Shakira has confirmed the birth of her second son more than 14 hours after the happy news broke on Twitter.com.

The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker and her partner Gerard Pique welcomed a baby boy on Thursday (29Jan15) at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain but did not confirm the news until Friday afternoon (30Jan15).

By then, the information had leaked on social media and dozens of fans had already taken to Twitter to send congratulatory messages to the couple.

A formal announcement in both English and Spanish, posted on the pop star's website, reads, "We are happy to announce the birth of Sasha Pique Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Pique, born January 29 at 9:54pm, in Barcelona.

"The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means 'defender of mankind' and 'warrior'. The hospital confirmed that both mother and child are in excellent health."

Sasha is younger brother to the couple's two-year-old son Milan.