Shakira

This article is about the musician. For other uses, see Shakira (disambiguation).

Shakira

Selma Dawn Fox(born: August 7, 1996) known simply as brandonz boo , (Template:PronEng in English, /tʃa'kira/ in Spanish ‭) is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who has been a major figure in the pop music scene of Latin America since the mid-1990s. She is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English, Portuguese, Italian, and some Arabic. In 2001, she broke through onto the English-speaking world with the release of Laundry Service, which sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, according to BMI. She has also won numerous awards worldwide, including two Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards among eighteen nominations, sixteen Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, a People's Choice Award and receiving a Golden Globe nomination. She is also the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, and the UK Singles Chart.

Shakira was to be awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which would have made her the first Colombian to receive this honor.

Early life

Shakira was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia. She is the only child of Nidya del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian of Italian and Spanish ancestry, and William Mebarak Chadid who is of Lebanese descent. She has 8 older half siblings from her father's previous marriage, but she often omits the half in interviews because they are so close to her.

Statue of Shakira in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Shakira means "thankful" (شاكِرة) in Arabic. It is the feminine form of the name Shaker. Her second name, Isabel, is also that of her paternal grandmother, meaning "my god is my oath", "my god's house" or "my god is abundance", and her name might be mistaken by Colombians and other Spanish-speaking people as a Spanish given name only for Elizabeth. Her family name Ripoll is Catalan. She spent much of her youth in Barranquilla, a city located in northern Colombia. Shakira is widely noted for her keen intellect and is reported to have an IQ of 140.

Shakira wrote her first poem, entitled "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 her wish at age seven and continued writing poetry. These poems eventually evolved into songs. At the age of eight, after an older half-brother was killed in a motorcycle accident, Shakira wrote her first song entitled "Tus gafas oscuras" ("Your dark glasses"). The inspiration came from her father, who for years after the accident 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. Before she knew it, Shakira was dancing on the table, as restaurant patrons responded by clapping enthusiastically. It was then that Shakira said she knew she wanted to be a performer. She enjoyed singing for schoolmates and teachers (and even the nuns) at her Catholic school, but in the second grade 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 says she had been known as "the belly dancer girl", as she would demonstrate a number she learned every Friday at school. "That's how I discovered my passion for live performance," she says.

Between the ages of ten and thirteen Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla and gained some recognition in the area. It was at about this 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". Vargas, not daunted, was still convinced that Shakira had talent, and 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.

Career

1990-1994: Magia & Peligro

Shakira's debut album, Magia, was recorded with Sony Music in 1991, when she was only fourteen years old. Though it fared well on Colombian radio and gave the young Shakira much exposure, the album did not fare well commercially, selling fewer than a thousand copies. After the poor acclaim of Magia, Shakira's label urged her back into the studio to release a follow up with more hit songs, to give the album potential. The album Peligro was released in 1993, but Shakira was not pleased with the final result, mainly taking issue with the production. The album was better received than Magia, though it was also considered a commercial failure, due to Shakira's refusal to advertise it. Although little known outside of her native Colombia, 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 then 20-year-old Ricky Martin. 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 in the Armero tragedy in 1985.

1995–2000: Pies descalzos and ¿Dónde están los ladrones?

Shakira originally recorded the song ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? (later released on her album Pies Descalzos) for the compilation album "Nuestro Rock" in 1995, released exclusively in Colombia. ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? was the only hit off the album. This allowed Sony to give Shakira a third attempt at making an album. Shakira returned to recording in 1995 with Luis F. Ochoa, using musical influences from a number of countries and an Alanis Morissette-oriented persona which affected some of her next albums, and made her third studio album, Pies Descalzos, which brought her great fame in Latin America. Pies Descalzos sold over five million copies, prompting the release of a remix album, titled simply The Remixes. The Remixes also included Portuguese versions of some of her best-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 album, ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? was released in 1998. She began to gain more fans in non-Spanish-speaking countries like Turkey, France, Switzerland, Canada, and especially the United States. Eight of the album's eleven tracks became singles, including "Ciega, Sordomuda", "Moscas En La Casa", "No Creo", "Inevitable", "Tú", "Si Te Vas", "Octavo Día", and the world-famous "Ojos Así". The latter two songs won Shakira one Latin Grammy each. Shakira's first live album, MTV Unplugged, was composed of "Estoy Aquí" and all the songs from ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? except Que Vuelvas.

