Empire

This rock ballad finds Shakira singing of a passion for a man so powerful their empire could make "the world unite." It marks a return to the Colombian singer's rock roots. "I've always been a rock chick," she told The Sun. "When I started out, I only sung in Spanish my music was a lot heavier than what the people in the Anglo-Saxon world know me for." "Growing up, my idols were Metallica, The Cure, Led Zeppelin and when Depeche Mode went dark and heavy," Shakira continued. "I don't like going to concerts now, apart from when Depeche Mode are playing."

The song's music video was directed by Darren Craig, Jonathan Craven and Jeff Nicholas from the Uprising Creative. We see Shakira about to walk down the aisle to get wed, only to have a change of heart. Interestingly there's no groom waiting for her at the altar, most likely because the singer's footballer partner, Gerard Pique, has banned her from making music visuals starring other men as romantic interests.

The song was written by: British pop producer Steve Mac, who is the mastermind behind such hits as Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" and The Wanted's "Glad You Came." Norwegian singer-songwriter Ina Wroldsen, who as the songsmith behind hit tunes for the likes of Shontelle ("Impossible") and Jess Glynne ("Hold My Hand").