Shakira Colombian musician

Shakira, in full Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll   (born February 2, 1977, Barranquilla, Colombia), Colombian musician who achieved success in both Spanish- and English-speaking markets and by the early 2000s was one of the most successful Latin American recording artists.
Shakira, who had a Lebanese father and a native Colombian mother, started belly dancing at an early age and by age 10 had begun writing songs and taking part in talent competitions. A local theatre producer helped her land an audition with a Sony Corp. executive in 1990, and Shakira was subsequently signed to a record deal. Her first two albums, Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993), were only moderately successful, however. After taking a break from recording to act in the Latin soap opera El oasis, Shakira resumed her music career in impressive fashion with Pies descalzos (1995). The album produced several hits, including “Estoy aquí,” “Pienso en ti,” and “Un poco de amor.
After releasing ¿Dónde están los ladrones? in 1998, Shakira focused her efforts on establishing herself in the American market. In 2001 her album MTV Unplugged (2000) won the Grammy Award for best Latin pop album, and she released her first English-language album, Laundry Service, that same year. Although her English-language songwriting skills were questioned by some (Shakira wrote all her own lyrics), Laundry Service sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
Shakira continued her crossover success in 2005 with the release of the Spanish-language Fijación oral, vol. 1 in June and the English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 in November. Both albums debuted in the top five in the United States, and her single “Hips Don’t Lie” (featuring Wyclef Jean) topped charts around the world in 2006. At that year’s Latin Grammy Awards, she captured song-of-the-year and record-of-the-year awards for the single “La tortura,” and Fijación oral, vol. 1 was named album of the year as well as best female pop vocal album. A live recording, Oral Fixation Tour, followed in 2007. Also that year Shakira performed in Hamburg as part of Live Earth, a worldwide concert series organized to bring attention to climate change and environmental sustainability.
For her next English-language album, She Wolf (2009), Shakira adopted an electro-pop sound. The following year she scored another international hit with “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” a collaboration with a South African band, after it was chosen as the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup. The track later appeared on her breezily eclectic Sale el sol (2010), which earned a Latin Grammy for best female pop vocal album. In 2013 Shakira became a coach on the American televised singing competition The Voice.
Shakira devoted considerable time and energy to social causes. In 2003 she became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, traveling internationally to raise awareness of the struggles of children in less-developed countries. She also created the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which focused on helping children displaced by violence in Colombia.

Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira & More in HBO's 'The Latin Explosion': Watch First Trailer

Ricky Martin in the trailer for the HBO Documentary "The Latin Explosion: A New America."

10 Landmark Moments on Billboard’s Latin Charts – From Shakira’s ‘La Tortura’ to Enrique’s ‘Bailando’
HBO is bringing out seemingly every A-lister in the book for its upcoming Latin music special The Latin Explosion, which will chart the history and cultural impact of Latin artists in the U.S. going back to the 1950s.
The first trailer, out now, opens with Mr. “Livin’ the Vida Loca” himself, Ricky Martin, pointing out that “the U.S. is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world” to images of Romeo Santos and Pitbull performing for sold-out stadiums, and including Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida.”  Adding a “Boom!” for effect, Martin’s soundbite segues into an interview with Jennifer Lopez. “It’s our time,” she says, seconds before Gloria Estefan chimes in, reminiscing on the times when record label execs asked her to change her name because it was “too difficult to pronounce.”
How times have changed. But as The Latin Explosion aims to show, Latinos’ lasting impact on American culture goes beyond entertainment. Aside from Latin music superstars, in the trailer we see images of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and hear from Hollywood powerhouse/activist Eva Longoria.
John Leguizamo narrates the doc, executive produced by Tommy Mottola and also featuring José Feliciano, George Lopez, Rita Moreno, Shakira, Thalía, Sofía Vergara and more. Enrique Iglesias, however, is noticeably absent. 

'Love' & Games: Shakira Opens Up About 'Love Rocks' Mobile Game & Love of Her Life Gerard Pique

Shakira for Love Rocks.
COURTESY OF LOVE ROCKS

"I've played his, and he’s played mine," she jokes of Pique's soccer game.

Shakira says she’s always liked games, but in moderation.

