Shakira

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Career

1990–1995: Beginnings

Shakira's debut album Magia was recorded with Sony Music Colombia in 1990 when she was only 13 years old. The songs are a collection made by her since she was eight mixed pop-rock ballads and disco uptempo songs with electronic accompaniment. The album was released in June 1991 and featured "Magia" and three other singles. Though it fared well on Colombian radio and gave the young Shakira much exposure the album did not fare well commercially as only 1 200 copies were sold worldwide. After the poor performance of Magia Shakira's label urged her to return to the studio to release a follow-up record. Though she was little known outside of her native Colombia at the time Shakira was invited to perform at Chile's Viña del Mar International Song Festival in February 1993. The festival gave aspiring Latin American singers a chance to perform their songs and the winner was then chosen by a panel of judges. Shakira performed the ballad "Eres" ("You Are") and won the trophy for third place. One of the judges who voted for her to win was the then 20-year-old Ricky Martin whose initial prominence had come from his membership in Menudo.

Shakira's second studio album titled Peligro was released in March but Shakira was not pleased with the final result mainly taking issue with the production. The album was better received than Magia had been though it was also considered a commercial failure due to Shakira's refusal to advertise or promote it. Shakira then decided to take a hiatus from recording so that she could graduate from high school. In the same year Shakira starred in the Colombian TV series The Oasis loosely based on the Armero tragedy in 1985. Since then the albums have been pulled from release and are not considered official Shakira albums but rather promotional albums.


1995–2000: Latin breakthrough

Shakira originally recorded the song "¿Dónde Estás Corazón?" (later released on her album Pies Descalzos) for the compilation album Nuestro Rock in 1994 released exclusively in Colombia. The song was an instant success on radio stations in Colombia and Sony decided to finance her third record by giving her the last chance due to previous commercial failures.

Shakira returned to recording music under Sony Music along with Columbia Records in 1995 with Luis F. Ochoa using musical influences from a number of countries and an Alanis Morissette-oriented persona which affected two of her next albums. [failed verification] These recordings spawned her third studio album and her international debut album titled Pies Descalzos. Recording for the album began in February 1995 after the success of her single "¿Dónde Estás Corazón?".

The album Pies Descalzos was released in October 1995 in the Latin American countries and in February 1996 in the US. It reached number five on the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. The album spawned six hit singles "Estoy Aquí" which reached number two on the U.S. Latin chart "¿Dónde Estás Corazón?" which reached number five on the U.S. Latin chart "Pies Descalzos Sueños Blancos" which reached number 11 on the U.S. Latin chart "Un Poco de Amor" which reached number six on the U.S. Latin chart "Antología" which reached number 15 on the U.S. Latin chart and "Se quiere Se Mata" which reached number eight on the U.S. Latin chart. In August 1996 RIAA certified the album platinum status.

In March 1996 Shakira went on to her first international tour named simply the Tour Pies Descalzos. The tour consisted of 20 shows and ended in 1997. Also in that year Shakira received three Billboard Latin Music Awards for Album of the Year for Pies Descalzos Video of the Year for "Estoy Aqui" and Best New Artist. Pies Descalzos later sold over 5 million copies prompting the release of a remix album simply titled The Remixes. The Remixes also included Portuguese versions of some of her well-known songs which were recorded as a result of her success in the Brazilian market where Pies Descalzos sold nearly one million copies.

Her fourth studio album was titled Dónde Están los Ladrones? Produced by Shakira with Emilio Estefan Jr. as the executive producer it was released in September 1998. The album inspired by an incident in an airport in which a suitcase filled with her written lyrics was stolen became a bigger hit than Pies Descalzos. The album has reached a peak position of number 131 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and held the top spot on the U.S. Latin Albums chart for 11 weeks. It has since sold over 7 million copies worldwide and 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone making it one of the best selling Spanish albums in the U.S. Eight singles were taken from the album including "Ciega Sordomuda" "Moscas En La Casa" "No Creo" "Inevitable" "Tú" "Si Te Vas" "Octavo día" and "Ojos Así".

Shakira also received her first Grammy Award nomination in 1999 for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. Shakira's first live album MTV Unplugged was recorded in New York City on 12 August 1999. Highly acclaimed by American critics it is rated as one of her best-ever live performances. In March 2000 Shakira embarked on her Tour Anfibio a two-month tour of Latin America and the United States. In August 2000 she won an MTV Video Music Award in the category of People's Choice – Favorite International Artist for "Ojos Así". In September 2000 Shakira performed "Ojos Así" at the inaugural ceremony of the Latin Grammy Awards where she was nominated in five categories: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for MTV Unplugged Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Octavo Día" Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video for the video for "Ojos Así".


2001–2004: English transition with Laundry Service

Upon the success of Dónde Están los Ladrones? and MTV Unplugged Shakira began working on an English crossover album. She learned English with the help of Gloria Estefan. She worked for over a year on new material for the album. "Whenever Wherever" called "Suerte" in Spanish-speaking countries was released as the first and lead single from her first English album and fifth studio album throughout the period between August 2001 and February 2002. The song took heavy influence from Andean music including the charango and panpipes in its instrumentation. It became an international success by reaching number one in most countries. It was also her first success in the U.S. by reaching number six on the Hot 100.

