What’s Poppin: We’ve now entered the era of post-breakup revenge songs

Hey, what’s poppin’? Life can get busy at times, and as time-starved individuals, it can be hard to get caught up on all the latest cultural trends and news. Welcome to What’s Poppin’, where we identify and dissect the latest happenings in pop culture and entertainment through our signature distinct voice and lens, of course. 

January: the month of new beginnings, ditching booze, and…heartbreak? With many fuelled by the desire for fresh starts, twice as many break-ups happen in January than any other month, according to a survey done by Yahoo.

Pop stars are no exception to heartbreak. Coincidentally (or not), January is also the month for post-breakup hits. But rather than soulful piano ballads (see: Adele’s Someone like You, released 24 January 2011) or lovelorn anthems (see: Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License, released January 8, 2021), this year’s post-breakup songs have a reigning theme: revenge. 

Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53

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Shakira, renowned singer, polyglot, philanthropist, and steadfast believer in the truthfulness of her hips, made a vicious return to the top of the charts this month with a savage breakup track about her ex-partner, Spanish football player Gerard Piqué. The couple were together for more than a decade, and have two children together. 

Shortly after announcing to the press that they were splitting up, Spanish tabloids reported that 35-year-old Piqué was in a relationship with Clara Chia, a 23-year-old Spanish student studying public relations, who also works at the former footballer’s entertainment-production company. (Shakira allegedly found that he was cheating on her when she realised that a jar of her favourite strawberry jam, which Piqué and their children dislike, had been eaten while she was away. The singer alluded to this in the music video for her single Te Felicito, where she can be seen opening a fridge to be greeted by her collaborator Rauw Alejandro’s head.)

The revenge track, a collaboration with the Argentinian producer and DJ Bizarrap, racked up more than 63 million YouTube views within 24 hours of its release (it now has over 150 million views), breaking a record and making it the most watched new Latin song in the platform’s history.

“Good luck with my so-called replacement”

In the record-smashing anthem, Shakira didn’t pull any punches with cleverly crafted Spanish lyrics filled with hidden nuances and euphemisms that comes as close as possible to naming names without actually doing so. 

Translations of the Spanish lyrics vary slightly online, but some of the most biting lines include “you left me with my mother-in-law as a neighbour / with the press at the door / and in debt with the government”; “I’m worth two of 22 [year-olds] / you traded a Ferrari for a [Renault] Twingo / you traded a Rolex for a Casio”; “Good luck with my so-called replacement”. 

In the second verse, the Colombian singer makes things even more pointed with the lyrics: “I only make music, sorry if it splashes you.” Splash in Spanish translates to “salpique”, and Shakira delivers it with a loaded pause, distinctly hinting at her ex’s name. The chorus, meanwhile, features the Spanish word  “claramente”, a clear reference to Clara Chia’s name.  

Ouch. Following the track’s release, Piqué has pulled multiple social media stunts, including wearing a Casio watch and giving the brand a shoutout during a Twitch livestream event, and rolling up to work in a Twingo car. (We would like to reference Shakira’s lyrics: “lots of time at the gym, but your brain needs a little work too” here.)

Meanwhile, following the news that her single had broken Spotify streaming records, Shakira celebrated the song’s success on social media. Describing the song as “a catharsis and a way to let go”, she also dedicated it “to all the women teaching me how to make sweet lemonade when life gives you those sour lemons” in a separate post. 

Miley Cyrus: Flowers

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A couple of days after Shakira dropped her reclamation banger, Miley Cyrus released a breakup anthem of her own, Flowers. (I did mention that January is the month of post-breakup hits, didn’t I?) While Shakira’s track is full of pointed barbs, Cyrus decided to lean towards subdued references. 

Flowers is the singer’s first single in nearly two years, and it’s also the first off her upcoming eighth album Endless Summer Vacation, which will make its launch on March 10. The song tells the story of going through a breakup and realising that one can thrive on their own outside of a relationship. While the singer has yet to confirm that the song is directed at her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, many fans have noted the hidden Easter eggs that harken back to Cyrus and Hemsworth’s past relationship. 

A quick recap: Cyrus and Hemsworth first met on the set of the romantic drama The Last Song in 2011. Their relationship then followed a tumultuous Hollywood breakup-and-makeup journey. They were first engaged from May 2012 until September 2013, and after breaking off the engagement, they reunited in 2016 before getting married in 2018. Less than a year later, they decided to go their separate ways, with their divorce finalising in 2020. 

The first clue that the song hints at their past relationship is the release date: January 13, Hemsworth's birthday. While Cyrus dropped the single on January 12 in the United States, it was already the following day in Australia, Hemsworth’s home country. Coincidence? We think not.

“I can buy myself flowers”

Aside from its, ahem, coincidental release date, the song opens with, “We were good, we were gold / Kinda dream that can't be sold / We were right 'til we weren't / Built a home and watched it burn”. The last line, in particular, is in reference to Cyrus and Hemsworth’s Malibu home, which burned in the 2018 California wildfire. In a 2019 interview with magazine Vanity Fair, Cyrus noted that the loss of her home pushed her and Hemsworth to tie the knot.

The chorus, meanwhile, is a paraphrase of Bruno Mars’ 2013 single When I Was Your Man, which Hemsworth allegedly dedicated to Cyrus in the past (she had previously also posted a video dancing to the song on her wedding day). 

In his 2013 hit, Mars sings, “I should have bought you flowers / and held your hand / should have gave you all my hours when I had the chance / take you to every party 'cause all you wanted to do was dance ”; in Flowers, Cyrus sings, “I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand / Talk to myself for hours…I can take myself dancing, and I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love me better than you can.”

Parts of the music video were also filmed in the Los Angeles mansion where Hemsworth was allegedly reported to have had an affair. Fans on social media have also speculate that Cyrus is dancing in the same suit that Hemsworth once wore. 

Revenge is a dish best served loud

The pop star's version of the end of a whirlwind romance – love, heartbreak, absolute banger –  is a tale as old as time. Neither Shakira nor Cyrus are the first to release post-breakup revenge anthems – many male singers, including John Mayer and Justin Timberlake, have released tracks dedicated to their ex-partners. 

And yet, neither Mayer nor Timberlake were called “petty” at the time of their respective single releases.  Nor were they accused of airing out their grievances in such a public manner, or for shading their exes to monetise their love lives. Both Shakira and Cyrus, however, have been on the receiving end of criticism by some on the internet after the release of their songs. 

A revenge track against an ex might not be the most sensible path towards feeling better, but we sometimes tend to forget that celebrities are also humans. While we might not all have a house in Hollywood Hills, multiple platinum hits, or hips that don’t lie (sadly, I, for one, was born with two left feet and zero belly dancing skills), I would imagine that working on these breakup hits are as cathartic to the singers as you venting your frustrations in your journal or b*tching to your friend about a terrible ex. Your life experiences of heartbreak, sorrow, and anger is, at its core, the same as Shakira and Cyrus. The manner in which one person can hurt another doesn’t change due to geographic location or tax bracket.

At the end of the day, if you’re able to turn your pain into art (or, if you’re a pop star and can turn your pain into a record-breaking hit), why not? As Shakira notes: “Women don't cry anymore, they cash in.”

As for the rest of us non-musicians, let’s just sit back, feel the feels, and enjoy the bops.