Eventually ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? sold close to ten million copies worldwide.

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 now-defunct category of People's Choice - Favorite International Artist.

2001–2004: Laundry Service

In 2001, upon the success of ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? and MTV Unplugged, Shakira began working on a crossover album to English. Collaborating with Gloria Estefan, she wrote and recorded English versions of the tracks from ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?. However, she later decided against using translations of older songs for the album and worked for over a year on new material for the album. Around this time, Shakira also released four songs for Pepsi and for her promotion in the English markets: "Ask for More", "Pide Mas", "Knock on My Door" and "Pideme El Sol". In November 24, 2001, Laundry Service was released, although Shakira chose to exclude the four Pepsi songs. Although it was created with the intent of selling to an English language market, the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album also featured four Spanish songs, including "Que Me Quedes Tú" ([I hope] that you remain (for me)). Some critics claimed that Shakira's English skills were too weak for her to write in it. Fueled by the success of the international hits Whenever, Wherever and "Underneath Your Clothes" the album sold extremely well and was certified triple platinum in the US (denoting sales exceeding 3 million copies) and thus helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market. The album has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide.

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Shakira meeting the President of the Dominican Republic on October 9, 2002

In 2002, Shakira also released her Spanish greatest hits volume Grandes éxitos. A DVD and ten-track compilation album, called Live & Off the Record, was also released in 2004, reaching sales of 3 million CDs worldwide, and commemorating Shakira's world tour, the Tour of the Mongoose.

In September 2002, Shakira won the now-defunct International Viewer's Choice Award at the MTV Video Music Awards with "Suerte". In October of that year, she won 5 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. At Aerosmith's MTV Icon in 2002, Shakira performed "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)". Also in 2002, Shakira joined the likes of Celine Dion, Anastacia, Cher, and the Dixie Chicks for VH1 Divas Live Las Vegas.

2005-2007: Fixations Era

Shakira stayed out of the spotlight for over two years. She announced the Oral Fixation project in early 2005. Fijación Oral Vol. 1, the first album of the project, was released on June 3, 2005 in Ireland, on June 6, 2005 in Europe, and on June 7, 2005 in North America, Latin America and Australia. The lead single from the album, "La Tortura", which features Alejandro Sanz, was released as a single in April and achieved large-scale success in different radio and chart formats. It spent a record of twenty-five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.

Fijación Oral Vol. 1 was very well received by the public. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart on the week of June 15. According to that publication, the album sold 157,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S., becoming the highest debut ever for a Spanish language albums. In Latin America, on the very day of its official release in Venezuela, it went Platinum, in Colombia, triple Platinum and in Mexico, it was sold-out. The album sold over one million copies in three days. The second single from the album, "No", was released in July 2005, and peaked at number one in Argentina, Spain and Colombia, there for 14 non-consecutive weeks. This single was number one in several countries in Latin America, but it did not have the same success of the previous two singles in the United States.

On February 8, 2006, Shakira won her second Grammy Award. She was awarded in the category of Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.

In late 2006, Shakira released "La Pared" as the fourth single from Fijación Oral Vol. 1. The song reached number one in her native Colombia, Argentina and Spain. Later in 2007, "Las de la Intuición" was released as a single in Spain and Latin America. It became an instantaneous success, topping the radio chart Los 40 Principales for eight non-consecutive weeks and peaking at number one, charting just four weeks in Argentina. In mid-April, Shakira filmed a video for the song in Miami, which was then premiered via the internet on May 7. The video, inspired by the work of photographer Helmut Newton, features Shakira with a bright purple wig, alternating between wearing a tight black corset and either a black shirt with a white tie or a white shirt with a black tie. According to Mexican media, "Las de la Intuición" is to be the fifth and final single from Fijación Oral Vol. 1.

Before the release of Oral Fixation Vol. 2, the second CD of the Oral Fixation project, Shakira appeared at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon, Portugal were she performed "Don't Bother", the lead single from the album, just minutes before winning an award in the category of Best Female Artist.

