Shakira - biography and personal life. Biography Singer Shakira from Colombia

A charming singer with an exotic appearance, perfectly mastering the technique of oriental dance - all this is a Colombian Shakira. The only fellow countryman of the Colombian singer who is able to compete with her in popularity is the writer Marquez. By and large, he never intended to compete with Shakira, and in 1999 he only expressed his admiration for the talent of the Colombian performer.

Throughout her rather long career, Shakira managed from an attractive and young Colombian girl to turn into a world-class singer and become a real symbol of her homeland. Shakira is admired in many countries of the world, and her songs are listened to by millions of fans. How old is Shakira at the moment and how did she manage to achieve such incredible success? This will be discussed below.

Shakira's age

If you are interested to know how old Shakira is and how she managed to reach unprecedented heights in show business, then this article is intended especially for you. From childhood, the Colombian girl knew that the stage was her vocation, and music was her life. Many fans of the Colombian performer are interested in Shakira's age, because she has been known for quite some time. And nevertheless, she always manages to look excellent and effective.

So how old is Shakira? The singer is currently 37 years old, and I must say that she looks much younger than her age. Many fans of the Colombian singer will agree that she looks stunning, attractive and incredible, even in spite of her years.

Some facts from the biography and creative activity of the singer

After we found out how old Shakira is now, we can dwell on the biography of the performer. The greatest Colombian singer was born on February 2. And the year of birth of Shakira is 1977, respectively. The singer's father is Lebanese-born William Mebarak Shadid, while her mother is Colombian with Italian and Spanish roots Nidia del Carmen Torrado.

The name of Shakira, translated from Hindi, means "goddess of light." The star's talent was noticed in early childhood. At the age of one and a half, the girl already knew the whole alphabet, at the age of three she could already write and read, and at four she even composed poems. Parents, noticing how quickly their daughter is developing, made every effort to develop her remarkable talents.

At the age of eight, Shakira was already composing songs, and by the age of eleven she had mastered playing the guitar. When the girl turned ten, she began to actively engage and after a while her parents insisted that Shakira take part in a local competition, which she later won. Since then, the Colombian has won absolutely all awards in tournaments held in the territory of her hometown.

The early career of the singer did not work out. In the period from 1991 to 1997, Shakira released three albums at once, two of which, one might say, failed altogether. Only on the third attempt, the Colombian singer managed to win the love of the inhabitants of Latin countries thanks to an album called Pies Delcalzos, which was released in 1996. In 2005, Shakira's next studio album appeared, which was called Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1, and this fall another album appeared - Fijacion Oral, Vol. 2.

After a long lull and massive concerts in 2007, Shakira released her new album, She Wolf. It happened in 2009, and fans themselves can calculate how old Shakira was at that moment. To date, the Colombian singer is working on the creation of her newest album, Shakira.

Acting activity

In addition to performing songs, Shakira is also periodically engaged in acting. So, for example, in 1994 the performer took a direct part in the filming of the Colombian TV series Oasis. The singer's fans can easily calculate how old Shakira was then. The singer was offered to star in a film called "Zorro", but for some reason she refused. Not so long ago, in 2010, Shakira took part in the filming of a television series called "The Wizards of Waverly Place", where she starred as a guest pop star.

Personal life

In the period from 2000 to 2011, Shakira was in a relationship with Now the Colombian singer is married to Gerard Piqué, the famous defender of the Catalan Barcelona, ​​who, by the way, is 10 years younger than Shakira. The couple have a son, Milan Pique Mebarak, who was born in January 2013.

Charity

The Colombian singer is also actively involved in charity work. In 1997, she founded an organization called the Bare Feet Foundation. Its main focus was to raise funds for equipping schools where children from Latin America could study. In addition, the singer is the inspiration for the ALAS foundation, which was created in 2006 and brought together a fairly large number of Spanish-speaking performers. In March 2010, she decided to award a medal to the Colombian singer for her many years of helping Latin American children.

Most popular compositions

The Colombian singer has released a fairly large number of albums, which included many songs. The third album of the performer, Pies Descalzos, brought Shakira popularity in Latin America, and the song Estoy Aqui was most in demand among fans of the Colombian singer.

Subsequently, the singer received Grammy awards for the songs Octavio Dia and Ojos Asi, and the clips for the compositions Tu and Ciega Sordomuda enjoyed unprecedented popularity in the territory of the Spanish-speaking states. Thanks to the hit Whenever, Whenever, the singer managed to achieve worldwide recognition. Her duet with Beyoncé and their composition Beautiful Liar won an MTV award. Such compositions of the singer as Loca, Waka Waka, Rabiosa and Can’t remember to forget you are still very popular.