“I have two kids, a career and a man that takes a lot of my attention and time,” the Colombian star told Billboard.
Even so, she couldn’t resist the lure of creating her own game, especially after playing hubby Gerard Pique’s own fantasy soccer game, which, she says, is “very, very good.”
Now, Piqué is getting to play Shakira’s Love Rocks, which launched Thursday (Oct. 15) through Angry Birds game maker Rovio and is available for Android and Apple.
Love Rocks features love, jewels and treks through exotic locales handpicked by Shakira. And, of course, it features Shakira’s music.
"Love Rocks" starring Shakira.
"Love Rocks" starring Shakira.Courtesy Photo
The first three “worlds” in the game -- with more to be added continuously -- are Barcelona, Taj Mahal and El Dorado, the mythical city of gold in Shakira’s native Colombia.
Shakira has a personal connection to all the locales, beginning with Barcelona, the city where she currently lives and where her romance with Piqué started. The fact that the song tied to this first Barcelona “world” is “Loca” (Crazy), is no coincidence, as she filmed the song’s video in the city.
“It was a crazy video where we didn’t even ask for permits,” she laughs. “I rode a motorcycle without a helmet on, I got fined for that, I ended up dancing in a public fountain. I was a little crazy then, because I had just met Gerard and I was falling in love madly and I was kind of losing it. So that’s why that video is an explosion of happiness and that’s why ‘Loca’ is the first song.”
The Taj Mahal -- the second world -- is tied to the Middle Eastern-sounding “Ojos Así,” while the third, El Dorado, is tied to “Wherever, Whenever,” which features Andean flute.
While Shakira says she spent a good chunk of time readapting and reinterpreting her music for the gaming space, Love Rocks' historical and mythological references were also important to her as a self-proclaimed history buff.
Take the legend of El Dorado, where an Indian chief covers himself in gold dust and precious jewels during a ceremony in Lake Guatavita. “The myth says there’s still some treasure buried in the lake,” Shakira says. “And it all has to do with the theme of rocks. I think the mythological is so colorful. It just adds to everything. And in today’s world, fantasy is a little displaced, so it’s always fun when you can do things creatively.”
While Love Rocks couldn’t be any more different from Piqué’s soccer game, soccer is what made the app possible.
It began when Piqué invited Peter Vesterbacka -- Rovio’s Mighty Eagle (yes, that’s his title) and the man behind the Angry Birds games -- to a soccer match. Shakira also went, “and after five minutes, we decided we wanted to do a game together,” she recalls. “Peter is very passionate about education and early education, and this is a passion of mine as well, to advocate for universal access to education. We got talking about that first and hit it off so well, we decided to create a game together."
~ My new game, Love Rocks Starring Shakira, is finally here! It’s awesome - hope you love it as much as I do! http://rov.io/LoveRocks Shak~ Mi nuevo juego, Love Rocks Starring Shakira, ya esta aquí! Esta genial - espero que los disfruten tanto como yo! http://rov.io/LoveRocks Shak
Shakira says she and Vesterbacka have plans to also collaborate on early childhood projects. Meantime, while Love Rocks was in development, Rovio hinted at what was to come by launching a Shakira Angry Bird (the Shakira Bird), an adorable yellow bird with long, blond tresses.
“Of course it’s cute!” quips Shakira. “I approved it!”
As to what gets played in the Shakira-Piqué household, “I’ve played his, and he’s played mine,” says Shakira with a laugh. “But I think he’s better at soccer.”

Shakira Biography

Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira is a hugely popular Colombian pop singer who is known for the hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie."

“Sometimes I look at my reflection and I see garbage and I guess I was worried about the size of my breasts for a long time but now I think I have finally reached an age where I have accepted myself for who I am.”

Shakira - Mini Biography (TV-PG; 2:07) International pop singer Shakira won several several Latin music awards and brought her superstar success overseas with songs like "Hips Don't Lie." She continued to expand her celebrity status as a judge on the show "The Voice."
Synopsis

Born in Colombia on February 2, 1977, hugely successfully Colombian pop singer and dancer Shakira has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards and 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Known for hits like "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie," Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, and the second most successful female Latin singer after Gloria Estefan. By 2012, her U.S. album sales had reached nearly 10 million.


Early Life and Career

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia. With a Lebanese father and Colombian mother, Shakira honors both her Latino and Arabic heritage in her music. She wrote her first song at the age of 8 and signed her first record deal at 13.

After her first two albums flopped, Shakira took the reins of her third album, becoming involved in every aspect of its production. Released in 1996, Pies Descalzos, meaning "bare feet," sold more than 3 million copies. The album featured her trademark sound, a blend of Latin, rock and Arabic musical styles. Her follow-up record, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998), which translates as "Where are the thieves?", reached the top of Billboard's Latin charts. Not long after, Shakira won her first Grammy Award (best Latin pop album) for Shakira: MTV Unplugged (2000).

