RIO DE JANEIRO — Colombian singer Shakira headlined a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night as part of her "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" world tour, named after her 2024 album. Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said the show drew 2 million people to the beach.

Shakira's set began around 11 p.m., more than an hour after the scheduled 9:45 p.m. start time. She performed "Hips Don't Lie," "La Tortura," and "La Bicicleta," and closed with "BZRP Music Sessions #53/66." Drones flew overhead, spelling out "I love you Brazil" in Portuguese.

"I arrived here when I was 18 years old, dreaming about singing for you. And now look at this. Life is magical," Shakira told the crowd. She first performed in Brazil in the 1990s.

Ahead of the concert, Shakira said in a TV Globo interview that she expected the Copacabana show to be the biggest of her career. "For me it's a dream. I always dreamed of singing on this beach, because I think it's a magical place," she said. On Friday, May 1, she took part in a rehearsal on Copacabana Beach with Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso.

Crowds began arriving on the beach Saturday morning to secure spots. DJs performed on the beach in the late afternoon, and another DJ was scheduled to perform after Shakira's set to facilitate an orderly exit. Street vendors sold sweet corn, Brazilian snacks, bottled water, caipirinhas, toilet paper, deodorant, and bags of sand.

The performance followed free concerts by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga in 2025 on Copacabana Beach. The shows are part of Rio City Hall's effort to boost economic activity between Carnival and New Year's Eve and the Saint John's Day celebrations in June. A study by City Hall and Riotur estimated Shakira's performance could generate around 777 million reais, or about $155 million, for the city.

"For us, parties are serious business. Because parties generate jobs, income, development, and identity for the city," Cavaliere said. "Our investment in this show will give us a financial return 40 times greater," he also said. On social media, he posted, "The She-Wolf made history in Rio."

Ethnomusicologist Felipe Maia tied Shakira's appeal in Brazil to cultural similarities between Colombia and Brazil. "Saturday's performance crowns the relationship she has had with Brazil for a very long time," Maia said.

During the 2025 Lady Gaga concert, Rio de Janeiro state police arrested two people in connection with an alleged bomb plot. Rio City Hall data show tourist arrivals on May 1, 2024 rose 34.2% compared with the previous year, and in May 2025 rose 90.5% compared with 2023.