"She Wolf" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular ...

, taken from her eighth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

of the same name (2009). It was released on 10 July 2009, by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the album. Its lyrics were written by Shakira. Its musical composition was done by Shakira, John Hill, and

Sam Endicott Samuel Bingham Endicott (born August 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and director. He is best known as the lead vocalist of The Bravery with whom he recorded three studio albums. Career At age 11 Endico ...

. Shakira and Hill also served as the producers for the song. A Spanish-language translation of the song titled "Loba", which features additional lyrical contributions by

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Awards, Academy Award, which he ...

, was also released earlier on 6 July. Musically, "She Wolf" is a

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

and

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

track that details Shakira's boredom due to her uncaring partner, and how she looks for others to please her. Upon its release, "She Wolf" was met with favourable reception from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, many of whom praised it for its inventiveness. Commercially, "She Wolf" performed well on

record charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include r ...

. It peaked in the top 10 of charts of countries like Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the United States, "She Wolf" peaked at numbers 11 and one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and

Dance/Club Play Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

charts, respectively. The Spanish-language translation "Loba" peaked at number one on both the

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, ra ...

and

Tropical Songs The Tropical Airplay chart (formerly known as Tropical/Salsa and Tropical Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine introduced in 1994. The first number-one song on the chart was " Quien Eres Tu" by Luis Enrique. Originally, ra ...

charts. "She Wolf" was certified double-platinum in Spain and platinum in Italy, Mexico, and the United States. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jake Nava, and features Shakira dancing in various locations, such as a red cave and a golden cage. Critical reception towards the video was also positive, many of whom praised Shakira's dancing ability. For additional promotion, Shakira performed the song on a number of shows and music festivals. It was also a part of the setlist for The Sun Comes Out World Tour in 2010.

Background and composition

"She Wolf" was composed by Shakira, John Hill, and

. Its lyrics were written by Shakira. Shakira and Hill also served as the producers of the song. It contains a sample of the strings breakdown from "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Afric ...

" by Chic. In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', Shakira said that the idea for "She Wolf" came to her "very mysteriously", revealing "I was in the studio in a bad mood that day, then I got inspired and went to a corner and I wrote the lyrics and the melody in 10 minutes. The image of the she wolf just came to my head, and when I least expected it I was howling and panting". Endicott, musician and lead singer of American

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band The Bravery, explained how he and Hill began working with Shakira, saying she "contacted him (Hill), asking if he had any stuff. We never had her in mind. We just made the thing independently of her, and then she liked it a lot, and she sang over it. She used some of the melodies we put in there and then wrote these crazy lyrics about being a werewolf. And that's how it happened". "She Wolf" was described by

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

as a "sleek, hi-NRG/Italo throwback that's drenched in

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

strings" and "sleek

". Mikael Wood from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' identified the song's genre as

. Shakira also howls and pants at various times during the song. It is written in

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes n ...

key and is a fast

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

groove with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 122

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. Shakira's vocal range on the song spans from B₃ to D₅. One of the lines of the song, in which Shakira sings "I'm starting to feel just a little abused, like a coffee machine in an office", is often cited as an example of the unusual lyrics present in Shakira's songs. The song was released by

as the

from the album of the same name. "She Wolf" was made available for digital download on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

on 10 July 2009. It was released as a CD single later on 21 September. A Spanish-language translation of the song titled "Loba", which features additional lyrical contributions from

, was released on 6 July 2009.

