Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour will feature stage designs created by the Colombian superstar as she entrusts Yellow Studio with the job. A New York-based design agency specializing in
Shakira’s type of events accepted the challenge and interpreted her themes and messages of resilience and empowerment visually. The creative impact stretches beyond Shakira, who will be bringing to life the identity themes.
Collaboration Process: Shaping a Striking Design
Yellow Studio’s Julio Himede commented about their initial meeting where the first steps of the stage design were sketched. Yellow Studio’s collaboration started a year before the tour date with Julio and senior designer Damun Jawanrudi going to Miami to meet Shakira and her creative directors from The Square Division.
“Shakira was undoubtedly at the center of the design. She wanted a screen that was clean and monumental; all her messages from her latest album had to be projected there.” The output of this intense collaboration process was the stage design, which was aligned with Shakira’s artistic concepts.
Resilience and Empowerment: The Influence of the Album
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran was surely not lacking from Shakira’s album, as “Las Gemas Y Su Poder” resonates with the themes of her album. According to Himede, the team approached the project on a more pragmatic basis. She stated that we had to ‘play by the rules,’ so, in reality, they spent days trying to grasp its beauty.
Every singular element served as its very own gem, uniquely crafted to provide inspiration for the show. The undeniable merit of resiliency and empowerment backed by womanhood and, metaphorically, gemstones provided the strength and transformation that serve as a source of great visual support.
Earthy Tones and Vibrant Transformations: Act by Act Design
In congruence with Shakira’s songs, the stage design during the performance was changed to represent the various moods and messages embedded in the music. For instance, the visuals prior to the show’s opening act, “Te Felicito,” had “earthy tones and imagery tied to the concepts of a desert and gemstones,” depicting a woman’s survival and rise.
The “Te Felicito” parts were also changed to fit Shakira’s vision, where the stage was beautified with “monochromatic pinks and purples—colors synonymous with seduction and candor.”
The “Wolfpack” Identity: Connecting with the Audience
Some of the strongest visuals of the tour were centered around the wolf depiction because it is significant in relation to Shakira, her fans, and her identity. According to Himede, “Wolfpack” is an idea that grew over time, with so many people all over the globe referring to themselves as part of it.
“I wanted them to feel like they were part of my Wolfpack and Shakira’s world.” The stage structure certainly sought to achieve this feeling by fully incorporating Shakira’s image at the beginning with an enormous inflatable wolf that would serve as the show’s centerpiece during the encore performance of “She Wolf.” The video screens also featured wolves along with her cubs paying her tribute. Suffice it to say that the audience didn’t just watch the show; they participated.
Shakira’s Creative Input: A Partnership of Vision
Himede put a foul over Shakira’s strenuous input over the stage design and emphasized how much of Shakira’s image could still be carried over.
Shakira, as he put it, ‘is one very experienced and professional’ not only in her performance but, more importantly, in her understanding of what her audience wanted.
Shakira was fully involved in decorating the sketches as well as building the scale models, letting her hands do the designing, such as changing the configuration of the stage pieces.”
Technology and Innovation: Transforming the Stage
The stage was designed as a “playground” for Shakira, which had a clean, minimal, and monumental architectural structure that could be changed throughout the performance. As it was mentioned before, the technological impact used throughout the performance achieved a great deal of the dynamic and visually stimulating experience. The intricate screens included in the setup not only dismantled but also rose, fell, and shifted between a plethora of landscapes and lighting-simulated effects.
Logistics and Efficiency: Lessons from the Past
The design process incorporates lessons from travels undertaken previously. The daunting task of moving big props, like a snake for Shakira’s 2017 El Dorado World Tour, posed problems for the design of the new show. The wolf that is the visual centerpiece of the stage is greatly inflated and was designed to fit in a suitcase, demonstrating the new technology and visual theater, but also the ease of packing for travel.
A Powerful Connection: Immersive Experience
The efforts of a stage designer can be considered successful when the audience is able to relate to the design on a deeper level. According to Himede, fans fully immerse themselves in the Shakira experience, where she goes from an exuberant performance to an orchestral and tender moment, seamlessly moving between segments. Vibrant, lighted bracelets distributed to the audience help foster a sense of unity, belonging, and community, which contributes to the “Wolfpack” feeling.
A Stage as a Metaphor for Resilience
As part of Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, Yellow Studio designed the stage to Shakira’s songs, which were specifically geared to have an uplifting effect on her audience. They wished to not only visually impress but also engage them directly through integrating the stages burdens, obstacles, and empowerment metaphors as Shakira’s album to instill a reminiscence whilst rendering the enduring metaphor.
