in my voice,” said Shakira as she let out her trademark cry that is prevalent and so iconic in her 2001 hit, “Whenever, Wherever.” 

“I think I was exaggerated. A little bit, you know … too much Shakira,” she continued. “And I noticed that after my pregnancies, my voice got thicker, more rounded, more full. Also, my choices are more mature. I have evolved as a woman, as a person. My intellect has evolved.”

Shakira, who is currently promoting her first studio album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry), in nearly seven years, shares two sons — Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9 — with her ex, the soccer superstar Gerard Piqué. The songstress and Piqué ended their 11-year relationship in 2022.

ET was with Shakira last year at the MTV Video Music Awards, where the singer was honored with the prestigious Video Vanguard Award. Shakira, joined by her sons backstage, opened up about the support from her rabid fanbase following her breakup.

“I never thought really that my fans could sustain me and could be there for me in so many ways, you know?” Shakira told ET at the time. “I think that if it wasn’t because of them, I would’ve probably been a lot sadder, but they really gave me a lot to fight for and they’re just so loyal. Always, always having my back and there for me for so many years.”

“It never runs out and I think that they’re the best fans in the world,” she added. “I am so lucky. They’re just amazing.”

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