Shakira to headline Brazil's Copacabana free concert in May, Rio mayor suggests

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Colombian pop star Shakira has been chosen as this year's headliner for what has become a traditional public concert on  Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes suggested in a social media post on Wednesday. Rio's city hall and the state government have scheduled a press conference on Thursday to officially present this year's edition of the concert known as "Todo Mundo no Rio."  The mayor posted a video of Shakira on his social media with the caption "confirmed," without providing further details, but people familiar with the production said his post referred to the upcoming performance. If formally announced, Shakira would be the third global star to lead the festival, following Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga in 2025.  Gaga's concert drew more than 2 million people to Copacabana and was estimated to inject 600 million reais ($115.71 million) into the city's economy, according to local authorities. This year's concert is expected to take place on May 2 and has become one of the city's biggest events for national and international tourists. Unlike Madonna and Lady Gaga, Shakira has performed in Brazil in recent years, prompting some skepticism about whether this year's event will match previous attendance figures.     ($1 = 5.1854 reais) (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Isabel Teles)

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