Shakira's fifth studio album and first English language album titled Laundry Service in English-speaking countries and Servicio De Lavanderia in Latin America and Spain was released on 13 November 2001. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart selling over 200 000 records in its first week. The album was later certified triple platinum by the RIAA in June 2004 as well. It helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market. Seven singles were taken from the album such as "Whenever Wherever"/"Suerte" "Underneath Your Clothes" "Objection (Tango)"/"Te Aviso Te Anuncio (Tango)" "The One" "Te Dejo Madrid" "Que Me Quedes Tú" and "Poem to a Horse".

Because the album was created for the English-language market the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album gained mild critical success with some critics claiming that her English skills were too weak for her to write songs for it; Rolling Stone for one stated that "she sounds downright silly" or "Shakira's magic is lost in translation". A similar view was expressed by Elizabeth Mendez Berry in Vibe: "While her Spanish-language albums sparkled with elegant wordplay this record is rife with cliches both musically and lyrically. [...] For Anglophone Latin lovers Shakira's lyrics are best left to the imagination." Despite this fact the album became the best selling album of 2002 selling more than 13 million copies worldwide. and became the most successful album of her career to date. The album earned her the title as the biggest Latin female crossover artist in the world. Around this time Shakira also released four songs for Pepsi for her promotion in the English markets: "Ask for More" "Pide Más" "Knock on My Door" and "Pídeme el Sol". In Chicago Tribune journalist Joshua Klein defined her international ascent "as multilateral multicultural and cooperative as they come."

In 2002 at Aerosmith's MTV Icon in April 2002 Shakira performed "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)". She also joined Cher Whitney Houston Celine Dion Mary J. Blige Anastacia and the Dixie Chicks for VH1 Divas Live Las Vegas. In August she performed "Objection (Tango)" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and won the International Viewer's Choice Award with "Whenever Wherever". She also won the Latin Grammy Award for the category of Best Short Form Music Video for the Spanish version of the video. In October she won five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America for Best Female Artist Best Pop Artist Best Artist – North (Region) Video of the Year (for "Suerte") and Artist of the Year. In November she embarked on the Tour of the Mongoose with 61 shows occurring by May 2003. The tour was also her first worldwide tour as legs were played in North America South America Europe and Asia. Shakira's label Sony BMG also released her Spanish greatest-hits compilation Grandes Éxitos. A DVD and 10-track live album titled Live & Off the Record was also released in 2004 commemorating the Tour of the Mongoose.


2005–2007: Fijación Oral Volumen Uno and Oral Fixation Volume Two

Shakira's sixth studio album Fijación Oral Volumen Uno was released in June 2005. The lead single from the album "La Tortura" reached the top 40 on the Hot 100. The song also featured the Spanish balladeer Alejandro Sanz. Shakira became the first artist to perform a Spanish language song at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. The album was extremely well received. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart selling 157 000 copies in its first week. It has since sold over two million copies in the U.S. earning an 11× Platinum (Latin field) certification from the RIAA. Due to its first week sales the album became the highest debut ever for a Spanish language album. After only a day of release in Latin America the album earned certifications. In Venezuela it earned a Platinum certification in Colombia a triple Platinum certification while in Mexico demand exceeded shipments and the album was unavailable after only one day of release. Four other singles were also released from the album: "No" "Día de Enero" "La Pared" and "Las de la Intuición". Fijación Oral Vol. 1 has since sold over four million copies worldwide. On 8 February 2006 Shakira won her second Grammy Award with the win of Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album for Fijación Oral Vol. 1. She received four Latin Grammy Awards in November 2006 winning the awards for Record of the Year Song of the Year for "La Tortura" Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Fijación Oral Vol. 1.

The lead single for Shakira's seventh album Oral Fixation Vol. 2 "Don't Bother" failed to achieve chart success in the U.S. by missing the top 40 on the Hot 100. It did however reach the top 20 in most countries worldwide. Shakira's second English studio album and seventh studio album Oral Fixation Vol. 2 was released on 29 November 2005. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 selling 128 000 copies in its first week. The album has gone on to sell 1.8 million records in the U.S. and over eight million copies worldwide.

Despite the commercial failure of the album's lead single in the U.S. it went on to spawn two more singles. "Hips Don't Lie" which featured Wyclef Jean was released as the album's second single in February 2006. It would become Shakira's first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to reaching number one in over 55 countries. Shakira and Wyclef Jean also recorded a Bamboo version of the song to serve as the closing ceremony song of the FIFA World Cup 2006. Shakira later released the third and final single from the album "Illegal" which featured Carlos Santana in November 2006. She then embarked on the Oral Fixation Tour which began in June 2006. The tour consisted of 125 shows between June 2006 and July 2007 and visited six continents. In February 2007 Shakira performed for the first time at the 49th Grammy Awards and earned the nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Hips Don't Lie" with Wyclef Jean.

In late 2006 Shakira and Alejandro Sanz collaborated for the duet "Te lo Agradezco Pero No" which is featured on Sanz's album El Tren de los Momentos. The song was a top ten hit in Latin America and topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. Shakira also collaborated with Miguel Bosé on the duet "Si Tú No Vuelves" which was released in Bosé's album Papito. In early 2007 Shakira worked with American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for the track "Beautiful Liar" which was released as the second single from the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's album B'Day. In April 2007 the single jumped 91 positions from 94 to three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart setting the record for the largest upward movement in the history of the chart at the time. It was also number one on the official UK Singles Chart. The song earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Shakira was also featured on Annie Lennox's song "Sing" from the album Songs of Mass Destruction which also features other 23 other female singers. In late 2007 Shakira and Wyclef Jean recorded their second duet "King and Queen". The song was featured on Wyclef Jean's 2007 album Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant.

