Is Shakira a real, live human woman? Or is she the sinister creation of Antonio de la Rua, who sent the diminutive, bold-voiced beauty around the world to stir up trouble with seductive hip-shaking and Colombian-accented lyrics? A new lawsuit will shed light on Shakira’s secret origins, as the international singing star has been sued by de la Rua, her ex-boyfriend, for $250 million. De la Rua says that he’s responsible for her success around the world and is entitled to a portion of her earnings.
The Daily News reports that, earlier this week, Shakira asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed by her former beau on the grounds that she was already an established international star in 2000, the year she met de la Rua. In the affidavit filed by Shakira, she says that even though de la Rua “lacked experience or knowledge of the music industry, in 2005, at his request, I decided to involve him in some matters relating to the business.” She goes on to describe de la Rua, who is the son of an Argentinian president, as “unemployed” at the time, because his father was forced to resign.
De la Rua claims that he offered to help Shakira after her 2004 tour flopped, and used his marketing, brand-building and political campaign management to help her recover from the publicity and financial nightmare. He also claims that he talked her into recording her biggest hit, “Hips Don’t Lie,” and helped orchestrate her $300 million deal with Live Nation in 2008. He also takes credit for helping to write Shakira’s song, “Waka Waka,” and that he continued managing her career even after their romantic relationship ended and the singer married Gerard Pique.
Since de la Rua filed his lawsuit, Shakira filed a countersuit in the Bahamas, saying that her ex-boyfriend had misappropriated $3 million of her money. She also contends that de la Rua’s suit won’t hold up in court, as none of their alleged business agreements are in writing.
Image Credit: Georges Biard