Shakira has revealed a previously untold story behind her connection to Madrid, telling thousands of fans at the opening night of her Spanish residency about a heartbreak she experienced in the city when she was 19.

The Colombian superstar made the revelation during her first concert at Macondo Park on Friday, September 18, as she introduced her song ‘Te dejo Madrid’, a track that has long been closely associated with the Spanish capital.

A Story From Her Early Years

Speaking to the audience, Shakira described herself as a 19-year-old with black hair and leather trousers who became interested in a young man from Madrid.

She recalled the man as a Madrid local and described him humorously as a "verdadero ejemplar ibérico", or a true Iberian specimen.

The romance did not have the ending she had hoped for.

Shakira told the audience that the Madrid man "le rompió un poquito el corazón", or broke the heart of the young woman she had been describing.

She then added, with a laugh, that it was not the first or last time she had experienced heartbreak.

The Story Behind ‘Te Dejo Madrid’

The anecdote came immediately before Shakira performed ‘Te dejo Madrid’, giving the song an added personal context during her return to the Spanish capital.

The track was released in 2001 as part of her album ‘Laundry Service’ and became one of the songs most closely associated with her relationship with Madrid.

During the concert, Shakira presented the story as part of her own early experience in the city, connecting the song with a romantic disappointment from her youth.

Reports from the concert independently record Shakira saying that the girl in her story was 19, correcting the age of 18 given in the original headline supplied for this story.

Shakira Returns to Madrid

The revelation came during the first of 12 scheduled concerts in Madrid as part of her ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour’.

The residency began on September 18 at Macondo Park, the purpose-built concert complex at the Espacio Iberdrola Music site in Villaverde. The official tour information confirms the Madrid residency and provides details for concertgoers attending the shows.

Around 55,000 people attended the opening night, according to several reports from the concert.

For Shakira, the Madrid shows mark a return to Spain after several years away from performing in the country. Her opening-night performance combined songs spanning her career with material from her more recent work.

A Different Chapter

The singer also reflected on her relationship with Madrid and the role Spain has played in her life and career.

During the concert, she described being back in Madrid as a gift and spoke about resilience, telling the audience that falling down can leave people wiser and stronger.

The personal story surrounding ‘Te dejo Madrid’ therefore became one of the more intimate moments of the opening show, linking a song from Shakira's earlier career with a memory she had never previously shared publicly in this way.

Shakira's Madrid residency continues through October 11, with 12 concerts scheduled at Macondo Park.

Event Details

Artist: Shakira
Tour: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour
Venue: Macondo Park, Espacio Iberdrola Music, Villaverde, Madrid
Residency: 12 concerts
Opening night: Friday, September 18, 2026
Final scheduled Madrid date: October 11, 2026

The Madrid concerts give fans the opportunity to hear ‘Te dejo Madrid’ performed in the city that inspired its personal story, decades after the experience Shakira described on stage.