“Estoy Aquí” (translating to “I’m Here”) is the lead single from Shakira’s third studio album, Pies Descalzos, and was released on August 29, 1995. The song’s lyrics depict Shakira’s desire to regain a love she blames herself for ruining. Throughout the song, Shakira confesses how willing she would be to re-enter the relationship that has left her heartbroken. Accompanied by guitars and upbeat percussion, Shakira sings about the pain that the end of the relationship has caused her. In the song’s chorus, Shakira describes her state as “ahogándome / [e]ntre fotos y cuadernos, entre cosas y recuerdos / [q]ue no puedo comprender” or “drowning / between photos and notebooks, between things and memories / that [she] cannot understand [anymore]”. The themes of loss and heartbreak continue to echo throughout the entirety of the song’s lyrics.
The song was Shakira’s first to receive widespread commercial success outside of Colombia, and it eventually topped the Billboard Latin Pop Songs chart. The success of “Estoy Aquí” is often accredited for the positive commercial response to Pies Descalzos. Following its release in 1996, the album received platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in both the United States and Colombia for selling over one million units. Alongside other projects, Pies Descalzos is often seen as one of the earliest Latin Pop albums to achieve commercial success in the United States.
Shakira. “Estoy Aquí”. Pies Descalzos. Colombia: Sony Music Entertainment, 1995.