From meeting the father of her kids to performing at the first-ever halftime show, Shakira's links to the World Cup are strong
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NEED TO KNOW
- Shakira says her life and career has been heavily impacted by soccer and her relationship with the World Cup
- Speaking to PEOPLE, the “Waka Waka” singer shared that she has a connection with the sport that “seems unbreakable”
- The 2010 World Cup “is when I met the father of my kids who was playing during that World Cup,” Shakira added, referencing her ex, retired soccer star Gerard Piqué, and their sons Milan, 13, and Sasha, 11
Shakira says her life, career and "fate" will forever be intertwined with soccer.
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of her World Cup half-time performance, the pop star, 49, opened up about how her life has been totally transformed by soccer — beginning with her performance of "Hips Don't Lie" with Wyclef Jean the 2006 World Cup, and then again in 2010, when she debuted her song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)."
"It's crazy that I have this connection with [soccer] that seems unbreakable," she told PEOPLE.
According to Shakira, writing "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" had a snowball effect on her life after she performed it at the 2010 games.
"My history with [soccer] goes back to 2006 when I performed at the first World Cup with Wyclef, performed 'Hips Don't Lie," and then again in 2010, which is when I met the father of my kids who was playing during that World Cup," she continued, referencing her ex, retired soccer star Gerard Piqué, with whom she went on to welcome two sons, Milan, 13, and Sasha, 11.
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The meeting inspired a sweet nickname for her kids: "That's why I call my kids the 'Waka' kids; I think they were born because of that song."
"That song took me to the World Cup and the World Cup had an important impact in my life. And they were born—the best thing that has happened to me," she said of her sons.
Her journey (and her kids' journey) with soccer also stretched into the 2014 World Cup, where she performed her hit "La La La (Brazil 2014)" alongside Carlinhos Brown.
"In 2014, I was pregnant with Sasha, with my little one, and my fans, all of my fans, they saw me perform, and they're like, 'Shakira's pregnant,'" she joked. "And I was like a month pregnant. I was like two months maximum, but they know me so well."
"So, every World Cup is something really magical," she added. "And I think this one is going to be all about bringing people together in this very sensitive moment in time, socially and politically."
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As for this year's event, Shakira already made an on-stage appearance alongside Burna Boy at the opening match for a performance of their official World Cup song, "Dai Dai," meaning "come on, come on" in Italian.
She is also set to make some World Cup history with the competition's first-ever halftime show at the Finals on July 18 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where she is set to co-headline alongside Madonna and BTS.
As for what keeps her coming back to work with the World Cup organizers, the "Te Felicito" singer shared a simple, one-word answer: "Fate."