Shakira wrote the lyrics and jointly composed the music for two new songs that are featured in the movie Love in the Time of Cholera based on the acclaimed novel written by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. García Marquez himself asked Shakira to write the songs. The songs that Shakira lent to the soundtrack were "Pienso en ti" a song from Shakira's breakthrough album Pies Descalzos "Hay Amores" and "Despedida". "Despedida" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 65th Golden Globe Awards.


2008–2010: She Wolf

In early 2008 Forbes named Shakira the fourth top-earning female artist in music industry. Then in July of that year Shakira signed a $300 million contract with Live Nation which was to remain in effect for ten years. The touring group also doubles as a record label which promotes but does not control the music its artists release. Shakira's contract with Epic Records called for three more albums as well – one in English one in Spanish and a compilation but the touring and other rights of the Live Nation deal were confirmed to begin immediately.

In January 2009 Shakira performed at the Lincoln Memorial "We Are One" festivities in honor of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. She performed "Higher Ground" with Stevie Wonder and Usher. She Wolf was released in October 2009 internationally and on 23 November 2009 in the U.S. The album received mainly positive reviews from critics and was included in AllMusic's year-end "Favorite Albums " "Favorite Latin Albums " and "Favorite Pop Albums" lists.
She Wolf reached number one on the charts of Argentina Ireland Italy Mexico and Switzerland. It also charted inside the top five in Spain Germany and the United Kingdom. It debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200. She Wolf was certified double-platinum in Colombia and Mexico platinum in Italy and Spain and gold in numerous countries including France and the United Kingdom. The album sold 2 million copies worldwide becoming one of Shakira's least successful studio album to date in terms of sales.

In May Shakira collaborated with the South African group Freshlyground to create the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" which is based on a traditional Cameroonian soldiers's Fang song titled "Zangalewa" by the group Zangalewa or Golden Sounds. The single later reached the top 20 in Europe South America and Africa and the top 40 in the U.S. and was performed by Shakira at the World Cup kick-off and closing. It became the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time.


2010–2015: Sale el Sol and Shakira

In October 2010 Shakira released her ninth studio album titled Sale el Sol. The album received critical acclaim and was included in AllMusic's "Favorite Albums of 2010" and "Favorite Latin Albums of 2010" year-end lists. At the 2011 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony Sale el Sol was nominated for "Album of the Year" and "Best Female Pop Vocal Album" winning the award in the latter category.
Commercially the album was a success throughout Europe and Latin America Sale el Sol peaked atop the charts of countries Belgium Croatia France Mexico Portugal and Spain. In the United States it debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 chart marking the highest debut for a Latin album for the year and was Shakira's fifth album to peak at number one. According to Billboard 35% of its first-week sales were credited to strong digital sales. The album also peaked at number one on both the Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts achieving strong digital sales in the region. The lead single "Loca" was number one in many countries. The album had sold over 1 million copies worldwide in 6 weeks and over 4 million since its release.

In September Shakira embarked on The Sun Comes Out World Tour in support of her two most recent albums. The tour visited countries in North America Europe South America Asia and Africa with 107 shows in all. The tour was met with positive reactions from critics who praised Shakira's stage presence and energy during her performances. On 9 November 2011 Shakira was honored as Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and performed a cover of Joe Arroyo's song "En Barranquilla Me Quedo" at the Mandalay Bay Events Center as a tribute to the singer who had died earlier that year. In 2010 Shakira collaborated with rapper Pitbull for the song "Get It Started" which was slated to be the lead single from Pitbull's upcoming album Global Warming. The single was released on 28 June 2012. She was also signed to Roc Nation under management purposes for her upcoming studio album.

On 17 September 2012 it was announced that Shakira and Usher would replace Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green for the fourth season of the U.S. TV show The Voice alongside Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Shakira announced that she would focus on her new album in the fall and eventually returned for the show's sixth season in February 2014.

Shakira originally planned to release her new album in 2012 but due to her pregnancy plans to release the single and video were postponed.
In December 2013 it was announced that Shakira's new single had been delayed until January 2014.
Shakira's self-titled tenth studio album was later released on 25 March 2014. Commercially the album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 85 000 copies. By doing so Shakira became the singer's highest-charting album on the chart although it also achieved her lowest first-week sales figure (for an English-language album).
The album spawned three singles.
After release the first two singles from the album "Can't Remember to Forget You" and "Empire". RCA chose "Dare (La La La)" as third single. The World Cup version was officially released on 27 May to impact radio stations features Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown. On 13 July 2014 Shakira performed "La La La (Brazil 2014)" with Carlinhos Brown at the 2014 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium. This performance became her third consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup.


2016–present: El Dorado and Super Bowl LIV

Shakira began work on her eleventh studio album in the beginning of 2016. In May 2016 she collaborated with Colombian singer Carlos Vives on the track "La Bicicleta" which went to win the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On 28 October 2016 Shakira released the single "Chantaje" with Colombian singer Maluma; though the song was a track from the upcoming eleventh studio album it was not intended to be the lead single. The song became Shakira's most-viewed YouTube video with over 2.1 billion views as of 1 June 2018. On 7 April 2017 Shakira released the song "Me Enamoré" as the second official single taken from her eleventh studio album El Dorado which was released on 26 May 2017. She also released the song "Perro Fiel" featuring Nicky Jam as a promotional single for the album on 25 May 2017. Its official release as the third single took place on 15 September 2017 the same date its music video which was filmed in Barcelona on 27 July 2017 was released. Before being released as a single "Perro Fiel" was already certified as gold in Spain for selling over 20 000 copies on 30 August 2017.

