Sawt Falasteen - After Madonna and Lady Gaga, Shakira set for Rio beach mega-gig

The free gig by the 49-year-old Colombian superstar is expected to draw a crowd of two million people, transforming the city into the capital of Latin pop for one night only.

In 2024, Madonna vogued for 1.6 million people and last year, Lady Gaga belted out her greatest hits to a throng of 2.1 million people at what has become an annual event.

Shakira will take to the stage between 9:45 pm and midnight (0045 to 0300 GMT Sunday) as part of her world tour.

With more than 90 million records sold, four Grammys, 15 Latin Grammys and a generation-spanning repertoire including bangers "Hips Don't Lie," "Waka Waka" and "Whenever, Wherever," she enjoys unique popularity in Brazil.

"She creates a link between Brazil and other Latin American countries," the president of Shakira's Brazilian fan club, Jouzeffer Fernandes Pereira, told AFP.

"If planet Earth had an altar capable of speaking for itself, that altar would be Copacabana," Shakira, who speaks fluent Portuguese, wrote in an open letter published in the daily newspaper O Globo.

Rio is more than ready to welcome the star, and her fans have dubbed the concert venue "Lobacabana" after the singer's track "She Wolf" ("Loba" in Spanish).

"The city is breathing Shakira," said longtime Brazilian fan Levi Tavares.

Videos of vast crowds learning the steps to "Waka Waka", the official song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, on Copacabana beach have recently gone viral on social media.

Authorities have deployed nearly 8,000 officers, drones, facial recognition cameras and 18 security checkpoints with metal detectors in the largest-ever security operation for a Copacabana mega-concert.

During Lady Gaga's 2025 performance, police thwarted an attempted bomb attack in the crowd.

Shakira's highly-anticipated concert is expected to inject more than 800 million reals (around $160 million) into the local economy, according to Rio city hall.

Brazil's tourism agency recorded an 80-percent increase in flight bookings for this week compared to the same period in 2024.

Most visitors are coming from elsewhere in the Americas, including Argentina, the United States, Uruguay, Chile and Colombia.

I.Yassin--SF-PST