Shakira

• Born: February 2, 1977

Shakira is an internationally famous singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist from Colombia. She showed early talent as a performer and released her first album at the age of fourteen. After the huge success of her third album in Latin America, she moved to the United States and continued to establish herself in the Latin music scene. In 2001, she released her first English-language album, which catapulted her into international stardom. In the following years, Shakira collaborated with some of the biggest names in music and toured throughout the world. She has also used her international success to become a vocal activist on behalf of Colombia and Latin America, with a special focus on children's causes.

Childhood

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977, in the coastal town of Barranquilla, Colombia. Her father, Don William Mebarak, was a Lebanese immigrant who had eight children with his first wife. After their divorce, he married Shakira's mother, Nydia Ripoll, a native Colombian. Shakira was their only child.

From an early age, Shakira showed creative talent and a penchant for performance. When she was four, she went to a Middle Eastern restaurant with her family and entertained the crowd by imitating the belly dancers. Thereafter, Shakira continued to dance and choreograph enthusiastically. Every Friday, she performed a dance routine for her classmates at the Catholic school she attended.

While the Catholic nuns were supportive of Shakira's dancing, they were less enthusiastic about her unique singing voice. She auditioned for the school choir but was rejected. Undaunted, Shakira began to enter and win local talent competitions, gaining some public attention in the region.

Shakira adored her father, and throughout her childhood, she wrote short notes and poems to him. When she was nine years old, Shakira's aunt gave her a guitar, and she began composing songs. Her first song, "Tus Gafas Obscuras," was dedicated to her father.

Early Career

While performing in Baranquilla, Shakira was introduced to Monica Ariza, a local theater producer who encouraged Shakira's talents. Then, in a fortunate coincidence, Ariza happened to be seated next to a Sony Records executive, Ciro Vargas, on a flight. Ariza convinced Vargas to audition Shakira. Vargas was immediately taken with the young girl. However, his colleagues at Sony were not impressed with Shakira's demo tape, and he failed to get her a contract.

Undeterred, Vargas planned for Shakira to audition in front of a live audience, telling his colleagues that she was a different kind of singer. Once they saw Shakira perform live, the other executives were likewise convinced of Shakira's unique talent. She signed a deal with Sony for three records.

Shakira's first album, Magia, was released in 1999 when the singer was fourteen. It was not a huge commercial success. Her second album, Peligro (1993), was even less successful. Subsequently, Sony lost interest in the singer and did not make any moves toward producing her third album.

Breakthrough

In hopes of bolstering her struggling career, Shakira and her mother moved to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. Shortly thereafter, Shakira was offered the title role in the soap operaOasis. She starred in Oasis from 1994 until 1997 and helped to write and sing the show's theme song. After several years on TV, she approached Sony about recording her third album.

In the meantime, Shakira was asked to contribute a song to a Latin American music compilation. Her single, "Dónde Éstas Corazón," became a huge hit in Colombia, and it held the top place on the charts for six months. Not long after the single was released, Sony agreed to produce her third album.

Shakira's third album, Pies Descalzos, was released in 1995. Shakira had written many songs for this album, and she asserted more creative control over the music than she had in her previous two releases. "Dónde Éstas Corazón" appeared on the album and became a major hit across Latin America and Spain. The song "Estoy Aquí" was the first single released in the United States, and it was an instant hit in the American market.

After the success of Pies Descalzos, Shakira was ready to break into the American market. Emilio Estefan, the force behind many famous Latin acts, agreed to become her manager. Shakira moved to Miami, where she recorded her fourth album, Dónde Éstan Los Ladrones (1998). Shakira penned the majority of songs on this pop-rock album, which distinguished itself through a wide range of world music influences, poetic lyrics, and Shakira's strong vocals.

Dónde Éstan Los Ladrones was a huge hit in the Latin market, as well as in the international market. The album spent eleven weeks on Billboard's Latin charts and produced two number-one Latin singles, "Ciega Sordomuda" and "Tú." In total, eight of the eleven tracks on this album were released as singles.

After the success of Dónde Éstan Los Ladrones, Shakira felt ready to court an English-language audience. Gloria Estefan, the famous Cuban-American singer and wife of Emilio Estefan, offered to translate Shakira's songs into English. However, Shakira soon decided that she would rather write her own lyrics. For the next two years, she dedicated herself to learning English and to writing new songs.

Crossover Appeal

In the meantime, Shakira continued to make inroads into the US market through an appearance on MTV Unplugged, a series of live performances hosted by the MTV Music Television network. Her associated Unplugged album topped the Latin charts for two weeks and garnered a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.

After the success of MTV Unplugged, Shakira went on a two-month tour of the United States and Latin America. During the tour, Shakira met Antonio de la Rua, the son of Argentina's president. They began dating, making a splash in the Argentine press. A few years later, they were engaged.