Oral Fixation Vol. 2 was released on November 29, 2005 in North America, Australia, and continental Europe. Two tracks from the album, "How Do You Do" and "Timor", sparked some controversy at the time of its release. The cover of the album was also considered controversial, and had to be altered in several countries. "Don't Bother" failed to peak within the top 40 in the United States. "Hips Don't Lie", the second single released from the album, became Shakira's first number one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. On March 28, 2006, the album was re-released and featured "Hips Don't Lie". Shakira received the most number of nominations for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards with "Hips Don't Lie", but she won only the award for Best Choreography. Shakira embarked on her longest tour, the Oral Fixation Tour, in June, 2006. This tour was used to help promote her albums Fijación Oral Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2. The tour had 125 shows between June 14, 2006 and July 9, 2007. She performed on 5 continents: Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa. During this tour, Shakira performed a free concert in Mexico on May 27, 2007 with over 210,000 in attendance. This concert set the record for the highest attendance of any concert in Mexican history. On November 12, the "Oral Fixation Tour" DVD was released (November 13 in North America). It is also available in High Definition Blu-ray format.

Through 2008 she made several shows which were not part of any concert tour. She performed at Rock In Rio in Madrid and in Abu Dhabi for New Year's Eve. All of the performances were based in the Oral Fixation Tour setlist. Appart from that she made other several appearances in special events such as ALAS, The concert for children and the Concert for Peace in Leticia (Colombia).

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Shakira in Milan Italy

2008-present: Next studio album

During an online chat with her fans in "El Heraldo", she revealed that she was going to start writing her New Album in February 2008. No official release date has been announced. Furthermore, at the CD release party for Shakira's singer-songwriter cousin Isa Mebarak in Colombia, Shakira's father William Mebarak stated that Shakira is currently at work beginning to write and produce new songs for her upcoming album. This is being done in "her own studio", which many fans thought to mean the studio at her home in the Bahamas. Shakira recorded 2005's Fijación Oral Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2 there, as well).

However, according to an exclusive interview in "El País", an Uruguayan newspaper, Shakira has begun working on her forthcoming album in Uruguay, where she has a built-in studio on her estate. She worked there in early February for twenty days.

Early in the morning on April 3, Shakira arrived at Miami International Airport and told a waiting reporter who asked about the album that she was "still cooking" and would be heading to her studio in the Bahamas later that week. She also said she was preparing a trip to China, although whether she has gone yet and if this was for album-related or for other reasons is unknown.

On April 27, 2008, Shakira arrived in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia to help oversee the plans for the new, massive school her foundation is building there. She told reporters in an interview with RCN news that because of her visits to Washington D.C. before the U.S. Congress, she has been very busy and has only worked on the new album for "exactly four days" in the month of April. She confirmed the album should be out this year.

Speaking to "El Tiempo" newspaper in Madrid in the days prior to her top-bill performance at Rock In Rio 2008, Shakira said that the day after her performance (July 5) she would fly to London to meet with several producers with whom she is working on her new album.

After two weeks in London, Shakira flew to Colombia for a peace concert in Leticia (at the three way border of Colombia, Peru and Brazil) with Carlos Vives. Afterward, it was reported by Noticias Caracol in Colombia that Shakira returned to her home studio in the Bahamas and continued recording "a little something" with members of Vives' band.

In an exclusive interview with Elenco Magazine in Colombia, Shakira confirmed that she has already written nearly 30 songs for the new album but still continues writing, although it is still too early to reveal too much. It is known that Swedish-Moroccan producer RedOne is working on Shakira's upcoming album. He previously worked with Shakira on the "Bamboo Mix" of her hit "Hips Don't Lie" which she performed at the World Cup in 2006.

On her official forum [6], the Admin/moderator posted some new info on Shakira's new album. He said that Shakira is still doing some experimental phases of the album in various parts of the world (Miami, Florida with Wyclef Jean (producer), Vancouver, Canada (with Luis F. Ochoa), Los Angeles, California (with Red One), London, Uruguay and Bahamas). Her new album is scheduled to be released in Spring, 2009.