With the success of her albums, Shakira became a music superstar in the Spanish-language markets, known for her strong vocals and incredible hip-shaking belly dance moves.

While hugely popular throughout much of the rest of the world, Shakira had not yet achieved a major record on the U.S. pop charts. In an attempt to increase her American fan base, in 1997, at the age of 20, the singer moved with her family to Miami, Florida, and taught herself to write songs in English. There, she enlisted Emilio Estefan, of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame, to act as her manager and producer.

In 2001, Shakira released her first English-language album, Laundry Service, which quickly brought her the success in the United States she had been waiting for. The album reached No. 3 on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in its first week of release. Laundry Service's big hits included "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes."

Shakira returned to the Top 10 of the albums chart twice in 2005. She released the Spanish-language Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 in June of that year, followed by the English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 in November. Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 garnered Shakira her second Grammy, this time for best Latin rock/alternative album.

Touring extensively, Shakira went on to release two concert albums: 2007'sLive and 2008's Oral Fixation Tour. In July 2009, she put out a new single, "She Wolf," from her studio album of the same name. The album hit No. 15 on the Billboard charts in 2009, and went platinum in 2010. Around the same time, her hit "Waka Waka" from 2010's Sale el Sol became the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Shortly thereafter, the now-global superstar headed on tour to promote her album.

By 2012, Shakira's U.S. album sales had reached nearly 10 million and her worldwide album sales had reached more than 70 million. She is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, and the second most successful female Latin singer after Gloria Estefan. In March 2014, Shakira released a self-titled studio album. The album includes a song with Voice co-star and country singer Blake Shelton. The same year, she took her signature grooves to the global stage again when she closed out the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

In late 2012, Shakira was confirmed as a judge/coach on NBC's popular singing-competition show The Voice. Along with R&B singer-songwriter Usher, Shakira made her Voice debut on the show's season 4 premiere, which aired on March 25, 2013. Replacing Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green, Shakira and Usher joined returning judges/coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. "Usher and Shakira are coming into it as a big frickin' institution," Levine said in late 2012, according to The Huffington Post. "So it's different, but it still feels good, because they're legitimate artists."

Shakira quickly became popular with TV audiences. Both she and Usher were not part of the show's fifth season, however. Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green returned for that season. She and Usher made their return to the panel in season 6 of The Voice.

Outside of her busy career, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children in her native Colombia receive a quality education. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and was honored by the United Nations' International Labor Organization for her philanthrophic efforts in 2010.

I always ask myself, what was the real purpose to my life? I always knew it was not to shake it endlessly, you know what I mean?

Shakira is in a relationship with Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué. The couple welcomed their first child together on January 22, 2013. They named their son Milan, which means "dear, loving and gracious" in Slavic; "eager and laborious" in Ancient Roman; and "unification" in Sanskrit, according to a statement on Shakira's website. In August 2014, the couple announced she was pregnant again. Their second son was born on January 29, 2015.

Shakira previously dated Antonio de la Rua, son of former Argentine President Fernando de la Rua. In April 2013, de la Rua made headlines when he sued the Latin songstress for $250 million, charging that he had helped create some of his ex's hit songs as well as the "Shakira brand."