Critical reception

The song was well received by most

. David Balls from

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

gave the song a positive review and said that the song "manages to be fresh and quirky while still sounding like a smash". Sal Cinquemani from

labelled "She Wolf" as a "sleek, hi-NRG/Italo throwback" and said that its lyrics "walk a fine line between campy and really campy". Michael Cragg from

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

called it "three minutes of delicious pop, as camp as it is clever", and concluded that the song is "the kind of wonderfully bizarre couplet we’ve come to expect from Columbia’s shrinking violet". Jonathan Goss from '' Sabotage Times'' praised its lyrics and commended Shakira's use of the word "

lycanthropy In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

". He summed up the review by calling "She Wolf" a "modern classic". ''

'' critic Mikael Wood complemented it as "lovably bonkers." Fraser McAlpine from BBC Chart Blog gave it an overall positive review, but criticized Shakira's howling, calling it "half-hearted". Ben Ratliff from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', however, gave it a negative review, saying that the song is "undercooked and overwritten" and that it "reaches a special class of fascinating-awful". At the 2009

International Dance Music Awards The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 e ...

ceremony, "She Wolf" was nominated for "Best Latin Track", but lost to American rapper Pitbull's song "

I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" is a song by American rapper and singer Pitbull released as the second single from his fourth album, '' Pitbull Starring in Rebelution''. The song samples "75, Brazil Street" by Nicola Fasano and Pat Rich, which ...

". At the 2009

Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica Premios MTV Latinoamérica (previously known as MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica or VMALA's) was the Latin American version of the Video Music Awards. They were established in 2002 to celebrate the top music videos of the year in Latin Ameri ...

awards ceremony, the song was nominated in the category "Canción Del Año" ("Song of the Year"). At the 2009 Premios 40 Principales awards ceremony, "Loba" won the award for "Best International Song in Spanish Language". At the 2009 Premios Shock award ceremony, the song was nominated "Best Radio Song". At the

2010 Premios Juventud The 7th Annual Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) were broadcast by Univision on July 15, 2010. Performers Presenters * Anahí * Víctor Manuelle * María Fernanda Yépez * Fedro * Dulce María * Amelia Vega * Marlon Moreno * Eugenio Siller ...

awards ceremony, the song was nominated for "Mi Ringtone" ("My Ringtone"), but lost to Tito El Bambino's song " El Amor". At the 2010 Latin ''Billboard'' Music Awards, the song was nominated for "Latin Pop Airplay Song of the Year" and "Latin Digital Download of the Year", but lost both. At the 2010

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

awards ceremony, Jorge Drexler won an award for his composition of "Loba". It was acknowledged as an award winning song at the 2011 BMI Latin Awards.

Commercial performance

In Austria, the song entered and peaked at number three on the

Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

, spending a total of 19 weeks on the chart. In the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium, the song entered the

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

chart at number 48 and peaked at 16, spending a total of 15 weeks on the chart. It performed much better in the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium, where it entered the Ultratop chart at number eight and peaked at number five, spending a total of 21 weeks on the chart. "She Wolf" was Shakira's second consecutive single to peak at number five in the region, after " Beautiful Liar" (2007). In Finland, the song entered the

Finnish Singles Chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

at number 13 and peaked at number 6, spending a total of 13 weeks on the chart. In Germany, the song peaked at number two on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

. In Ireland, the song peaked at number two on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

, spending a total of 12 weeks on the chart. In Italy, "Loba" entered the

Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

at number 12 and peaked at number three, spending a total of 22 weeks on the chart. It became Shakira's first single to receive a record certification in the country after the

Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exis ...

(FIMI) certified the song

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

for selling 30,000 units. In Norway, "She Wolf" narrowly missed charting inside the top ten of the Norwegian Singles Chart by peaking at number 11. In Spain, "Loba" entered the Spanish Singles Chart at number 25 and peaked at number two. In this region, it was certified double-platinum by the

Productores de Música de España Productores de Música de España (English: Spanish Music Producers, shortened as Promusicae) is the national organisation responsible for the music charts of Spain. It is a trade association that represents more than 90% of the Spanish recorded m ...