Biography, life story of Shakira

Shakira (full name - Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) is a Colombian singer and dancer.

Childhood

On February 2, 1977, in the Asuncion de Barranquilla clinic (Colombia, Barranquilla), a child was born, a girl - the only daughter of her mother and the last child of her father, which made her the favorite of the whole family.

Her father is William Mebarak (Arab by nationality), her mother is Nidia Ripoll. The parents agreed to baptize their daughter under the name Shakira, which means "a woman overflowing with grace" in Arabic and "goddess of light" in Hindi. Shakira's full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.

Shakira's childhood passed in one of the districts of Barranquilla, in the apartments of El Lemoncito. Older brothers, the sons of Don William from his first marriage, came to her to play with the baby, who was very nimble. Shakira grew up surrounded by books, gems and musical rhythms. Her father was not only a writer, but also owned a jewelry store, one of the most popular in the city, on San Blas. Soon Shakira showed an interest in music and literature.

When she was 18 months old, she knew the alphabet, at 3 years old she could read and write, at 4 she was ready to go to school. But the inertia of the structure of education did not allow her to do this. The next year, special exams were held, and experts said that Shakira was a genius (child prodigy). At first, the mother thought that her daughter would become an artist, since she drew a lot, or as a writer, because at the age of 4 she was composing poetry. At school, she was predicted by the future of ballet stars or just modern dance, tk. she often danced in front of her classmates belly dancing. Only at the age of 8 did her parents see her as a singer. At this age, she wrote the song "Your dark glasses" (Tus Gafas Oscuras) under the impression of Don William's optics. Giftedness and exceptional ability were not reflected in her childhood. “I remember playing cops and bandits with my neighbors. I was the leader "... Later she said that in these men's games she developed the character of a leader, a winner. Shakira was not only talented, but also very beautiful, she won the "Child of the Atlantic" competition.

CONTINUED BELOW

At the age of ten, Shakira's parents turned into her impresario, she began to be invited to dance oriental dances. Friends remembered her with a coin in her navel. Then her parents insisted on her participation in the competition "Long live children!", And she won it. Since then, she has won all the prizes at competitions in Barranquilla. A few years later, a journalist, Monica Arias, introduced her to Sony Music official Ciro Vargas. Shakira sang for him in the lobby of the El Prada Hotel, and he was so amazed by what he heard that he immediately signed a contract with her. From that moment on, she combined her studies and children's fun with the recording of her first album "Magic" (Magia).

She studied at the Jensegnans del Barriloche, and although she was a college actress, she was not allowed into the choir, one of the teachers said that her voice was like the hum of a goat. It was a hard blow for Shakira, but outside of this shithole she became a star.

At the age of 13, she experienced the first joys and sorrows of love. It was the neighbor boy Oscar Prado, to whom she revealed her cherished dream of becoming a professional singer.

At the age of 14, she became the most famous singer in the city, and her name began to sound throughout the country.

At this time, she had the honor of representing Colombia at the Viña del Mar festival, where she won the Gaviota de Plata with a song of her own composition Eres (to be in the sense of being something -then). There she met, who was on the jury and voted for her. Later, in an interview, the Puerto Rican admitted that he had never seen such a gifted girl.

Career path and personal life

At the age of 15, Shakira recorded her second album "Danger" (Peligro). Only one song from this album was successful, overall the album failed. At the request of Shakira herself, the advertising campaign was terminated, and she decided to focus on the new album, which would better reflect her inner state and life credo. Hard times came for the singer: the contract was signed for 3 years and if the third disc fails, then the end of her career will come. It seemed impossible to achieve high sales by performing ballads, and she was offered to sing beach music, but her stubbornness is her best weapon. She did not change course and continued to perform pop-rock. After graduation, she decides to move to Bogota (the capital of Colombia), but the fear of leaving her city, her friends, and her fiancé hindered her. Many journalists convinced her that only in Bogota can you achieve success. And since the crisis in her music dragged on, she gave up, packed her bags, took her mother and went to the capital.

First of all, upon arriving in the capital, she went to the Sony Music office and to TV Guia magazine. Following an interview with this magazine, she received an offer from the Cenpro channel to star in the TV series El Oasis.

At the same time, the magazine planned to hold a competition for the title of "Miss Columbia Television" and Shakira was included in the list of applicants. The magazine made a special photo session with Shakira for this. The resulting photos showed the world all the charm and perfect curves of her body. After that, her popularity rating skyrocketed. Summing up the results at the end of the year, the magazine named her "Miss TVK" and also the best actress.

