Shakira basks in VMAs glory with song targeting ex Gerard Pique and new girlfriend

Taylor Swift may have brought home a massive haul from Tuesday night's MTV Video Music Awards, but Colombian pop star Shakira certainly stole the show. Just months after returning to Miami to rebuild her life, Shakira has won the Video Vanguard award and celebrated the achievement with her "diss track" against her ex-partner, Gerard Pique.

The diminutive singer set all three stages on fire at the MTV VMAs as she gyrated her famous hips and belted out the most well-known hits from the length of her career. The ten-minute medley was well-received by the audience, and they even helped her move across the from one stage to the other by helping her body-surf across the crowd. Shakira sang without missing a beat even as she floated over the sea of people propelled only by their outstretched arms.

The singer then concluded her electrifying performance with the track titled "BZRP MUSIC SESSIONS, VOL. 53", which is a thinly veiled diss track aimed pointedly at former footballer Gerard Pique. The now-retired Spanish defender and his new girlfriend, Clara Chia Marti were clearly targeted by the track, which even includes a play at Clara's name.

The crowd roared with appreciation inside the venue as Shakira sang: "You traded a Rolex for a Casio."

She also bashed Pique and his much younger girlfriend's age, saying: "I'm worth two of 22 [year old]", and "You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo..."

The "Hips Don't Lie" singer also confirmed that her new single carries the title "The Boss", which is a reference to the nickname given to her by Pique's friends, whom she apparently didn't get along very well with.

In any case, Shakira did not need much time to get her life back in order after moving back to Miami over the Easter holidays earlier this year. She had previously moved to Barcelona to live with Pique, and to be able to give their two children a more stable home.

Her two sons, Sasha and Milan, were also present at the VMAs and were duly acknowledged by the singer as she spoke after receiving her MTV Moon Man. She said: "Thank you to my kids for cheering me and making me feel like mama can do well."

Shakira's performance was reportedly so ambitious that the stage designers had to bring in a forklift to be able to install and dismantle a tunnel for her during the live show. Lighting designer Tom Sutherland called the number "the most challenging they'd ever worked on".

She made an ethereal entrance from high up in the ceiling and went through all three stages and the crowd before ending back up again on a tall platform soaring above the pulsating crowd.

What's the deal with Pique?

For those who are not familiar with the back story, Shakira and Gerard Pique became a couple shortly after meeting at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Spain won the tournament, which featured the theme song "It's Time For Africa," by none other than the Colombian herself.

She later became pregnant with their first child and moved to Barcelona, where his career had also started to reach its heights. They later had a second son and were together for almost 12 years before they announced their separation last summer. Just a few weeks later, Pique went public with his new girlfriend, and numerous allegations came out about him cheating on the singer. He reportedly met Clara Chia Marti while she was working as an intern at one of his company's events.

In April this year, Shakira moved back to Miami with her children in tow after she and Pique came to a custody agreement months earlier. The pair may have agreed on custody of their children, but the war of words continues and Shakira appears to be using her pain to fuel her musical creativity.