colombian superstar Shakira Gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night, an event the city’s mayor said attracted 2 million people to one of the world’s most iconic waterfronts.Similar shows followed the performance mother of jesus in 2024 and Lady Gaga Last year, which was attended by huge crowds and danced on the vast sand. For Shakira, it was part of her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” or “Women No Longer Cry” world tour named after her 2024 album.

Shakira says, ‘Life is magical’

Shakira’s set began around 11 p.m., more than an hour later than scheduled, with fans screaming in excitement and applause as skywriting drones flew across the sky and chanted “I love you Brazil” in Portuguese.The megastar spoke fondly about coming to Brazil for the first time nearly three decades ago.“When I was 18, I came here with the dream of singing for you,” Shakira told the crowd shortly after taking the stage. “And now look at this. Life is magical.”The much-loved pop star sang fan favorites like “Hips Don’t Lie,” “La Tortura” and “La Bicicleta.” She concluded with “BZRP Music Sessions #53/66”, following her separation from Spanish football player Gerard Pique.She also took time to celebrate the resilience of women during the show. She said, “We women, every time we fall, we get up a little wiser.”

One of the first places where Shakira became successful

Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said on Twitter that 2 million people attended the demonstration. “The She-Wolf makes history in Rio,” he posted, referring to Shakira’s 2009 hit.When Shakira first performed in Brazil in the 1990s, she struck an amazing connection with the Brazilian public, according to Felipe Maia, an ethnomusicologist who earned a doctoral degree in popular music and digital technologies at the University of Paris Nanterre.That success in Brazil “has a lot to do with the fact that she comes from Colombia, a country that has many similarities in culture with Brazil,” Maia said, adding that Saturday’s performance “reflects the long-standing relationship she has had with Brazil.”Shakira’s performance was good, says Helem Souza da Silva on his way home after Saturday’s show bad bunnyThe concerts in São Paulo in February helped strengthen Brazil’s Latino identity.He said, “These artists are making it clear that Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia and other countries are part of Latin America. And America is not the United States.”Crowds started gathering on the beach from Saturday morning to find a good spot for the show. Street vendors sold sweet corn and other Brazilian snacks, bottled water and the popular Brazilian cocktail Caipirinhas, but also toilet paper, deodorant and even sand bags so that concertgoers could get a better view of the stage set up in front of the Copacabana Palace, a historic luxury hotel.Street vendor Simone Paula da Cunha arrived at the beach on Friday evening, hoping to sell all the beer and water bottles she purchased before the show and make about $100 in total.

An effort to boost the city’s economy after Carnival

The free concerts are part of City Hall’s effort to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Year’s Eve festivities and before the month-long St. John’s Day celebrations in June.According to a study by City Hall and RioTour, the municipality’s tourism company, Shakira’s performance could generate approximately 777 million reais (about US$155 million), thanks to the influx of tourists and cash spent in restaurants, hotels and shops.More tourists visited Rio in the month of May in the show years – 2024 and 2025 – than in 2023, according to City Hall data. In 2024, on May 1, just before the concerts, the increase compared to the previous year was 34.2%. There is an increase of 90.5% in 2025 compared to 2023.Ahead of Shakira’s performance, Airbnb said in an April 22 statement that it was seeing an increase in the number of guests coming from various parts of Brazil, Latin America and even European capitals like Paris and London.Wanderson Andrade, a 30-year-old architect, said he flew in from the central Brazilian city of Guiana on Saturday specifically for the show and planned to fly back the next day.“I tried to get tickets to see her in Brazil last year but I didn’t succeed,” said Andrade, whose first tattoo is a wolf in Shakira’s honor. “Today a dream has come true.”