On November 30, a picture of Shakira and Pharell Williams surfaced on the net. In the photo, the pair are seated together in a music studio. The blurb accompanying the photo offered no additional information as to what the two were recording, but it is assumed to be at least one track for her upcoming album. In the weeks after,pictures of Shakira with reggeaton duo Calle 13 and producer Toby Gad at her home in the Bahamas have also surfaced on her official message board. On January 15, Billboard confirmed Shakira's collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Calle 13, and Khaled. In contradiction to other sources, Billboard states that the new album will be arriving late 2009. On January 23, a second Shakira & Pharrell picture was posted on her Myspace site.

Also, in some websites, a demo called "Fire" was leaked online and since then it has been available on YouTube. The song was mistaken for being a new single for Shakira's upcoming album, but it was revealed that is from 13 years old romanian girl named Sanziana Nicula.

Collaborations and other work

In 2003, Shakira wrote with musician Tim Mitchell a song called "Come Down Love" for the Hollywood movie "The Italian Job" starring South African actress Charlize Theron & Mark Wahlberg, but finally the song was not included on the soundtrack of the same.

In late 2006, Shakira and Alejandro Sanz worked together again in the duet "Te lo Agradezco, Pero No", which is featured on Sanz' album El Tren de los Momentos. The song was a top ten hit in Latin America, and topped Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.

Shakira worked with Miguel Bosé in the duet "Si Tu No Vuelves", which was released in Bosé's album Papito, which celebrates his 30-year career.

In early 2007, Shakira worked with American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles in the track "Beautiful Liar", which was released as the second single from the deluxe edition of Knowles' B'Day. In the week of April 7, 2007, the song jumped 91 positions, from 94 to 3, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting the record for the largest upward movement in the history of the chart. It was also No. 1 on the official UK Singles Chart. The song earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The song was one of Knowles' most successful worldwide.The song was particularly popular in Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina and Spain, where it landed at #1.

According to Billboard, Shakira, along with Lil Wayne would collaborate on a new track for Carlos Santana's greatest hits CD titled Ultimate Santana. However, this collaboration has been cancelled, and Shakira and Lil' Wayne have been replaced by Jennifer Lopez and Baby Bash.

Shakira is featured on Annie Lennox's record "Sing", from the album Songs of Mass Destruction, which also features other twenty-three female singers such as Madonna, KT Tunstall, Faith Hill, Dido, Celine Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Joss Stone, Fergie, Anastacia and Pink.

Shakira performed on January 18, 2009 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 also performed during the evening of January 20, 2009 at the Neighborhood Ball for the President's inauguration. The song she performed was Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road". This song featured Shakira on harmonica.

Love in the Time of Cholera soundtrack

Shakira wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music for two new songs that are featured in the movie Love in the Time of Cholera, based in the acclaimed novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Marquez. García Marquez himself asked Shakira to write the songs. The songs are called "Pienso en ti", a song from Shakira's breakthrough album Pies Descalzos, "Hay Amores" and the Golden Globe nominated "Despedida." All the songs can be downloaded via iTunes, as well as the score by Antonio Pinto.

It was rumored that the song would also be nominated for an Academy Award, but it was not, with many newspapers and critics calling the fact that it was left off the ballots the Academy's "worst snub."

Acting

Shakira appeared in the Colombian telenovela El Oasis in 1994, playing the character of Luisa Maria.

Personal life

During her teen years, she had a best friend in Barranquilla by the name of Olga Lucia de Burbano. In 2000, Shakira started dating Antonio de la Rúa, the son of then president of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa, a romance that made headline news throughout Latin America. In March 2001, he proposed to her. De la Rúa and Shakira remain engaged. She currently lives in The Bahamas. Shakira's future mother-in-law Inés Pertiné claimed the wedding would take place in September 2007 in the mansion which Shakira owns in the Dominican Republic (though this didn't happen). She also said that Shakira has already ordered Argentine designer María Pryor to design her wedding dress, All this was denied by Shakira herself in Mexico.

In June 2007, Latin American media speculated that the couple had finally split up and that Shakira was involved romantically with Army Specialist Erik Pepen since both were seen in a Los Angeles disco. This rumor was immediately denied by Shakira's assistants, stating that she was invited by Penélope Cruz, who later introduced Erik Pepen to Shakira. On the previous days, Shakira and Antonio were seen in a restaurant in New York City, facing and denying the rumors one more time.

