Since our last conversation from Zurich, we headed towards the last stretch of the Mongoose Tour with Shakira.

Shakira’s Mongoose World Tour: Caracas, Venezuela May 11^th, 2003.

“We played Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany. Our reception was outstanding. We then headed to Milan, Italy, Rotterdam, Holland, Madrid, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and finally, our closure, Caracas, Venezuela. Each of the countries we performed in was so different from each other, yet the same in their affectionate greeting. Shakira has such a vast array of enthusiasts. Every show, you could see the gyrations of young children dancing in the aisles and adults soulfully rejoicing in her lyrics.  They sang every word. They knew every break in the song. It was a heartfelt experience to bring a message of peace and passion to the world at a time of confrontation and uncertainty.

We asked Rita about her personal take on the tour with Shakira and how it compared to all other tours she has played.

“The momentum of this tour in comparison to others I’ve been on such as Gloria Estefan’s Evolution Tour was exhausting. We were on an airplane in route to another country every other day.  By the time we made it to the last show, it seemed fitting it was my birthday. I can’t think of a better way to end a tour than to have over 20,000 people sing happy birthday. It is a moment I’ll remember for years to come.” 

After visiting, and performing in over 20 Latin American and European countries since the US leg of the tour, it is now time to come home and rest.  But as we all know, there’s no such thing as “rest” for a musician. So, back to work!

 "The continuation of personal projects is now in high gear and near completion. It’s a combination of Jazz influenced progressions and Latin rhythms mixed with a hard house beat. The melodies are memorable and the lyrics are bilingual.”

We’ll catch up with Rita soon and look forward to her CD Release Party. But for now here is a sneak preview.