Shakira

▪ 2007

 Colombian pop superstar Shakira emerged as the big winner at the 2006 Latin Grammy Awards. The 29-year-old singer-songwriter captured song-of-the-year and record-of-the-year awards for her hit single “La Tortura,” and her Fijación oral, Vol. 1 was named album of the year as well as best female pop vocal album. Famed for her belly dancing, Shakira also wowed the event's spectators and television audience with an energetic live performance of “La Tortura.” The awards capped a magical year for Shakira, who launched an ambitious world tour in June and saw another of her hit singles, “Hips Don't Lie,” rise to number one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. By the end of 2006, she had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, becoming one of the most successful Latin American recording artists in history.

      Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on Feb. 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colom. Her mother was a native Colombian, her father Lebanese. She 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. Her album MTV Unplugged (2000) was honoured with the Grammy Award for best Latin pop album in 2001, 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 of her own lyrics), Laundry Service debuted at number three on the Billboard chart and went on to sell more than 13 million copies worldwide. She 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.

      Shakira also devoted considerable time and energy to social causes. Since 2003 she had served as 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. The foundation announced plans to open a school for some 2,000 needy students in Shakira's hometown in early 2008.

Sherman Hollar

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in full  Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll 

born Feb. 2, 1977, Barranquilla, Colom.

 

 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, and her single "Hips Don't Lie" topped the charts 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. In July 2007 Shakira performed in Hamburg as part of Live Earth, a worldwide concert series organized to bring attention to climate change and environmental sustainability.

      Shakira also 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.

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