Here’s What It Was Like to Walk With Shakira For the Final Night of Her Historic Madrid Residency
Billboard ·
Billboard joins the Colombian superstar's pack once again, this time for the closing night of her European residency at Estadio Shakira.
Ever since the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour kicked off in February 2025, I had seen Shakira ‘s walk, surrounded by her “She-Wolf pack,” countless times — first through social media and later during her residency in Madrid from different spots in the custom-built Estadio Shakira venue, including the stands, the VIP area and the floor. On the final night, Monday (Oct. 12), after watching it from so many angles, I finally got to experience it from the inside.
I didn’t show up expecting a photo, a greeting or a personal moment with Shakira. My only intention was to enjoy the experience and feel firsthand what it was like to be part of that entrance I had watched so many times from the outside — an entrance that always seemed to transform the entire stadium into one big pack.
“Camina con La Loba” is a roughly two-minute walk where a group of guests accompanies the artist from one of the stadium entrances to the main stage, while the crowd welcomes her right at the start of the concert.
A few days earlier, I had written to Tomás Palacios, Shakira’s publicist in Spain, to request to participate in the walk, and the confirmation came just one day before the concert, in an email with a QR code and instructions. We were asked to gather at 7:30 p.m. (local time) in a tent set up near the back of the stage, where we were divided into four groups identified by numbered wristbands and organized by height, from shortest to tallest, just like in school.
Among those of us waiting were journalists, influencers and fans who had traveled from other countries. In front of me, there were fans from Peru holding their flag as they waited for their turn, and a little farther ahead, in a separate area, were some of the night’s VIP guests, including models Esther Cañadas and Blanca Padilla, content creator Laura Escanes, writer and TV host Nuria Roca and journalist Pilar Vidal.
Then came the silver capes and dark shades that are part of the walk. My colleagues at Billboard , Jessica Roiz and Natalia Cano , had already shared their experiences accompanying Shakira in Miami and Mexico City, respectively, so I had an idea of how hot those capes could get, especially after wearing them for a while. I had also read that the sunglasses made it hard to see, so I was prepared to enjoy the moment even if I could barely make out what was in front of me.
The concert was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. but began about half an hour later, so by the time it was our turn to move, we had been waiting for nearly an hour and a half amid howls, cheers and spontaneous bursts of Shakira songs from the groups. With the sunglasses on, I could barely make out what was in front of me, and honestly, I didn’t see Shakira, not even from a distance — but it didn’t matter. The moment we entered the stadium, the sound of over 50,000 people screaming, singing and clapping combined with the music, the lights, and the adrenaline of walking through it all completely overpowered everything else.
Those two minutes of walking felt completely different from all the times I had watched the walk from the outside and ultimately connected with an idea Shakira wanted to emphasize during her time in Madrid. Throughout those weeks, she spoke often about Latinidad — not just as something defined by language or birthplace, but as a bond built through culture, roots and a sense of belonging. More than just an abstract concept, it was something she instilled during her stay in the city, bringing together diverse cultures, rhythms, and traditions, and reminding us, time and time again, of everything that unites us.
That night, before singing “Antología,” special guest Laura Pausini spoke about what it means for other women to see a long and solid career like Shakira’s and to remember that age doesn’t have to be a limit when it comes to chasing your dreams. Her words made me think about my eight-year-old daughter, who accompanied me to one of Shakira’s concerts in Madrid and who I now hear singing “Las de la intuición” and “Ojos así” — songs I knew long before she was born and that, in a way, now belong to her too. That connection between generations gave the walk a much more personal meaning for me than I had ever imagined.