Dónde Están los Ladrones? ([Where Are the Thieves?] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)), is the fourth studio album and fifth album in the career of Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, released on September 29, 1998 by Columbia Records and Sony Music Latin. After attaining success with her major-label debut Pies Descalzos in 1996, Shakira opted to spend an increased amount of time developing her follow-up record. Its music incorporates Latin pop styles, additionally experimenting with rock en Español elements. As co-producer, Shakira enlisted previous collaborator Luis Fernando Ochoa to work with new partners Emilio Estefan, Pablo Florez, Javier Garza, and Lester Mendez. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Latin Rock Album.
Background
The album took nine months to produce since many people worked on the album: an increased number of options were given and further demos were released. This extended the production process, making it more complex than the Pies Descalzos album. In addition, Shakira insisted on perfection, mindful of the many critics who would judge her second album, mindful of the label of "musical prodigy" applied to her in Latin America. Consequently, each song comprised three or four demo tracks, made possible by the increased album budget and the hundreds of thousands of dollars available for promotion. As a result, the album sold 100,000 copies on the day of release, and reached one million sales by the end of the month. The album title was inspired by one of Shakira's trips to the capital of her native country Colombia, Bogotá. In the airport, a thief stole much of her luggage, including a briefcase that contained all the lyrics Shakira had been working on for the album. All was lost. Demoralized, Shakira had to start anew. According to interviews, Shakira claimed she almost gave up, but it was only her dedication to completing the album that inspired her to start working again. Thus, the title track was born.