At the time, she was living a luxurious life in luxury apartments in the north of Bogotá. She is in love with Oscar Wall (another Oscar), who specially moved from Barranquilla to Bogota, but, as it happens in such cases, the love quickly passed.

In 1994, Shakira performed for the first time in front of a distinguished audience, including journalists, critics and movie and stage stars. It happened at the presentation of prizes for the best series and TV programs. Here she was noticed by Parecia Tellez (future manager). "Sony" was already going to break the contract with Shakira, but at the last moment someone offered to include this song in the collection. In a taxi on the way from home to company, she wrote the song Donde Estas Crazon? ("Where are you, heart?"). And she became the most popular song. From that moment on, her popularity skyrocketed.

She begins work on her third album, Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), in the United States with producer Luis Fernando Ochoa. The album was modestly presented on October 6, 1995 at the La Castigliana National Theater. Great success. The discs were selling like hotcakes. Although some, for example, Luis Fernando Ochao, later said that the entire album was ripped off from other English-speaking groups.

A world tour followed immediately, Shakira visited all the countries of the continent, and everywhere her disc took first places in the charts.

Barranquilla and Bogota ceased to be her home, she lived on airplanes. During this time, she falls in love with Gustavo Gordillo, a former member of the rock band Poligamia. The relationship lasted only 5 months, the employment of both prevented the development of relations. In the same year, Shakira opened the Viña del Mar festival. She sold over a million copies of the album - an unprecedented event for Colombia. A new prize "Diamond Prism" (El Prisma de Diamante) was invented for outstanding services in the field of show business. The ceremony took place with particular glamor and with a large influx of journalists. Here Shakira met Osvaldo Rios.

Millions of her discs have been sold in the world, she broke all records and could receive a prize as the most awarded international star. invited her to audition for the female role in the film "El Sorro". It didn't fit, but the fact itself means a lot.

The fame was overshadowed by the death of several people as a result of speculation with tickets to her first big concert in her native land, in Barranquilla. An event she could not remember without shuddering. She found out about what had happened when she had already returned to the hotel, as she assured, had she found out about it earlier, the concert would have been canceled. This tragedy influenced her so much that at some point she wanted to quit her career.

In 1996, she was voted Woman of the Year and Person of the Year by the media. And this was not an exaggeration, she became the first performer from Colombia who managed to conquer such distant countries as Japan and drive Brazilians crazy with her songs (several discs were even recorded in Portuguese). On the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal), success was no less grandiose, Shakira's songs sounded everywhere: on the streets and in houses.

In 1997, all admirers of Shakira shuddered when they learned about her affair with the fashionable actor Oswald Rios, who at that time was filming in Colombia (in the series). The lovers did not show their feelings in public, but everyone knew that they had love. They appeared at the venue for the Billboard and Lo Nuestro (Our) awards. Osvaldo accompanied her on a tour of Brazil. Here she gave two dozen concerts, thus overtaking Luis Miguel and Alanis Morissette in popularity. The tour continued in Europe. And on October 10, 1997, 2 years after the release of the album Pies Descalzos, the final concert of her tour in Bogota took place. Although few knew about it, the love affair with Oswaldo, which lasted 8 months, was over by that time.

Hundreds of awards, among them Eres, Billboard, Lo Nuestro, 22 gold discs, 55 platinum, Diamond Prism ... This is followed by real torment for the followers. The public and the media demanded the release of her 4th album. This was very frightening for Shakira, especially the fact that everyone was waiting for a repeat of the success of her third album. In addition, she did not have new songs, tk. at the El Dorado airport, her papers with songs were stolen. The hype around the singer rose when she was presented with the World Music Award in Monaco and the president appointed her as a Goodwill Ambassador. But most of all, she was delighted with the Congo de oro prize, presented at the Barrinkilla festival. At this festival she sang the song Te olvido together with the great Joe Arroyo (Joe / Hoe Arroyo) - her dream came true: "It's like getting a Grammy".

An endless series of weeks, days, replacing each other, spent in creative torment, did not break Shakira. She continued to compose songs and look for a producer. It was Emilio Estefan, whom she met at the Lo Nuestro prizes. Shakira doubted that she would cope with all the work herself, but Estefan convinced her otherwise. And soon she started recording new songs. At this time, Time magazine, a Latin American edition, surprised all Colombians with the news of the coming new era of rock, the first representative of which will be Shakira.

The hour everyone has been waiting for has come with the release of the album Dónde están los ladrones? ("Where are the thieves?"). For the first time in the history of Colombia, the presentation took place in Miami. The company spared no expense and brought journalists from all over the world to the presentation.

