J Balvin and Maluma are just two of the artists featured on the Black Eyed Peas’ new album, and the Colombian singers joined the group for a Q&A with Billboard on June 25. At one point, BEP was asked whether they had to be “more flexible” when working with J Balvin and Maluma, and Will.i.am. admitted that it was actually another collaborator who required the most flexibility — Shakira. J Balvin couldn’t help but hop in and agree.
Will.i.am explained that he “learned” from Shakira when they were working together “because the way she does it is like a school.” He continued, “Number one, fix number one like this, here are my notes. And then for number two, I would really like to address this on number two, and then for number three…” At that point, he got cut off, as J Balvin jumped in and said, “And then you go back to one, then go to seven, then go to 10, then go to 20, and then go back to number one. One is the one.”
While J Balvin and Shakira have never collaborated on a song before, they did work together during the 2020 Super Bowl. Shakira headlined the Halftimeshak Show with Jennifer Lopez, and J Balvin, along with Bad Bunny, made guest appearances.
Needless to say, Shakira’s fans were not happy to hear J Balvin seemingly throw shade her way in his newest interview. “He should keep Shakira’s name out of his mouth,” one person tweeted, while another added, “I think J Balvin needs to be reminded of the power that Shakira holds. LMAO sit down. You’re not about to talk s*** to a Latina queen who paved the way for you and countless others.”
Another commenter said, “I KNOW J Balvin didn’t just try to diss Shakira, the woman who has built up the latino pop community for decades.” Someone else wrote, “Nobody talks s*** about Shakira, the Queen of Latin music.” J Balvin has not responded to the criticism.
