"She Wolf" is a song recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her eighth studio album of the same title (2009).

A Spanish version titled "Loba", which features additional lyrical contributions by Jorge Drexler, was also recorded.

Musically, "She Wolf" is a hi-NRG, Italo disco, synth-pop and electropop track detailing Shakira's boredom due to her uncaring partner, and how she looks for others to please her.

[a] Upon release, "She Wolf" was met with favourable reception from music critics, receiving praise for its inventiveness.

Furthermore, "She Wolf" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for digital sales of one million units in the US.

An accompanying music video for "She Wolf" was directed by Jake Nava, and features Shakira dancing in various locations, such as a red cave and a golden cage.

[5] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Shakira said that the idea for "She Wolf" came to her "very mysteriously", revealing "I was in the studio in a bad mood that day, then I got inspired and went to a corner and I wrote the lyrics and the melody in 10 minutes.

[2][10] A Spanish-language translation of the song titled "Loba", which features additional lyrical contributions from Jorge Drexler,[21] was released on 6 July 2009.

[8] Michael Cragg from MusicOMH called it "three minutes of delicious pop, as camp as it is clever", and concluded that the song is "the kind of wonderfully bizarre couplet we’ve come to expect from Columbia’s shrinking violet".

[13] Jonathan Goss from Sabotage Times praised its lyrics and commended Shakira's use of the word "lycanthropy".

"[9] Fraser McAlpine from BBC Chart Blog gave it an overall positive review, but criticized Shakira's howling, calling it "half-hearted".

[10] Ben Ratliff from The New York Times, however, gave it a negative review, saying that the song is "undercooked and overwritten" and that it "reaches a special class of fascinating-awful".

[23] At the 2009 International Dance Music Awards ceremony, "She Wolf" was nominated for "Best Latin Track", but lost to Pitbull's song "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)".

[41] It became Shakira's first single to receive a record certification in the country after the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) certified the song platinum for selling 30,000 units.

[55] "She Wolf" remained as Shakira's highest-debuting single on the Billboard Hot 100 until "Can't Remember to Forget You" broke its record in 2014 by debuting at number 28.

[52] Later in 2010, Shakira became the third-ranking female artist with the highest number of top-ten singles on the chart after the release of "Loca".

[59] "She Wolf" was certified platinum in the United States for digital downloads of 1,000,000 copies by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[66] Shakira then enters a closet, which leads to the inside of a glittering ruby-red cave, where she begins dancing wearing a black asymmetric bodysuit.

[19][63][66] The next scene depicts Shakira striking different poses inside a golden cage (with the sign "Do Not Feed the Animal" on top),[19] clad in a skin-toned leotard.

[67] Shakira explained the usage of the golden cage in the video, saying that "I just wanted to express what it feels like for a she-wolf to be in captivity.

[66] Andrew Bast from The Daily Beast, however, gave the video a negative review and criticized it for being overly sexual.

[70] Shakira performed the song live for the first time on the finale of the season four of America's Got Talent, on 16 September 2009.

[76] On 24 September, Shakira performed "She Wolf" and "Hips Don't Lie" on the BBC Radio 1Xtra Live Lounge.

[78] On 25 September, she performed the song on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, along with her hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie".

[79][80] On 14 February 2010, Shakira performed "She Wolf" and "Give It Up to Me", the third single off the album, during the halftime of the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

[81] At the 2010 Rock in Rio festival held in Madrid, Spain, Shakira performed "Loba", the Spanish-language translation of the song.

[85] The tour performance began with Shakira letting out a long howl and proceeding to dance with two female back-up dancers.