Shakira to lift world recession gloom

SHAKIRA has said she hopes her new album will lift the gloom of the global economic downturn.

The singer said her album, due for release this autumn, has a "club" feel intended to help lift peoples' spirits.

Speaking to MTV, she said: "It's a very electronic album. Dance-oriented. Club-oriented. I want people to have fun with it. Forget about the troubles. Forget about the crisis. Forget everything for a minute - at least while they listen to the music.

"I wanted a bassier album with harder sounds. I wanted the beats to be very solid. I wanted to build a solid foundation starting from the beats."

The album was recorded in the Bahamas with producers Pharrell Williams and Wyclef Jean, but Shakia admitted she felt nervous when starting the follow-up to 2005's Oral Fixation Vol. 2.

She said: "You never know the final destination of a creative project. At first, you are standing in front of a white canvas, and that's the scariest thing on earth.

"You don't know if you're gonna do justice to the gifts that you have been given. Or if you are gonna be able to present the public something decent."