Soccer-Tournament - Half time pause extended - harsh criticism for Shakira's Copa America appearance
A large stage, dozens of dancers, AI animations, plus a lot of bling-bling: Colombian superstar Shakira knows how to stage a big football show. At the World Cup 2010, she created a massive hit with "Waka Waka." In her performance at the Copa America, the largest football tournament in South America, she tried to rekindle old successes. She performed four songs, including "Hips don't lie." However, her show during the halftime break was celebrated by 64,000 spectators in the Miami stadium but received harsh criticism on social media. Critics claimed she didn't sing live and accused her of performing an old choreography.
The controversy surrounding Shakira's performance began beforehand. For the first time in the history of the South American tournament, the halftime break was extended from 15 to 25 minutes. Shakira's fellow countryman Néstor Lorenzo, the Colombian national team coach, spoke out against it. "This could affect the players' fitness," the 58-year-old coach said. "They could tire too much."
Controversial Halftime Break Extension
The extension of the halftime break was also controversial because teams were penalized at the beginning of the tournament if they didn't come out of the locker room on time. The affected teams had to pay a fine of $15,000. Lorenzo argued for keeping the 15-minute break. "According to the rules."
However, the criticism bounced off Conmebol, the organizers of the Copa America. Since the tournament was taking place in the US, they adapted it to the Super Bowl, the commercial mega-event of the American Football League. Every year, stars perform in the Super Bowl halftime show, most recently Usher and Rihanna. Shakira was one of the selected stars who could perform before over a hundred million viewers worldwide in 2020. However, she had to share the stage with Jennifer Lopez. Both women found this a slight, which Lopez criticized in her 2022 Netflix documentary "Halftime." "That was the biggest mistake of all," so the Latin woman, who felt discriminated against due to her origin.
Solo Performance: Shakira's Triumph After Four Years
All the more triumphant Shakira's performance had to be, as she returned to the same stage in Miami four years after the Super Bowl appearance and could perform alone. Although the Colombian team's loss in the final against Argentina, which took the cup home for the 16th time, was a disappointment for Shakira, her performance must have been worth it. It was rumored that she received a million-dollar fee from Conmebol and that her upcoming US tour sales were boosted by the show. Unlike Jennifer Lopez, who recently had to cancel her upcoming concerts, Shakira could soon sing before sold-out stadiums. Her tour starts in November – enough time to fine-tune her live performance.
The extended halftime break at the Copa America, lasting 25 minutes instead of the usual 15, was a point of contention for Colombian national team coach Néstor Lorenzo, who believed it could negatively impact the players' fitness.
During the Copa America, Shakira shared the stage with Jennifer Lopez during the halftime break, a situation that Lopez criticized as a slight and a form of discrimination in her 2022 Netflix documentary "Halftime."
Despite the controversy surrounding her performance at the Copa America halftime break, Shakira's sole performance at the same Miami stage four years later, following her Super Bowl appearance, was triumphant. Her live performance, along with the anticipated success of her upcoming US tour, reportedly earned her a million-dollar fee from Conmebol.