In January 2018 Shakira won her third Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for El Dorado making her the only female Latin artist to do so. She then released "Trap" the fourth single off the album and her second collaboration with Maluma.

The El Dorado World Tour was announced on 27 June 2017 through Shakira's official Twitter account and was slated to be sponsored by Rakuten. Other announced partners of the tour were Live Nation Entertainment's Global Touring Division (which had previously collaborated with Shakira on her The Sun Comes Out World Tour) and Citi which the press release named as respectively the producer and the credit card for the North American leg of the tour.

The tour it was announced would begin on 8 November in Cologne Germany. But due to voice-strain related problems the singer experienced during her tour rehearsals the date was cancelled one day before the original tour schedule and it was announced that it would be rescheduled for a later date. On 9 November for the same reason she also announced the postponements to later dates to be determined and announced for both shows in Paris as well as the following ones in Antwerp and Amsterdam. On 14 November Shakira made an announcement through her social networks in which she revealed that she had suffered a haemorrhage on her right vocal cord in late October at her last series of rehearsals and that she thus needed to rest her voice for some time to recover; this forced the postponement of the tour's entire European itinerary to 2018.

The Latin American dates were expected to be announced later when the tour resumed. There were plans to bring the tour when it did resume to countries such as the Dominican Republic. In addition a journalist from the Brazilian edition of the Portuguese newspaper Destak announced on his Twitter account that the Colombian singer would visit Brazil the following March. However according to the same newspaper due to Shakira's hiatus to recover from her vocal-cord haemorrhage the Latin American dates were also postponed to the second half of 2018. Eventually Shakira did recover fully from the haemorrhage she had suffered and resumed her tour performing in Hamburg Germany on 3 June 2018.

In January 2018 she announced the dates for her El Dorado World Tour. She began the first leg of her tour in Europe starting in Hamburg Germany on 3 June and then ending in Barcelona Spain on 7 July. She then spent a short time in Asia on the 11 and 13 July after which she went to North America. She started her time there on 3 August in Chicago and finished in San Francisco on 7 September. Her tour dates for Latin America started in Mexico City on 11 October and finished in Bogota Colombia on 3 November. Forbes ranked her among the world's highest-paid women in music in 2019 at number 10.

In February 2020 she and Jennifer Lopez performed for the Super Bowl LIV halftime show. According to Billboard the halftime show had a viewership of 103 million people. On YouTube it became the most viewed halftime show at that point in time. Shakira appeared in two television specials with performing her songs during the COVID-19 pandemic including Global Goal: Unite for Our Future (with "Sale el Sol") and The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II (with "Try Everything").

In January 2021 Shakira sold her catalog of 145 songs to Hipgnosis Songs Fund. The company did not disclose the financial details of the sale.

Tours

Tour Pies Descalzos (1996–1997)
Tour Anfibio (2000)
Tour of the Mongoose (2002–2003)
Oral Fixation Tour (2006–2007)
The Sun Comes Out World Tour (2010–2011)
El Dorado World Tour (2018)
The 2021 World Tour (2021)

Achievements

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Shakira

Shakira has received numerous awards and recognition for her work. She is the recipient of three Grammy Awards and twelve Latin Grammy Awards—the most for a female artist. Shakira has sold more than 75 million records worldwide making her one of world's best-selling music artists.
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems said that "Hips Don't Lie" was the most-played pop song in a single week in American radio history. It was played 9 637 times in one week. Shakira became the first artist in the history of the Billboard charts to reach the number one spots on both the Top 40 Mainstream and Latin Chart in the same week doing so with "Hips Don't Lie". Additionally she is the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the Australian ARIA chart and the UK Singles Chart.

Her song "La Tortura" at one time held the record for Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart appearing at number-one more than any other single with a total of 25 non-consecutive weeks a record currently held by the Luis Fonsi song "Despacito" with 56 weeks.
Nokia stated in 2010 that there were more Shakira music downloads in the prior year than for any other Latino artist in the last five years and She Wolf topped the Top 10 Latino downloads. In 2010 she was ranked number five on the 'Online Video's Most Viral Artists of 2010' with 404 118 932 views.
In 2011 Shakira was honored at the Latin Grammys as Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and by the Harvard Foundation as Cultural Rhythms Artist of the Year. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6270 Hollywood Blvd. Originally she was to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004 but she turned the offer down. In 2012 she received the honor of Chevalier De L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2014 Shakira became the first musical act to perform three times at the FIFA World Cup. In the same year Aleiodes shakirae a new species of parasitic wasp was named after her because it causes its host to "shake and wiggle". Forbes ranked Shakira on their list of "Top 100 World's Most Powerful Women" at number 40 in 2012 at 52 in 2013 and at 58 in 2014. In 2015 Time recognized Shakira as one of the most influential people on social media. Shakira and Argentinian president; Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were the only Latin influencers named on the list. More so Time noted that Shakira has an "unparalleled platform" on social media where she promotes her philanthropy. In 2008 Shakira was named as the Honorary Chair of the Global Campaign for Education Global Action Week.

In 2018 Spotify included Shakira in the list of top 10 most streamed female artists of the decade on the platform making her the highest streamed Latin artist. In 2020 Shakira became the first female artist in history to have 4 songs from different decades to have over 100 million streams on Spotify also marking her as the only artist with Spanish songs the only Latin artist and third overall after Michael Jackson and Eminem to achieve this milestone. In 2020 she broke the Vevo Certified Awards records and set the record at 37 becoming artist with the most videos with over 100 million streams ever. She is now worth $300 million.