Shakira is intensely interested in world history. She frequently studies the history and languages of the countries she visits. After her Oral Fixation tour ended in summer 2007, Shakira audited a class in Los Angeles at UCLA, on the History of Western Civilization. She used her middle and last names, Isabel Mebarak, and told the professor she was visiting from Colombia so as to avoid being recognized as a celebrity.

Shakira is a cousin of model and 2005-2006 Miss Colombia, Valerie Dominguez, who is likewise of Lebanese descent.

Dancing

Dancing during the Oral Fixation Tour 2006

‎Shakira is well known for her dancing in various music videos and in concert. Her moves are based on the art of Arabic belly dancing, a part of her Lebanese heritage: her father has a Lebanese background but was raised in Colombia. She often performs barefoot. Shakira says she learned this form of dance 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. The intense training has afforded her a fluidity in her body movement most seen in the videos to her hits "Ojos Así", "La Tortura", "Hips Don't Lie" and "Beautiful Liar" including "Suerte". She has had several belly dance choreographers, including award-winning Bellydance Superstar Boženka. As the MTV Making the Video for "La Tortura" reveals, she worked with Jamie King on the choreography, but ended up creating most of it herself.

Philanthropy and humanitarian work

In 1995, Shakira founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation. It is 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 is taken from Shakira's third studio album called Pies Descalzos, released in 1995.

During her career, Shakira has performed at a large number of benefit concerts. In 2002 she sang at a Party in the Park concert fundraising for dsf Prince's Trust. That same year she performed at Divas Live which support VH1's Save the Music Foundation. On July 2, 2005 she performed her hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "La Tortura" on the Live 8 benefit concert at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris. On July 7, 2007, the singer opened the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg. Her set included "Don't Bother", "Inevitable", "Día Especial" (with Gustavo Cerati) and "Hips Don't Lie". Shakira also performed at the "Clinton Global Initiative", where she performed her hits "Underneath Your Clothes", "Inevitable" and "Hips Don't Lie". On May 17, 2008 Shakira and twenty other Latin American and Spanish artists performed in Buenos Aires and Mexico City to raise money for Shakira's Latin America in Solidarity Action "America Latina en Accion Solidaria"(ALAS) charity. This concert attracted 150,000 people in Buenos Aires. Although tickets were free, the demand exceeded the supply; some fans who were fortunate enough to secure free tickets resold them.

Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and is one of their global representatives. "Shakira, like all our Goodwill Ambassadors, was chosen based on her compassion, her involvement in global issues, her deep commitment to helping children, and her appeal to young people around the world. We're very pleased to have Shakira join the UNICEF family. I know she'll help bring UNICEF's mission to the audience who will have the most impact on our future – young people themselves", said UNICEF's Executive Director Carol Bellamy.

On April 3, 2006, Shakira was honored at a United Nations ceremony for creating the Pies Descalzos Foundation. At the event, the singer said, "Let's not forget that at the end of this day when we all go home, 960 children will have died in Latin America."

Shakira was recently ranked at number 48 on the list of Top 50 Most Charitable Celebrities by OK! magazine. It reported that she donates approximately $55,000 to charity yearly.

On September 28, 2007 at the Clinton Global Initiative, it was revealed that Shakira donated $40 million to help the victims of natural disasters. An additional $5 million will be donated to four Latin American countries, to be spent on education and health. The charity was able to collect US$ 200 million from philanthropists Carlos Slim, Mexico’s richest man, and Howard Buffett, son of U.S. investment guru Warren Buffett, the singer announced on April 15, 2008.

In December 2007, Shakira visited Bangladesh to appeal for the victims of Cyclone Sidr. She spent 3 days with the victims and visited children affected by the disaster in schools built by Unicef and participated in the distribution of family kits and warm clothes. She said that little was left of the school she visited in the village of Mirzapur, but it still provided an "oasis" for the children. "I am more convinced than ever that education is the key to so many of the difficulties that our children face in countries like mine or in developing countries like this one. It's the key to a better and safer world," she said.

Shakira served as the Honorary Chairperson for "Action Week" 2008 (April 21-27). The event is sponsored by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), to generate awareness about the Education for All Act. She spoke with the U.S. Congress, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and World Bank President Robert Zoellick to promote a move towards Global Education. Angelina Jolie served as last year's chair.

