Shakira reveals language struggles

Shakira has revealed that she relied on a dictionary when writing English songs in the early days of her career.

The Colombian singer admitted that she once struggled to create coherent lyrics for international audiences because her first language is Spanish.

"Writing songs used to be so difficult for me. A few years ago I could barely speak English and I used to write my songs with a dictionary," Shakira told WENN.

"It was a real labour of love and I would sit there for hours just looking up words. But now thankfully it comes to me more naturally and spontaneously."

The star is currently gearing up for the release of her latest studio album She Wolf, which has a dance focus.

She commented: "It's designed for people to have fun and enjoy themselves and forget about their troubles and the crisis."