Personal life

Shakira began a relationship with Argentinian lawyer Antonio de la Rúa in 2000. In a 2009 interview Shakira stated their relationship already worked as a married couple and that "they don't need papers for that".

After 10 years together Shakira and de la Rúa separated in August 2010 in what she described as "a mutual decision to take time apart from our romantic relationship". She wrote that the couple "view this period of separation as temporary" with de la Rúa overseeing Shakira's "business and career interests as he has always done". As first reported in September 2012 de la Rúa sued Shakira in April 2013 asking for $100 million he believed he was owed after Shakira suddenly terminated her business partnership with him in October 2011. His lawsuit was dismissed by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge in August 2013.

Shakira entered a relationship with the Spanish football player Gerard Piqué centre back for Barcelona and the Spanish national team in 2011. Piqué who is exactly ten years her junior first met Shakira in the spring of 2010 when he appeared in the music video for Shakira's song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Shakira gave birth to the couple's first son Milan on 22 January 2013 in Barcelona Spain where the family had taken up residence. Shakira gave birth to their second son Sasha on 29 January 2015. Forbes listed Shakira and Gerard in their list of "World's Most Powerful Couples".

In 2020 Shakira announced her completion of an Ancient Philosophy course through the University of Pennsylvania describing it as an impractical hobby of hers.

Legacy and impact

Shakira is a prominent figure in Latin music commonly hailed as the 'Queen of Latin Music' for her crossover to the global market which holds a big significance that The New York Times called her the "Titan of Latin Pop" for her unique and leading position in Latin music saying: "Even as a new generation of Spanish-speaking artists are crossing over into American music's mainstream Shakira's output stands alone." A similar comparative perspective was made by The Independent who named Shakira an "International Phenom" for her global appeal and sales statistics further elaborating with "To put her in perspective other Latin exports such as Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez are mere minnows next to Shakira both selling half the number of records she does". Forbes has deemed Shakira as "crossover phenom" for her unmatched success of crossover and one of the world's most powerful Latinas. Forbes further listed Shakira as one of the world's most powerful female celebrities. AllMusic's biographer Steve Huey described her as a "Wildly inventive diva who created a cross-cultural pop sound rooted in her native Colombia but encompassing nearly every territory in the world. [...] she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists." Her unprecedented crossover has inspired other Latin American artists to attempt crossing over one example is Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio having MTV saying "there's no question that Shakira opened doors in this country for artists like Rubio to succeed." Similarly Spin credits Shakira to have paved the way for other Latin artists to crossover naming names like Maluma and J Balvin. After the crossover her global and mainstream presence became big enough for Time magazine to call Shakira a "pop legend." She was marked as "one of the most influential artists of the 21st century" by ET. Throughout her career Shakira has earned several titles including "The Crossover Queen" by The Economist "The Queen of World Cup" by Billboard and "Latin America's Pop Queen" by Pitchfork. Billboard has also noted that Shakira's music videos have "redefined the role of dancing in music videos" while listing her as the best Latin female music video artist of all time.

The authors of Reggaeton published by Duke University Press credited Shakira for popularizing the genre (reggaeton) in North America Europe and Asia while the Public Broadcasting Service called her one of the three "most successful artists of the so-called Golden Age of Latin Music which reshaped America's cultural landscape for the twenty-first century".
Alongside her impact on Latin and mainstream pop culture Shakira has also impacted popular culture in the Arab World due to her popularity in the region. In a publication titled Popular Culture in the Arab World: Arts Politics and the Media author Andrew Hammond credits Shakira for impacting and shifting the images of Arab pop stars such as Moroccan Samira Said and Lebanese Nawal Al Zoghbi saying "[they] have shifted their image and sound in attempt to follow in her (Shakira's) footsteps".

In 1999 Shakira's MTV Unplugged became the program's first episode to be broadcast entirely in Spanish The concert is also noted to be the first time a Latin pop act attempted an Unplugged as well as the first Latina solo act to do so. In 2001 Shakira's "Whenever Wherever" music video was aired on MTV with both the English and Spanish versions. According to a spokesman for the channel this is noted as "the first time that U.S. MTV has aired a Spanish-language video."
In 2005 "La Tortura" became the first ever full Spanish-language music video to air on MTV without an English version. The same year it also became the first ever Spanish song to be nominated and performed at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2006 "Hips Don't Lie" was selected as one of the greatest songs by 21st century female artists by National Public Radio ranked at number 65. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" was named by Billboard the best and most commercially successful World Cup song. Published by the US Bureau of International Information Programs the journal Global Issues (2006) cited Shakira as an example of a celebrity "in today's globalized world" who "made it big by sharing the
uniqueness of their talent and culture with the global community." In 2020 The New Zealand Herald found Shakira's longevity in the industry "particularly impressive given her ability to breach the lines of crossover a feat not many artists have been able to achieve." A similar remark was made by Paper magazine when writing about Shakira's longevity and her being one of the few pre-digital era artists to successfully crack the digital-streaming era of music penning "[Shakira] is a titan in the digital era of music where she devours billions of streams with her catalog."

In 2010 Google revealed that Shakira was the most searched female entertainer of the year. In 2020 Shakira was the most Googled musician of the year.

