Shakira Just Made a Huge Mistake

Shakira, current judge on NBC’s The Voice, new momma, and owner of the most truthful hips in the WORLD, sprung a bit of a leak Wednesday afternoon when her brand new self-titled album hit the Internet about a week before its scheduled U.S. release date. Yeah, it hurts, but it happens to the best of ‘em. The leak meant that diehard fans and pop lovers alike FINALLY got to hear the elusive “Dare (La La La),” a song that we first got a taste of almost two years ago. (It’s also, for reasons unexplained, featured in a brand new ad for Activia… the poop yogurt.)

Here’s the deal: “Dare (La La La)” was rumored to be Shakira's lead single — she even shot a music video for the song in June of 2012. But then, due to her pregnancy and probably other factors we’ll never be privy to, the album’s release date got pushed back and everything was shuffled around.

As we all know, the album's lead single ended up being the lackluster “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” a boring reggae-infused track that even a slick Rihanna feature and a provocative music video couldn’t save (the song ended up peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart). So now that we’ve heard both tracks — which one should’ve been the lead single? Could Shakira have landed another number one record if she had released “Dare (La La La)” first instead of “Can’t Remember to Forget You”? Did she make a horrible, terrible mistake??

The answer is a resounding YES. “Dare (La La La)” should have been Shakira’s lead single. It’s a monstrous electronic stomper with hard-hitting drums, an infectious Latin-tinged groove, and a massive sing-along chorus — what’s not to love? It has all the makings of a number one song. I get chills during the bridge when it sounds like Shakira and a crowd of thousands are chanting, “LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA,” at the top of their lungs! Plus, “I dare you…” has the potential to become an iconic line — perhaps not as iconic as Wyclef Jean croaking, “Shakira, Shakira,” during “Hips Don’t Lie,” but iconic nonetheless.

It’s no surprise that “Dare (La La La)” is so good — it was co-written and produced by two of pop’s heaviest hitters: Dr. Luke (every great Katy Perry song) and Max Martin (every great Britney Spears song).

If Shakira had gone with “Dare (La La La)” as her lead single, maybe she would’ve been able to generate a little more interest in her new album. As it stands, Shakira is on our television screens two nights a week as a judge on The Voice, but the buzz for her new project seems kind of… non-existent. It’s a bummer.

Thankfully, there’s still plenty of time for Shakira to make things right and release “Dare (La La La)” as a single (though her second single has already been chosen — the interesting but not exactly radio-friendly, “Empire”). You already know where I stand — what do you think? Check out both songs above.