Shakira

Singer, songwriter
Achild prodigy and a star throughout the Spanish-speaking world, the Colombian vocalist Shakira made a successful crossover to English-language pop with her 2001 album Laundry Service. Shakira's camera-friendly looks and carefully controlled image concealed both a creative artist who wrote most of her own material and an astute businesswoman who became an international star without alienating her original Latin American fan base. After a hiatus of several years, usually the kiss of death for a career in the fast-moving world of pop, Shakira re-emerged bigger than ever with double releases in 2005, Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2.
Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll on February 2, 1977 (some sources give February 9 as her birthday), in Barranquilla on Colombia's Caribbean coast, Shakira is the daughter of a Colombian mother and a Lebanese father. The Arabic background of her father, a writer and jeweler, greatly influenced young Shakira, as can be heard in some of the songs she has written. In Arabic, her first name means "woman full of grace," and it is how she has chosen to be known professionally. While still quite young, she showed a love for music and a talent her parents considered quite remarkable in a child so young. She entered a number of local and national talent and beauty contests, and by the time she was ten years old she had won several.
At the age of 13 Shakira left Barranquilla for Colombia's capital of Bogota to take a modeling job. The modeling job never materialized, but perhaps it was for the best. Instead she signed her first recording contract with Sony Music Colombia, and soon released her first album. TitledMagia, Shakira's debut was made up entirely of songs that she had written between the ages of 8 and 13. Although the album never achieved great success, it did bring the young songstress to the attention of her country and led eventually to her selection to represent Colombia at the annual Festival OTI, scheduled to be held that year in Spain. Her participation in the festival was barred at the last moment when officials realized that she was under the minimum age of 16.
At age 15 Shakira graduated from high school. Shortly thereafter she released her second album,Peligro, which failed to win much more attention than her debut effort. Soon after the disappointing release of Peligro, Shakira signed on as an actress in the Colombia television soap opera El Oasís, and remained with the cast for about a year before returning to her musical career.
Shakira's breakthrough came with the 1996 release of Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), an album that has sold more than four million copies worldwide and one that produced no fewer than six smash singles. At first, sales were disappointingly slow. Several months after the album went on sale, "Estoy Aquí," the first single to be released, caught fire with disc jockeys at radio stations throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and the single soon made its way to number one on the Latin charts. This feat that was later matched by the follow-up single "Dónde Estás Corazon?." Four other singles from the album—"Antologia," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," and "Se Quiere, Se Mata"—reached the top ten on the Latin charts. The album itself managed to hit number one in sales in eight different countries. So popular was Pies Descalzos in Brazil, where sales topped 900,000, that Shakira recorded remixes of several songs in Portuguese.
What made Shakira's success with Pies Descalzos all the more impressive was the singer's decision to abandon her light pop format and establish for herself a distinctive and somewhat daring new style—a distinctive blend of pop and rock unlike anything being done by Colombian singers at the time. To get the album done the way she wanted, she had to overrule her label's recommendation that she stick to a format with more commercial appeal.
In support of Pies Descalzos, Shakira toured widely throughout the Spanish-speaking world, including cities in the United States with large Hispanic populations. The album and tours helped to make her one of the most visible musical performers in Latin music. Her tours crisscrossed the globe and lasted nearly two years.
After the phenomenal success of Pies Descalzos, the big question for Shakira, her recording label, and the critics was whether she could produce a comparable hit her next time out. Ably assisted by record producer Emilio Estefan, husband of Cuban-born singer Gloria Estefan, Shakira released Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where are the Thieves?) in 1998. Critics hailed the spirit and integrity of Shakira's music, showcased beautifully by the high production standards for which Estefan is known. Of her work on Ladrones, Shakira said: "My music is sincere, everyday music. It is music that stems from a completely genuine source."
Critics hailed Dónde Están los Ladrones? as a breakthrough album for Shakira. Its title track was a none-too-veiled reference to the corruption found at all levels in her native country. One of the first big singles from the album was "Ojos Así," which roughly translates as "Those Eyes." In it one can hear some of the Arab influences that are so dear to Shakira's heart, blended skillfully with the best of Western pop. Estefan was full of praise for Shakira. "It is totally refreshing for me to work with an artist who knows exactly what she wants, both at a musical and a personal level," he said. "Her music is Shakira. It's real music." Even Shakira seemed genuinely pleased with the album. Speaking to an interviewer for Time International, she said all the album's tracks have a "real, organic sound. The whole core is rock, even the dance songs."
During the summer of 1999 the MTV Network, which broadcasts in markets around the world, including much of Latin America, taped Shakira in one of its MTV Unplugged concerts. Performing in the Grand Ballroom of MTV's Manhattan Center Studios in New York City, the Colombian singer sang almost all of the songs for which she had become well known. MTV's editors then distilled the taped footage into an hour-long program that focused on the most important and influential songs of her repertoire. Beginning in 2000 the program was aired throughout Latin America as well as in the United States. An album of the songs performed on the hour-long show was also released in 2000.

