Who is Shakira?
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Shakira’s origins are Lebanese by her father and Colombian by her mother. Shakira honors her Latino and Arabic heritage in her music. She wrote her first song at age 8 and signed her first record deal at age 13.
After the failure of her first two albums, Shakira took over the reins of the third and got involved in all aspects of its production. Released in 1996, Pies Descalzoswhich means “barefoot”, sold more than 3 million copies. We find there the characteristic sound of the singer, a mixture of Latin, rock and Arabic musical styles. His next record, ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998), which translates to “Where are the thieves? reached number one on Billboard’s Latin charts. Shortly after, Shakira won her first Grammy Award (Best Latin Pop Album) for MTV Unplugged (2000).
With the success of these albums and tracks, Shakira became a musical superstar in Spanish-speaking markets. She is known for her powerful voice and her incredible movements of belly dance.
Despite being hugely popular in much of the rest of the world, Shakira has yet to score a major hit on the US pop charts. In an effort to increase the number of her American fans, in 1997, at the age of 20, Shakira moved with her family to Miami, Florida. She learned to write songs in English there. There she hired Emilio Estefan to be her manager and producer.
The consecration
In 2001, the singer released her first album in English, laundry service, which quickly brought her the success in the United States that she had been waiting for. The album reached number three on the charts and sold over 200,000 copies in its first week of release. Laundry Service’s major successes include
- Whenever, Wherever
- Objection (Tango)
- The One
- Underneath Your Clothes
The latter became the 6th best-selling title of 2002 with five million copies.
Shakira returned twice in the Top 10 album chart in 2005. She released the album in Spanish Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 in June of that year, followed by the album in English Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 in November. Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 earned Shakira her second Grammy, this time for Best Latin/Alternative Rock Album, while the English-language album produced the hit Hips Don’t Lie.
In July 2009, she released a new single, she wolf, from his studio album of the same name. The album reached number 15 on the Billboard chart in 2009 and was platinum certified in 2010. Around the same time, his hit WakaWakaextract of Sale el Sol released 2010, becomes the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem. Soon after, the now global superstar went on tour to promote his album. In 2022, the music video for WakaWaka by Shakira had been viewed more than 3 billion views on the channel Shakira YouTube. That same year, Billboard listed her as the top Latin female artist of the decade.
The 2010s
In 2012, Shakira’s album sales in the United States reached nearly 10 million copies, and her worldwide album sales exceeded 70 million copieswhich makes her the best-selling Colombian artist of all time and the second most popular Latin singer after Gloria Estefan.
In late 2012, she was confirmed as a judge/coach on the popular singing competition show The Voice USA. Along with R&B singer-songwriter Usher, Shakira made her The Voice debut in the show’s Season 4 premiere, which aired in March 2013. Replacing Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green, Shakira and Usher joined judges/coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
The singer quickly became popular with viewers. Although she and Usher both left The Voice at the end of the season to make way for the return of Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green, the Season 4 newcomers returned as coaches for Season 6.
In March 2014, the singer released a self-titled studio album, which included a track with her Voice costar Blake Shelton. That same year, she took her signature grooves to the world stage, closing the closing ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Meanwhile, the Latin superstar continued to work on his music. In October 2016, she released a new single, Singingtaken from his forthcoming album, Eldorado. When released in May 2017, Eldorado revealed a tracklist consisting almost entirely of songs sung in Spanish such as:
- The Bicicleta
- Enamored me
- Perro gall
- What We Said
True to itself, the album was platinum multiple times for the Latin singer, who has announced plans for a June tour.
Unfortunately, the tour does not go as planned. Shortly before her scheduled November 8 performance in Cologne, Germany, Shakira canceled the concert due to tension in the vocal cords. Although she hoped to recover in time for the November 10 concert in Paris, she apologized and canceled that and subsequent concerts.
At the end of December, she informs that she is cured and prepares to continue her tour. After having won another GrammyBest Latin Pop Album, World Tour Eldorado resumed in June 2018, though another hiccup occurred when fans noticed a necklace being sold on the artist’s website resembled a Nazi symbol. The tour promoter accepted responsibility for the design and apologized for this ” inadvertent similarity. »
In September 2019, it was announced that she would be partnering with Jennifer Lopez for the halftime show Super Bowl 2020 in Miami, Florida.
In 2022, Shakira comes out Don’t You Worry with David Guetta and the Black Eyed Peas, the track instantly became a hit.
She is ranked as the most streamed Latin artist on Spotify and is one of only three female artists to have two YouTube videos topping the charts. 2 billion views.
Is Shakira married?
Shakira has never been married. However, Shakira is in a relationship with the Spanish football player Gerard Pique from 2010 to 2022. The couple welcomed their first child together on January 22, 2013. They named their son Milanowhich 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 that she was pregnant again. Their second son, Sashawas born on January 29, 2015.
the Pique-Shakira couple separates in June 2022after rumors of infidelity from Pique.
Who is Shakira’s ex?
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 singer for $250 millionas compensation for managing his career.
What is Shakira’s fortune?
According to the Spanish media Sport, Shakira’s fortune would amount to $300 million. She was able to raise this money thanks to her formidable musical career. Shakira is the most popular Colombian artist of all time, having sold over sixty million albums worldwide. Shakira’s Song Hips Don’t Lie is the most played pop song in a single week in American radio history and is the best-selling single of the last 10 years.
What is Shakira’s cause?
Outside of her career, she 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 philanthropic efforts in 2010.