| "Empire" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Shakira_-_Empire.png) | ||||
| Single by Shakira | ||||
| from the album Shakira | ||||
| Released | 22 February 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:59 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Shakira singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Empire" on YouTube | ||||
"Empire" is a song recorded by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira for her self-titled tenth studio album, Shakira (2014). It was written by Steve Mac and Ina Wroldsen, while production was handled by Mac and Shakira. The song was released as the second single from the album on 22 February 2014. "Empire" is a downtempo rock ballad about finding a love so powerful their empire could make "the world unite". Her vocals on the track were compared to those of Tori Amos, Jewel, Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette.
Upon its release, "Empire" was acclaimed by music critics, who commended the singer for getting back to her rock roots. The song reached the top 10 in Lebanon and charted moderately in countries like France, South Korea and Spain. In the United States, it peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's accompanying video was released on 25 March 2014 and portrays Shakira playing a runaway bride unharmed by fire and on the side of the Montserrat mountain, near Barcelona. Shakira performed the song in a number of places, including The Voice (both U.S. and UK), Billboard Music Awards, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, iHeartRadio Music Awards and others.