El Dorado (Shakira album)

El Dorado (meaning "The Golden") is Shakira's eleventh studio album, released on 26 May 2017 through Sony Music Latin. Most of the album is in Spanish, with three English-language tracks. After her 2014 self-titled album, Shakira had her second child, experienced writer's block, and felt uncertain about her career's future. Working with Carlos Vives on "La Bicicleta" encouraged her to keep making music.

The album draws on Shakira's personal life, especially her relationship with footballer Gerard Piqué. She worked with longtime collaborator Luis Fernando Ochoa and new producers including Supa Dups, Rude Boyz, and The Arcade. Musically, it blends Latin pop and reggaeton with bachata, vallenato, cumbia, salsa, hip-hop, R&B, trap, and electropop. There are six guest appearances: two with Colombian singer Maluma, and one each with Nicky Jam, Carlos Vives, Prince Royce, Black M, and Magic!.

Critics praised the album's coherence and its fun but mature tone, though some found it lacking creativity and too reliant on previously released collaborations. El Dorado reached the top ten in Argentina, Austria, France, Spain, and Switzerland, and hit number one on the US Top Latin Albums chart and number fifteen on the Billboard 200. The lead single "Chantaje" became a global hit, topping Billboard's Hot Latin Songs for eleven non-consecutive weeks and earning a sixteen-times platinum certification from the RIAA. Follow-up singles "Me Enamoré" and "Perro Fiel" also performed well commercially, and "Trap" was released as the fourth single in early 2018. Several singles received Diamond certifications in the United States (Latin), Brazil, Argentina, France, and Mexico. The album won the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album in 2018, Shakira's third Grammy win. Promotion was minimal, but a concert tour was announced. The El Dorado World Tour was originally scheduled to begin in November 2017 but was postponed after Shakira suffered a vocal cord hemorrhage, eventually starting in June 2018.

Background

In October 2015, Shakira said she would return to the recording studio "soon" for her eleventh album, but stressed that her family came first. She later admitted she doubted she would ever make another album, saying she was full of doubts and feared she could no longer create good music.