(PROMUSICAE) for selling 80,000 units. In Switzerland, the song entered and peaked at number three on the Swiss Singles Chart, spending a total of 23 weeks on the chart. In this territory, it was certified gold by the

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

(IFPI) for selling 10,000 units. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and spent a total of 16 weeks on the chart. The

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI) certified "She Wolf" gold for shipments of 400,000 copies. In Canada, it peaked at number five on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record ...

chart, spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart. "Loba" became a success in Mexico, peaking at number one on the

Monitor Latino Monitor Latino (stylised monitorLATINO) is a singles chart founded in 2003 which ranks songs on chart based on airplay across radio stations in Latin American countries and Hispanic radio stations in the United States using the Radio Tracking Data ...

airplay chart and receiving a platinum certification from the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON). In the United States, "She Wolf" debuted at number 34 on the ''

chart, becoming Shakira's highest debuting song on the chart. It later narrowly missed reaching inside the top 10 of the chart by peaking at number 11. "She Wolf" spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. On the

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, it peaked at number one and spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart. "She Wolf" became Shakira's second solo consecutive single to peak atop the chart after " Illegal" (2006). On the

Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

chart, it peaked at number 11 and spent 12 weeks on the chart. "She Wolf" remained as Shakira's highest-debuting single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 until " Can't Remember to Forget You" broke its record in 2014 by debuting at number 28. The Spanish-language translation "Loba" peaked at number one on

chart, spending a total of 22 weeks on the chart. It became Shakira's fourteenth top-ten single on the chart and tied her with American singer-songwriter

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

for having the fifth-most top-ten singles for a female artist. Later in 2010, Shakira became the third-ranking female artist with the highest number of top-ten singles on the chart after the release of " Loca". On the

chart, "Loba" peaked at number one, spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart. "She Wolf" was certified platinum in the United States for digital downloads of 1,000,000 copies by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA). As of March 2014, "She Wolf" stands as Shakira's second highest-selling digital song in the United States with sales of 1,812,000 units, behind her 2006 hit "

Hips Don't Lie "Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop and reggaeton song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from the reissue of Shakira's seventh studio album, ''Oral Fixa ...

Music video

Development and synopsis

The accompanying music video for the single was directed by Jake Nava who had previously collaborated with Shakira on the video for " Beautiful Liar". The dance sequences in the video were choreographed by Nadine "Hi-Hat" Ruffin, and are said to incorporate

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

, popping and locking, tribal dance and moves similar to the ones in the eighties drama ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...

''. Talking about her dancing in the video, Shakira said, "I start doing all kinds of outrageous stuff and hanging upside down and doing stuff that wasn't planned. But it was kind of an improvisation. I just got caught in the moment." The music video premiered on 30 July 2009, on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and was made available for download on

a day later on 31 July. The video for the Spanish-language translation "Loba" was released on the same day. The video begins with Shakira getting out of bed in the middle of a full-moon night. Her nails begin to grow and she is shown lacing a pair of boots. Shakira then enters a closet, which leads to the inside of a glittering ruby-red cave, where she begins dancing wearing a black asymmetric bodysuit. The next scene depicts Shakira striking different poses inside a golden cage (with the sign "Do Not Feed the Animal" on top), clad in a skin-toned leotard. Shakira explained the usage of the golden cage in the video, saying that "I just wanted to express what it feels like for a she-wolf to be in captivity. To be in a golden cage. I think I've been in a golden cage most of my life. And now not anymore". The setting changes and Shakira is seen performing a dance routine in a club with many back-up dancers. A wolf is also shown walking in the club and transforming into a woman. Near to the end of the video, Shakira dances on a rooftop with a backdrop resembling

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. As the song ends, she falls backwards from the roof and lands in her closet. The video ends with Shakira lying back in her bed and smiling as thunder cracks.

Reception

Critical reception towards the video was mostly positive. Adam Fairholm from the Internet Music Video Database praised Shakira's dance moves and flexibility in the video and complimented Nava's direction. James Montgomery from

also commended Shakira's dancing, noting that she "even manages to out-

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

". He also complimented Shakira's body, commenting that her posterior is the "breakout star of the video". Anna Pickard from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' appreciated the originality of the video and noted that "the moves contained in this video are not the kind of thing you see every day". Andrew Bast from ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'', however, gave the video a negative review and criticized it for being overly sexual. At the 2009

awards ceremony, the video received a nomination in the category "Video del Año" ("Video of the Year"). At the

awards ceremony, the video won the award for "Mi Video Favorito" ("My Favourite Video"). At the 2010

Premios Lo Nuestro The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began i ...