Many artists have cited Shakira as their inspiration and/or have been influenced by her such as Beyoncé Rihanna Taylor Swift Selena Gomez Will.i.am Lauren Jauregui Justin Bieber Fergie Maluma Karol G Natti Natasha Kali Uchis Lele Pons Andres Cuervo Wendy Sulca Camila Cabello and Becky G

Shakira has even received the admiration of intellectuals and writers such as Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez who has said "No one of any age can sing or dance with the innocent sensuality Shakira seems to have invented". Márquez wrote an essay exalting Shakira's "phenomenal musical talent" and "extraordinary maturity".

Her influence has transcended the boundaries of pop culture that she has become a socio-political influencer and was named as one of the "World's Greatest Leaders" of 2017 by Fortune Magazine. The Guardian has written an extensive article about Shakira's impact on Colombia's social change specifically in education and her ability to discuss this issue with world leaders like Barack Obama and Gordon Brown. Similarly The Independent has described Shakira as a "living proof that pop and politics mix" further noting that through her efforts and influence she is able to have "the ears of the global political elite".


Monuments

In 2006 a six-tonne (6.6-short-ton) 5-metre-tall (16 ft) statue of Shakira; "Escultura de Shakira" designed by the German artist Dieter Patt was installed in Shakira's hometown Barranquilla in the park near Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez where Shakira performed during her Oral Fixation Tour.
On 6 December 2006 Shakira received the key to Miami the honour was presented to her by Mayor Manny Díaz for her "global representation of Latinos". The day was declared as "Shakira Day" in the city.
In July 2018 Shakira visited Tannourine in Lebanon which is the village of her paternal grandmother. During her visit Shakira visited the Cedars Reserve in Tannourine where a square in the forest was named after her. The square holds the name "Shakira Isabelle Mebarak"

Discography

Main articles: Shakira discography and List of songs recorded by Shakira

Magia (1991)
Peligro (1993)
Pies Descalzos (1995)
Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998)
Laundry Service (2001)
Fijación Oral Vol. 1 (2005)
Oral Fixation Vol. 2 (2005)
She Wolf (2009)
Sale el Sol (2010)
Shakira (2014)
El Dorado (2017)

Artistry

On her music Shakira has said that "my music I think is a fusion of many different elements. And I'm always experimenting. So I try not to limit myself or put myself in a category or... be the architect of my own jail." Shakira has frequently stated she is inspired by oriental music and Indian music which influenced many of her earlier works. She has also been influenced by her Arabian heritage which was a major inspiration for her breakthrough world hit "Ojos Así". She told Portuguese TV "Many of my movements belong to Arab culture." She also cites her parents as having been major contributors to her musical style. She is also strongly influenced by Andean music and South American folk music using her native instrumentation for her Latin dance-pop songs.

Her earlier Spanish albums including Pies Descalzos and Dónde Están los Ladrones? were a mix of folk music and Latin rock.
Her cross-over English album Laundry Service and later albums were influenced by pop rock and pop Latino. "Laundry Service" is primarily a pop rock album but also draws influences from a variety of musical genres. The singer credited this to her mixed ethnicity saying: "I am a fusion. That's my persona. I'm a fusion between black and white between pop and rock between cultures – between my Lebanese father and my mother's Spanish blood the Colombian folklore and Arab dance I love and American music."

The Arabian and Middle Eastern elements that exerted a high influence on Dónde Están los Ladrones? are also present in Laundry Service most prominently on "Eyes Like Yours"/"Ojos Así". Musical styles from different South American countries surface on the album. Tango a style of fast-paced ballroom dance that originated in Argentina is evident on "Objection (Tango)" which also combines elements of rock and roll. The uptempo track features a guitar solo and a bridge in which Shakira delivers rap-like vocals.

She Wolf is primarily an electropop album that combines influences from the musical styles of various countries and regions like Africa Colombia India and the Middle East. Shakira termed the album as a "sonic experimental trip" and said that she researched folk music from different countries in order to "combine electronics with world sounds tambourines clarinets oriental and Hindu music dancehall etc."
Her 2010 album Sale el Sol is a return to her beginnings containing ballads rock songs and Latin dance songs like "Loca". In 2017 Deutsche Welle's journalist Kate Müser commented on Shakira's "globalized sound": "[her] Latin beats spiced with Middle Eastern and other world elements and made comfortably familiar by being churned through the pop machine make you feel like a citizen of the world."

As a child Shakira was influenced by rock music listening heavily to rock bands like Led Zeppelin The Beatles Nirvana The Police and U2 while her other influences included Gloria Estefan Madonna Sheryl Crow Alanis Morissette Marc Anthony Meredith Brooks and The Cure.


Dance

Shakira is well known for her dancing in her music videos and concerts. Her distinctive dancing style is said to combine Latin dancing with Middle Eastern belly dancing which is derived from her Lebanese heritage and her hip shaking is mentioned in songs such as Fifth Harmony's "Brave Honest Beautiful". She is noted for usually employing minimal production usually taking the stage with minimal makeup and natural hair and without background dancers in her performances preferring to focus on her vocals dance moves and stage presence. She often performs barefoot a form of dance she learned as a young teen to overcome her shyness. She also mentioned in a MTV interview that she learned how to belly dance by trying to flip a coin with her belly.


