MADRID- The Colombian singers Shakira and Carlos Vives have appeared in a Madrid court to answer allegations by a Cuban-born singer and producer that they plagiarized his work in their award-winning hit La Bicicleta.
Shakira and Vives refuted the allegations by Livan Rafael Castellanos that “La Bicicleta” — which means “The Bicycle” in English — contains lyrics, rhythm and melody similar to those of his 1997 song, “Yo te quiero tanto.”‘
“I had never heard it in my life,” Shakira, 42, who lives in Spain, told the court when asked about Livam’s song.
Vives, 57, who composed “Yo te quiero tanto” with music producer Andres Castro, also said he did not know the song or Livam.
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Shakira told the judge that Castellanos’s song “is nothing like … La Bicicleta, the melody is different, the music is different, the subject matter is different.”
“My (song) talks about my homeland, it’s a salute to my homeland — Barranquilla, Colombia — not Cuba,” Shakira said, according to Europa Press.
Shakira, who lives in Barcelona with FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique and their two sons, will appear in court in Spain again in June for allegedly evading 14.5 million euros ($16.4 million), a charge the superstar singer’s defense lawyers deny.
With her fusion of Latin and Arabic rhythms and rock influences, Shakira is one of the prodigious stars from Latin America, orchestrating major global hits with songs such as Hips Don’t Lie and Whenever, Wherever.
She has sold more than 60 million records.
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