Shakira Shares How 11-Year-Old Son Milan Processed Gerard Piqué Split

Hayley Santaflorentina

March 21, 2024 at 3:44 PM·4 min read

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Originally appeared on E! Online

Whenever, wherever, Shakira's family will always have music to turn to.

In fact, as the Grammy winner was processing her split from ex Gerard Piqué through songs, their 11-year-old son Milan was on a similar journey.

"They know that this is one of the one of my own ways to heal and to express myself, through my music," she told Apple Music's Zane Lowe in an interview published March 20. "Milan, I remember he wrote two beautiful songs during the whole separation process and they just—they would make anyone cry. He wrote two songs on piano, and lyrics."

She continued, "Whenever he feels a little down, he goes to the piano and he writes music. And that is also his catharsis, his therapy."

But while the 47-year-old can tell her son's gift for music comes naturally, Shakira said the tween currently has his sights set elsewhere.

"He's a great musician, I think he's probably going to be a producer," she began, "but he's obsessed with football. He wants to be a soccer player. But I recognize that's he's a really great songwriter and producer, and maybe one day he'll take it more seriously. But for now it's just a channel for him."

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Shakira and Gerard—who are also parents to 9-year-old Sasha—announced their split in 2022 after more than 10 years together, amid infidelity rumors on the part of the Spanish soccer player.

And while the "Hips Don't Lie" singer admitted to Zane there was a "learning curve" in navigating the split with her children, she's learned that, much like hips, it's better not to lie.

"Society teaches us to conceal our feelings in front of our kids," Shakira reflected, "but I think that's a mistake because they know better and they perceive things in many different ways. And they can tell when an adult is lying to them."

She continued, "They want the truth. And if you don't give them the truth, they make up their own version. But if you're brave enough to talk about things with them, and try to understand how they're perceiving reality, and open up a conversation where they can also give their opinion—they know that life is not always perfect, and it's okay to face losses—what's important is we learn to express how we feel."

For more of Shakira's sweetest moments with her family, keep reading.