, the video won the award for "Video del Año" (" Video of the Year"). On 28 April 2014, the video reached 100 million views on video-sharing website

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

and was hence marked "Vevo Certified" by video hosting service

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

. It is Shakira's tenth "Vevo Certified" video.

Live performances

Shakira performed the song live for the first time on the finale of the season four of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribu ...

'', on 16 September 2009. On 17 September, she performed the song at the 2009 ALMA Awards ceremony. She performed "She Wolf" along with " Did It Again", the second single off the album, on 18 September episode of ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'' and the 17 October episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

''. On 24 September, Shakira performed "She Wolf" and "Hips Don't Lie" on the

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...

'' Live Lounge''. On 28 September, she performed the song on '' T4'', a scheduling slot on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. On 25 September, she performed the song on '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'', along with her hits "

Whenever, Wherever "Whenever, Wherever" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira from her fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Laundry Service'' (2001). It was released on 2 October 2001 by Epic Records as the lead single from the album. The son ...

" and "Hips Don't Lie". On 14 February 2010, Shakira performed "She Wolf" and "

Give It Up to Me "Give It Up to Me" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira featuring American rapper Lil Wayne, taken from the deluxe version of the former's eighth studio album ''She Wolf''. It was released on 19 October 2009, by Epic Records as the t ...

", the third single off the album, during the halftime of the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. At the 2010 Rock in Rio festival held in Madrid, Spain, Shakira performed "Loba", the Spanish-language translation of the song. On 10 June, at the

2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony The 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony took place on 11 June at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, two hours before the opening match of the tournament. The ceremony started at 2pm local time and lasted 40 minutes. The ceremony involved ...

, Shakira performed "She Wolf", "Hips Don't Lie", and the official 2010 FIFA World Cup song, " Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)". On 26 June, Shakira performed the song at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

, which took place in Pilton, Somerset. The song was also included on the setlist of The Sun Comes Out World Tour in 2010 and 2011. The tour performance began with Shakira letting out a long howl and proceeding to dance with two female back-up dancers. The performance marked the first time back-up dancers were featured in the show. Dave Simpson from ''

'' commented that Shakira was "howling like a banshee" during the performance. The song was performed by Shakira during the

Super Bowl LIV halftime show The Super Bowl LIV halftime show, officially known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show, took place on February 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, as part of Super Bowl LIV. It was televised in the U.S. by Fox. It was ...

Track listings

* Digital EP – "She Wolf" # "She Wolf" – 3:07 # "She Wolf" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) – 7:07 # "She Wolf" ( Moto Blanco Radio Mix) – 3:39 # "She Wolf" (

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

Remix) – 4:46 # "She Wolf" (Deeplick Club Remix) – 7:05 # "She Wolf" (Deeplick Club Remix Radio Edit) – 3:25 # "She Wolf" (Remix featuring T-Pain) – 3:18 * Digital EP – ("Loba") # "Loba" – 3:07 # "Loba" (Poncho Club Mix) – 3:50 # "Loba" (Poncho Radio Mix) – 3:42 # "Loba" (Deep Mariano Club Mix) – 5:05 # "Loba" (Deep Mariano Radio Mix) – 4:34 * CD single # "She Wolf" – 3:07 # "Loba" – 3:07 * Digital download ("She Wolf") # "She Wolf" – 3:07 * Digital download ("Loba") # "Loba" – 3:07 * Promo single ("Loba") # "Loba" (Salsa version) – 3:56

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{{DEFAULTSORT:She Wolf (Shakira song) 2009 singles Disco songs Hi-NRG songs Music videos directed by Jake Nava Monitor Latino Top General number-one singles Shakira songs Songs written by Shakira Songs written by Sam Endicott Songs written by John Hill (record producer) Songs written by Jorge Drexler Song recordings produced by John Hill (record producer) Songs about werewolves 2009 songs Synth-pop songs