Shakira is opening up after last year’s brutal split with retired soccer player Gerard Piqué.
“Being a single mom and the rhythm of a pop star aren’t compatible,” the singer told Billboard in an interview published Thursday.
“I have to put my kids to bed, go to the recording studio; everything is uphill. When you don’t have a husband who can stay home with the kids, it’s constant juggling.”
Shakira, who moved from Spain to the U.S. following her separation from Piqué, said her new life means she can “release music at a faster clip,” but being a working parent is a balancing act.
“I need to be there every moment with my children: take them to school, have breakfast with them, take them to play dates,” she told Billboard. “I haven’t been to the gym in a year. … It’s hard to do everything.”
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer’s loyal fanbase has bolstered her resolve, however.
“I never thought really that my fans could sustain me and could be there for me in so many ways,” she told Entertainment Tonight after receiving the MTV Video Vanguard Award last week. “If it wasn’t because of them, I would’ve probably been a lot sadder, but they really gave me a lot to fight for.”
In addition to her win at the Video Music Awards, Shakira has also broken multiple Guinness World Records this year and is among the top nominees of the upcoming Latin Grammy Awards.
But at the same time, she faces legal trouble for allegedly failing to pay $13.9 million in income tax for 2012-2014, and her father remains unwell due to a recent fall.
When Billboard asked if she considers herself happy these days, the singer was rather candid.
“I don’t think everyone has access to happiness,” she said. “It’s reserved for a very select number of people, and I can’t say I’m part of the club at this moment.”
Still, she’s making the best of a bad situation.
“If life gives you lemons, you have to make lemonade,” she said. “That’s what I’m doing: making lemonade.”