Singing

Shakira is a contralto. Shakira is known for her "unique and mesmerizing" singing voice which includes her "trademark" yodeling. Analyzing Shakira's cover of "Je l'aime à mourir" vocal teacher Beth Roars also noted Shakira's use of yodeling explaining that there is "heaviness at the bottom of her tone" which "flips up" into "her head voice" as well as her ability to execute "complex melisma". She also noted Shakira's use of "Arabic scales" then stating that she uses "harmonic minor scales instead of pentatonic scales".

Other ventures

Shakira has ventured into many other businesses and industries. She acted in the Colombian telenovela El Oasis in 1994 playing the character of Luisa Maria.

Shakira began her own beauty line "S by Shakira" with parent company Puig in 2010.
Among the first perfumes it released included "S by Shakira" and "S by Shakira Eau Florale" along with lotions and body sprays. As of 2019 she has released 30 fragrances not counting deluxe editions. On 17 September 2015 she was featured as a playable bird in the game Angry Birds POP! for a limited time and also in a special tournament in the game Angry Birds Friends after a few weeks. On 15 October 2015 Love Rocks starring Shakira was the first video game that featured the pop star.

On 14 August 2015 at Disney's D23 Expo it was announced that Shakira would play a character in the Disney animated movie Zootopia; in it she would give voice to Gazelle the biggest pop star in Zootopia. Shakira also contributed an original song to the film titled "Try Everything" which was written and composed by Sia and Stargate. It opened to a record-breaking box office success in several countries and earned a worldwide gross of over $1 billion making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2016 and the 43rd highest-grossing film of all time.


Philanthropy humanitarian work and politics

Main article: Pies Descalzos Foundation

In 1997 Shakira founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation a Colombian charity with special schools for poor children all around Colombia. It was funded by Shakira and other international groups and individuals. The name of the foundation was taken from Shakira's third studio album Pies Descalzos which she released in 1995. The foundation's main focus is on aid through education and the organization has five schools across Colombia that provide education and meals for 4 000 children.
On 27 April 2014 Shakira was honored with the Hero Award at the Radio Disney Music Awards for her Fundación Pies Descalzos work.

In 2005 Shakira became a founding member of Latin America in Solidarity Action a coalition of artists and business leaders seeking to promote integrated early childhood public policies. In 2008 she served as the Honorary Chair of the Global Campaign for Education Global Action Week. Later in 2010 she collaborated with the World Bank and the Barefoot Foundation to establish an initiative that distributes educational and developmental programs for children across Latin America.

Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and is one of their global representatives. On 3 April 2006 Shakira was honored at a UN ceremony for creating the Pies Descalzos Foundation. In March 2010 she was awarded a medal by the UN International Labour Organization in recognition of being as UN Labour Chief Juan Somavia put it a "true ambassador for children and young people for quality education and social justice". In November 2010 after performing as the opening act of the MTV European Music Awards the Colombian singer also received the MTV Free Your Mind award for her continuing dedication to improve access to education for all children around the world.

In October 2010 Shakira expressed disagreement with French president Nicolás Sarkozy and his policy of expelling Romani people from the country. In the Spanish edition of the magazine GQ she also directed a few words to Sarkozy "We are all gypsies". In the interview she made her viewpoint very clear: "What is happening now to them (the gypsies) will happen to our children and our children's children. We must turn to our citizens to act for the fundamental rights of human beings and condemn all that seems to us indictable" she declared.

In February 2011 the FC Barcelona Foundation and Pies descalzos reached an agreement for children's education through sport. Shakira was honored at the Latin Grammys as the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year on 9 November 2011 for her philanthropy and contributions to Latin Music. Also in 2011 she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The World Literacy Foundation announced Shakira as the recipient of the 2020 Global Literacy Award for "her significant contribution to the improvement of literacy for disadvantaged children around the world."

On 2 November 2018 during a visit to her birthplace Barranquilla for the construction of a school through her Barefoot Foundation (Pies Descalzos Foundation) Shakira spoke about the educational policies of the government under Ivan Duque (President of Colombia 2018–2022). Speaking against the government's intentions to reduce the national education budget from 13% to 7% she said "This is unacceptable. It shows that instead of progressing forward we are moving backward. We need to invest more in education and we need to build more schools in places where there are none". She also talked about social inequality and unschooling. In 2020 Shakira was appointed by Prince William Duke of Cambridge as a voters’ council member for the Earthshot prize which provides 50 environmental pioneers with the funds needed to further their work in tackling major problems impacting the environment. In May 2020 Shakira donated more than 50 000 face masks and ten respirators to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in her hometown of Barranquilla. During the 2021 Colombian protests Shakira condemned the violence and asked President Iván Duque Márquez to "immediately stop the human rights violations" and "restitute the value of human life above any political interest."

See also

Early life

Shakira was born on February 2 1977 in Barranquilla Colombia. She is the only child of William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado. Her father William was born in New York City to a family from Lebanon. When he was 5 his family moved to Colombia. Her Colombian mother side has two Spanish surnames Ripoll and Torrado the former of which is Catalan and originates from four brothers who immigrated from Catalonia to coastal Colombia in the 19th century. She has also claimed to have distant Italian roots through an ancestor with the surname "Pisciotti". The name Shakira (Arabic: شاكرة‎) is Arabic for "grateful" the feminine form of the name Shakir (Arabic: شاكر‎). She was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools. She has eight older half-siblings from her father's previous marriage. Shakira spent much of her youth in Barranquilla a city located on the northern Caribbean coast of Colombia. Shakira's business acumen is often attributed to a high IQ which is reported in the entertainment press to be 140.