In 2001, Shakira released "Whenever Wherever," her first English-language single. "Whenever Wherever" climbed the singles charts, peaking at number six. Shortly thereafter, she released Laundry Service, a predominantly English-language album (there were four tracks in Spanish). It entered the charts at number three, setting a record for a Latin American artist. Laundry Service sold more than 13 million copies worldwide and went triple platinum in the US. At the same time she released Laundry Service, Shakira released a Spanish version of the album, Servicio de Lavandaria (2001). In 2002, she released an album of remixes from Laundry Service, and in 2004, she released a live album called Live and Off the Record.

After a break from the spotlight, Shakira began writing songs for her next album. In a decision that was later heralded as a savvy business move, she released the Spanish-language album, Fijación Oral Vol. 1 in 2005, followed later that year by the English-language Oral Fixation Vol. 2. The dual releases helped her satisfy both the Latin American fan base that had made her popular and her steadily growing number of international fans. Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 sold one million copies within three days of its release. The first single, "La Tortura," featured Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz and stayed on the top of the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for twenty-five weeks. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 also received good reviews and went on to sell 8 million copies worldwide.

In March 2006, Shakira's label released a new version of Oral Fixation with a bonus track, "Hips Don't Lie," featuring the famous rapper Wyclef Jean. This song topped Billboard's popular music charts in June and became an international smash hit. That same year, Shakira won Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album and Album of the Year at the Latin Grammys. She also embarked on a world tour to more than 140 destinations.

Shakira released the album She Wolf in 2009 and followed with another world tour. While that album was slightly less commercially successful than its predecessors, she had a major hit in 2010 with the single "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," released as the theme of that year's FIFA World Cup. Her ninth album, Sale el Sol, appeared later in 2010 and was another success, supported by the Sun Comes Out World Tour. In 2012, Shakira served as a judge on the singing competition television program The Voice. She released her tenth album, the self-titled Shakira, in 2014. In 2016 she voiced a character in the animated film Zootopia and recorded a song for its soundtrack.

El Dorado, the singer’s eleventh album, released in 2017, won her a third Grammy Award. Shakira again accompanied the release with a world tour, although this was slightly delayed due to a medical emergency involving her vocal cords. In 2020, Shakira performed with Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show. She was involved in the competition show Dancing with Myself in 2022, serving as executive producer and a judge, but the series was canceled after one season.

In January 2023, Shakira released the single “Shakira: Bzrp Music Session, Vol. 53,” which became a major international hit and earned multiple Latin Grammys. Its lyrics reference the end of her eleven-year marriage to Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqúe, with whom she had two children. She followed up with her twelfth studio album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, in 2024. It was another critical and commercial hit.

Philanthropy and Controversies

In addition to her musical career, Shakira became known for her philanthropic work. In 1995, following her first taste of international success, she founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation, or the Barefoot Foundation, meant to assist Colombian children who have been the victims of violence. The foundation helped to support various programs in education, nutrition, clothing, and other essentials and has opened numerous schools in some of Colombia's most impoverished areas.

In 2003, Shakira was appointed a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) goodwill ambassador. She was the youngest goodwill ambassador to be appointed by UNICEF since the program began in the 1950s, as well as the first Colombian. UNICEF representatives cited Shakira's deep commitment to children's issues as among the reasons she was chosen for the post.

In 2007, Shakira pledged $40 million (USD) to the Clinton Global Initiative to help Peru and Nicaragua rebuild after natural disasters. She performed extensively in benefit concerts and continued to speak out about Colombian violence and children's issues throughout the world. Among other activities, she also made donations of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and spoke out about human rights violations in her native Colombia.

Despite her overall popularity and positive reputation, however, Shakira did at times face controversty and criticism. Perhaps most notably, she faced a lengthy investigation over tax fraud allegations after her name was included in the 2017 Paradise Papers leak about questionable international financial activity. She was eventually charged by Spanish authorities with tax fraud and the case was approved for trial in 2022. In 2023 Shakira reached a settlement in which she paid a fine of 7.5 million euros.

Bibliography

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"Latino Empowerment: Shakira." NHCOA, 6 Oct. 2023, nhcoa.org/latino-empowerment-shakira/. Accessed 3 July 2024.

"Shakira." Billboard, www.billboard.com/artist/shakira/. Accessed 3 July 2024.

"Shakira." Rolling Stone, www.rollingstone.com/t/shakira/. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Yeung, Neil Z. "Shakira Biography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/shakira-mn0000790797#biography. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Zornosa, Laura. “What to Know About Shakira's Pending Trial for Tax Fraud.” Time, 28 Sept. 2022, time.com/6218129/shakira-trial-tax-fraud-spain/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.