Shakira Looks Like a Goddess in a Backless Gold Sequin Gown at ...

The comeback of Shakira after her split last summer from Gerard Piqué should be studied. The Colombian superstar topped the music charts this year with her breakup anthems “Monotonía,” “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” “TGQ,” and “Copa Vacía.” Now she’s being honored at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, and is nominated for Artist of the Year.

For her grand entrance at the Tuesday night award show, Shakira looked like the goddess she is in a backless golden Versace gown with a plunging layered neckline and a high leg slit. The floor-length piece was entirely covered in sequins and featured thin straps at the shoulders and low back. She paired the piece with golden Jimmy Choo heels, gold-and-diamond rings, and gold drop earrings.

For glam, Shakira glowed in rosy makeup and her signature curly ’do.

The singer brought her sons, Milan, 10, and Sasha, eight, as her dates for the glamorous evening. They looked adorable in matching black-and-yellow Versace sweatsuits.

She changed into a golden minidress to perform her biggest hits on the VMAs stage. It included a crystal-embellished top and dazzling skirt made of glittering strands. The pieces were held together by a crystal-encrusted body net. Underneath, Shakira wore crystal-embellished beige fishnet tights and—you guessed it—crystal-embellished beige heeled boots.

Shakira was honored with this year’s coveted Video Vanguard Award at the show, which aired live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center.

Along with Artist of the Year, she had three more VMA nominations this year: one for Best Collaboration (for “TQG” with Karol G), and two for Best Latin Video, for “TQG” and “Acróstico.” She won Best Collaboration.

For her last look of the night, Shakira changed into a third dazzling dress: a slinky silver asymmetric minidress by Versace, with geometric cutouts throughout held together by large golden braided clips and huge paper clips. She wore golden platform peep-toe heels and gold paper-clip earrings to match.

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“I want to thank my parents. I want to thank my kids, Milan and Sasha, who are here,” she said as she accepted her Video Vanguard Award. “Thank you so much for cheering me up and making me feel that Mama can do it all.”

Shakira won her first VMA in 2000 for International Viewer’s Choice (Latin America North), for “Ojos Así,” followed by another in the same category in 2002, for “Whenever, Wherever”/“Suerte,” her third for Best Choreography in a Video for “Hips Don’t Lie,” in 2006—and her most recent in 2007, for Most Earthshattering Collaboration, for “Beautiful Liar” with Beyoncé.

Previous winners of the Video Vanguard Award include David Bowie, the Beatles, Madonna, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, and Pink, among others.

Rosa Sanchez

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.