People En Español announced in their December 2008/January 2009 issue that Shakira is the "Humanitarian of the Year" as part of their "Las Estrellas del Año" (Stars of the Year) awards.

Style

Shakira in concert 2006

Music and voice

Shakira has told many interviewers that she had grown fond to listening to oriental music, which influenced many of her earlier works. Shakira is known to be a fan of rock music, especially that of The Police, Depeche Mode, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin.

Shakira is known to have adopted many genres, including folk, mainstream pop and rock. Her earlier Spanish albums, including Pies descalzos and ¿Dónde están los ladrones? were a mix of folk music and Latin rock, while her cross-over English album, Laundry Service and her later albums were influenced by pop and rock.

Shakira is recognized for her powerful, melismatic voice. Her 1999 MTV Unplugged performance recorded in New York was critically acclaimed by many American critics and is said to have paved her path towards the English-language markets.

Songwriting and producing

Shakira is known to write and produce all of her own music and is a self professed perfectionist.

Shakira has written the lyrics to every song she has recorded with two exceptions. The first one is her 2005 song "Día Especial". Its lyrics were written by Argentine rocker Gustavo Cerati and the music was co-written by Shakira, Cerati and Luis Fernando Ochoa. The second exception is her 2006 blockbuster collaboration with Wyclef Jean, "Hips Don't Lie". Although she is listed on the writing credits for the verses, the chorus was taken from Wyclef's earlier song "Dance Like This".

Influence

Shakira is influenced in part by her Lebanese heritage; Arabic influence is evident in her breakthrough world hit "Ojos Así". Shakira is also influenced by well-known rock groups such as Led Zeppelin, Depeche Mode and AC/DC, resulting in her performance of "Back in Black" during her Tour of the Mongoose. She also cites her parents as major roles in her musical style.

Records, achievements and trivia

According to BMI, Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.

Shakira is the only Colombian artist in history to top the Billboard Hot 100.

Laundry Service is the best selling album in Turkey.

Fijación Oral Vol. 1 holds the record for the highest debut ever for a Spanish language album in the United States (#4 debut having sold 157,000 copies in its first week of release). It is also the first Spanish album to top the German album chart.

La Tortura holds the record for most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, having spent 25 weeks at the top position. She was featured in the Guinness World Records for this accomplishment.

According to Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, "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 earn the coveted number one spots on both the Top 40 Mainstream and Latin Chart in the same week doing so with "Hips Don't Lie".

Discography

Main article: Shakira discography

Studio albums

• 1995: Pies Descalzos
• 1998: Dónde Están Los Ladrones?
• 2001: Laundry Service
• 2005: Fijación Oral Vol. 1
• 2005: Oral Fixation Vol. 2

Live albums

• 2000: MTV Unplugged
• 2004: Live & Off the Record
• 2007: Oral Fixation Tour

Compilation albums

• 1997: The Remixes
• 2002: Grandes Éxitos
• 2002: Colección de Oro
• 2006: Oral Fixation Volumes 1 & 2

Soundtracks

• 2007: Love in the Time of Cholera (EP)

Tours

• 1996-1997: Tour Pies Descalzos
• 2000: Tour Anfibio
• 2002–2003: Tour of the Mongoose
• 2006–2007: Oral Fixation Tour

Awards

Main article: Shakira awards

See also

• List of Shakira awards
• Colombian people
• List of Lebanese people

References

• Oral Fixation World Tour 2006 (info) Template:Es icon[7]
• VH1 Driven: Shakira (article) [8]
• VH1 Driven: Shakira (video) [9]
• Book: Woman Full Of Grace by Ximena Diego [10]
• Pareles, Jon (Nov. 14, 2005). "Shakira, from lip to hip". New Straits Times, p. L3.
• "Shakira pertahan orang Arab". (Nov. 8, 2005). Berita Harian, p. 13.
• Frank Cogan's review of Laundry Service for The Village Voice [11]
• Chart Performance for "Don't Bother" from Billboard Hot 100 [12]
• Chart Performance for Oral Fixation 2 [13]
• Oral Fixation 2 Sales [14]

External links

• Official Website
• Official Forum
• Official iLike
• Shakira at IMDb
• Pies Descalzos Foundation Official site.