Shakira wrote her first poem titled "La rosa de cristal" ('The Crystal Rose') when she was only four years old. As she was growing up she was fascinated watching her father writing stories on a typewriter and asked for one as a Christmas gift. She got that typewriter at the age of seven and has continued writing poetry since then. These poems eventually evolved into songs. When Shakira was two years old an older half-brother was killed in a motorcycle accident; six years later at the age of eight Shakira wrote her first song titled "Tus gafas oscuras" ('Your dark glasses') which was inspired by her father who for years wore dark glasses to hide his grief.

When Shakira was four her father took her to a local Middle Eastern restaurant where Shakira first heard the doumbek a traditional drum used in Arabic music and which typically accompanied belly dancing. She started dancing on the table and the experience made her realize that she wanted to be a performer. She enjoyed singing for schoolmates and teachers (and even the nuns) at her Catholic school but in second grade she was rejected for the school choir because her vibrato was too strong. The music teacher told her that she sounded "like a goat". At school she was often sent out of the class because of her hyperactivity (ADHD). She says she had also been known as "the belly dancer girl" as she would demonstrate every Friday at school a number she had learned. "That's how I discovered my passion for live performance " she says.
To instill gratitude in Shakira for her upbringing her father took her to a local park to see orphans who lived there. The images stayed with her and she said to herself: "One day I'm going to help these kids when I become a famous artist."

Between the ages of 10 and 13 Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla and gained some recognition in the area. It was at this approximate time that she met local theater producer Monica Ariza who was impressed with her and as a result tried to help her career. During a flight from Barranquilla to Bogotá Ariza convinced Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas to hold an audition for Shakira in a hotel lobby. Vargas held Shakira in high regard and returning to the Sony office gave the cassette to a song and artist director. However the director was not overly excited and thought Shakira was something of "a lost cause". Undaunted and still convinced that Shakira had talent Vargas set up an audition in Bogotá. He arranged for Sony Colombia executives to arrive at the audition with the idea of surprising them with Shakira's performance. She performed three songs for the executives and impressed them enough for her to be signed to record three albums.

Filmography

Main article: Shakira videography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	El oasis	Luisa Maria Rico
2002	Popstars Brazil	Mentor assistant	Season 1
2002	Taina	Herself	Episode: "Abuelo Knows Best"
2005	7 vidas	Herself	Episode: "Todo por las pastis"
2009	Ugly Betty	Herself	Episode: "The Bahamas Triangle"
2010	Wizards of Waverly Place	Herself	Episode: "Dude Looks Like Shakira"
2011	Dora and Friends: Into the City	Herself	Episode: "Dora's Explorer Girls: Our First Concert"
2013–2014	The Voice	Coach/Mentor	Seasons 4 and 6
2014	Dreamland	Herself	Episode: "3"
2020	Global Goal: Unite for Our Future	Herself	Television special
2020	The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II	Herself	Television special

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Shakira: The Documentary Film	Herself	Documentary
2007	Pies Descalzos Foundation	Herself	Documentary
2011	Hagamos que Salga El Sol	Herself	Documentary
2011	A Day with Shakira	Herself	Documentary
2016	Zootopia	Gazelle	Voice role
2020	Miss Americana	Herself	Documentary

simple explanation

Shakira
Shakira in 2011
Born	Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (1977-02-02) 2 February 1977 (age 44) Barranquilla Colombia
Other names	La Shak Shaki
Occupation	Singer songwriter record producer director dancer actress philanthropist
Years active	1990–present
Organization	Barefoot Foundation
Partner(s)	Antonio de la Rúa (2000–2010) Gerard Piqué (2011–present)
Children	2
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock Latin
Instruments	Vocals guitar harmonica drums cajón sampler keyboards
Labels	Columbia Epic RCA Sony Music Latin
Website	shakira.com

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (/ʃəˈkɪərə/; Spanish: [t͡ʃaˈkiɾa] or [ʃaˈkiɾa]; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla Shakira has been referred to as the Queen of Latin Music and is noted for her versatility in music. She made her recording debut under Sony Music Colombia at the age of 13. Following the commercial failure of her first two albums Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993) she rose to prominence in Hispanic countries with her next albums Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album Laundry Service (2001) which sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Buoyed by the international number-one singles "Whenever Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes" the album propelled her reputation as a leading crossover artist.

Her success was further solidified with the Spanish albums Fijación Oral Vol. 1 (2005) Sale el Sol (2010) and El Dorado (2017) all of which topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and were certified diamante by the Recording Industry Association of America. Meanwhile her English albums Oral Fixation Vol. 2 (2005) She Wolf (2009) and Shakira (2014) were all certified gold platinum or multi-platinum in various countries worldwide. Some of her songs have charted at number one in multiple countries including "La Tortura" "Hips Don't Lie" "Beautiful Liar" "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" "Loca" and "Chantaje". Shakira served as a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice (2013–2014).

With a catalog of 145 songs Shakira has sold over 75 million records which have made her the best-selling female Latin artist of all time. Shakira remains one of the world's best-selling music artists. Forbes reported that as of 2018 Shakira has become the female Latin artist who has sold the most albums in history. Shakira has received numerous awards including three Grammy Awards twelve Latin Grammy Awards four MTV Video Music Awards seven Billboard Music Awards thirty-nine Billboard Latin Music Awards six Guinness World Records and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was named the Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade by Billboard twice (2000s and 2010s). For her philanthropic work with her Barefoot Foundation and her contributions to music she received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year awards in 2011. She was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the US in 2011 and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012.