For the Record …

Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll on February 9, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Moved to Bogota, Colombia, at the age of 13 to model but ended up instead with a recording contract for Sony; released debut album, Magia, 1991; released Peligro, 1994; acted on Colombian soap opera El Oasis, 1994; returned to recording music, 1995; released Pies Descalzos, 1996; released Los Dónde Están Ladrones?, 1998; released MTV Unplugged, 2000; released English-language debut, Laundry Service, 2001; released Live & Off the Record, 2004; released Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, and enhanced album Tortura recorded with Alejandro Sanchez, 2005.
Awards: Three Latin Grammy Awards, for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, for "Ojos Así" from MTV Unplugged, 2000; for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, for "Octavo Día" from MTV Unplugged, 2000; and for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album, for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, 2005; American Music Award for favorite Latin artist, 2005; six Latin Music Awards for single "La Tortura" (The Torture), with Alejandro Sanz, 2006.
Addresses: Record company—Sony Music Latin America, 605 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach, FL 33139.Website—Shakira Official Website: http://www.shakira.com.
At the first Latin Grammy Awards in September of 2000, Shakira won Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ojos Así" and for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Octavo Día." She also performed at the awards show. Only a week earlier she had won an MTV Video Music Award for her video of "Ojos Así." News of the Grammy Awards gave a big lift to sales of Shakira's albums. In the weeks immediately following the awards ceremony, sales shot up by as much as 30 to 40 percent in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, one of the major Latin music markets in the United States.
Estefan told Entertainment Weekly in 2000 that he fully expected Shakira to be the next big Latin crossover star, creating a sensation on the same scale as Selena or Ricky Martin. He further predicted that "Middle Eastern combined with Latin music is the next big sound." Of her work on her new English-language album, Shakira said: "I'm working day and night writing, but I'm also taking my time. I want this album to put a big smile on my face."
And so it did, selling an estimated 13 million copies worldwide. Shakira won the admiration of even the dean of South American writers, Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, who (according to the Economist) praised the "innocent sensuality" of her music. In the important U.S. market, Laundry Service rose to the number three spot on Billboard's album sales ranking, thanks to the hit singles "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes." Shakira studied English intensively and as usual wrote much of the music herself.
The expected industry strategy would have been to rush a second English album to completion quickly and release it to raise the artist's profile still further. Shakira had other ideas. Determined to keep control over her own music, she took a long break after finishing worldwide touring in support of Laundry Service. Her label Sony filled the gap with the album and DVD Live & Off the Record in 2004 while Shakira wrote new material. That material fell into groups of Spanish and English songs. Now based in Miami, Shakira was determined not to lose her connection to Spanish-speaking fans in Central and South America. So she took the unusual step of releasing two linked albums, one after the other. Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 both appeared in 2005, featuring the singer's catchy mix of Latin rock, pop, and world music sounds spiced by high-powered guest talent.
An early indication of the success of Shakira's success came when Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 became a hit in European markets with few Spanish speakers, such as Germany, Finland, and France. Critical reception for the English album was mixed. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "for all the musical ingredients at her disposal, Shakira winds up with a relatively bland dish," while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide was impressed that "it's a deadly serious, ambitious pop/rock album, most assuredly not frivolous dance-pop." The album reached number five on Billboard's Top 200 album list (one step below Fijación Oral, Vol. 1), and the singles "La Tortura" and "Hips Don't Lie" kept Shakira on radio airwaves and music playlists across much of the world through 2006. By that time Shakira was, as an Economistwriter quipped, Colombia's greatest legal export.

Selected discography

Magia, Sony, 1991.
Peligro, Sony, 1994.
Pies Descalzos, Sony, 1996.
Dónde Están los Ladrones?, Sony, 1998.
Shakira, MTV Unplugged, Sony, 2000.
Laundry Service, Sony, 2001.
Live & Off the Record, Sony, 2004.
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, Epic, 2005_
Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, Epic, 2005.

Sources

Periodicals

Economist (U.S.), July 23, 2005, p. 62US.
Entertainment Weekly, September 29, 2000, p. 129; December 2, 2005, p. 79.
Hispanic, March 31, 1999, p. 75.
Interview, August 2002, p. 113.
People, June 13, 2005, p. 43; December 19, 2005, p. 93.
Teen People, May 2006, p. 52.
Time, February 15, 1999, p. 80; March 15, 2004, p. 99.
Time International, August 3, 1998, p. 36.

Online

"Biography," Shakira: MTV Unplugged, http://www.shakira.com/main.html (May 8, 2001).
"International Beat: Shakira, Celia Cruz, Ricky Martin," Sonicnet.com, http://www.sonicnet.com (May 8, 2001).
"International Beat: Valerie Belinga, Shakira, Gloria Trevi," Sonicnet.com, http://www.sonicnet.com (May 8, 2001).
"Latin Grammys' Fallout: Increased Sales, Lingering Controversy," Sonicnet.com, http://www.sonicnet.com (May 8, 2001).
"Review: Shakira Returns to U.S.," Sonicnet.com, http://www.sonicnet.com (May 8, 2001).
"Shakira," All Music Guide, http://allmusic.com (July 15, 2006).
"Shakira: Biography," Sonicnet.com, http://www.sonicnet.com (May 7, 2001).