After the presentation of the disc in Bogota, at the end of September, Shakira cried with happiness: her disc became five times platinum, only on the first day 300 thousand copies were sold. All fears about her new disc have dissipated. She regained the first places in the charts in America (Latin America) and the Iberian Peninsula, first with the song Ciega, sordomuda ("Blind, deaf and dumb"), and then with Tú ("You").

It may seem that Shakira had nothing more to wish for in this life, but this is not so! She still had many cherished desires for different tastes and colors. One of them is to visit Lebanon (the homeland of her ancestors), or fall in love with a person with eternal and irrepressible love. "... and overcoming all boundaries to remain not just a star for one day, but a person who will be remembered even after death.".

The recording of a live version of his songs on the MTVUnplugged album and the subsequent screening of the concert itself on MTV Latino made Shakira well-known in the country under the name of the United States, and the Grammy Awards formalized this recognition. Apparently, this pushed Shakira to the idea of ​​recording an album in English ...

The album was released on October 13, 2001 (in the States, Latin America a week earlier) under the title Laundry Service and contains 13 songs - 9 in English and 4 in Spanish. The most pop song of the album - Whenever, wherever - was chosen as the first single. It was she who made Shakira famous all over the world. An easily remembered motive, a colorful clip in which Shakira demonstrated a fascinating belly dance - and the whole world is in your pocket! Unfortunately, not the best songs were chosen as the next singles, or very mediocre videos were shot.

Laundry Service sold about 8 million copies, and Shakira herself embarked on a world tour called the Tour de la mangosta, which began in November 2002 in the United States.

In an interview, Shakira said that she has a great desire to write in Spanish and the next album will definitely be entirely in Spanish ... And so it happened. In 2005, Shakira released the Spanish-language album Fijacin Oral, Vol. 1. In the same year, the English-language album Oral Fixation, Vol. 2.

The peak of Shakira's popularity came in the early and mid-2000s. Then the noise around the charming Colombian woman subsided, but the loyal army of fans did not abandon their favorite. In 2009, Shakira presented the album She Wolf, in 2010 - Sale el Sol. In 2014, the tenth studio album of the singer Shakira went on sale.

At the height of Shakira's fame, Argentine lawyer Antonio de la Rua was next to her. The lawyer and the singer started dating in 2000. In 2009, Shakira said that she and Antonio live as husband and wife, but they do not want to officially register their relationship, since some papers are not so important to them. In 2010, the lovers broke up.

After breaking up with Antonio, Gerard Pique, a Spanish footballer, appeared in Shakira's life. In January 2013, the couple had a son, Milan. In 2015, a second boy appeared in the family - Sasha.

Celebrity biographies

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02.02.17 10:55

At school she was told that she "howls like a goat", but she became one of the best-selling singers of our time. Looking at her attractive appearance, you would never think that behind this face lies an ai q, which scientists would envy. She is a star, benefactor, poet, composer, audience favorite and companion of one of the most famous football players - Shakir. The biography of a Colombian is a vivid example of what can be achieved if not to bury talent in the ground!

Shakira's biography

Goddess of Light Prodigy

The full name of the star, who turns 40 today, is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, she is the only child of Nydia and William Mebarak Shadid. When Shakira was born (February 2, 1977), the family lived in Barranquilla, Colombia. From Arabic, the name of the singer is translated as "full of grace", from Hindi - as "goddess of light." Shakira brings light to people - for many years!

In the pedigree of Shakira's mother were Catalans, Castilians and Italians, his father was born in New York, where his Lebanese ancestors moved. William was already married before, so the singer Shakira has eight older sisters and brothers. The baby grew up very intelligent, began to read and write long before school, and at the age of four she surprised her parents with her first poem. Dad gave his seven-year-old daughter a typewriter, and she wrote down her poems. One of the brothers died when the girl was two years old, and her father put on sunglasses so that no one could see his tears. This is how the song "Your dark glasses" was born, which Shakira composed in 1985.

She was fascinated by the belly dance

Once, William took his daughter to a restaurant where he played a dumback (an Arabic drum that accompanied a belly dance). Shakira was fascinated. She studied at a Catholic school and even then sang - in the choir, from where she was soon expelled. The music teacher winced at the strong vibrato and said: "You howl like a goat!" However, the girl was not embarrassed and continued to sing solo, besides, she took belly dancing lessons.

First contract - with "Sony Music Colombia"

As a child, the future singer Shakira felt the first strong sensations from performing on stage - she presented her art at concerts in her hometown, and the schoolgirl more and more liked to sing and dance in public. Local agent Monica Ariza supported Shakira and introduced the young talent to Ciro Vargas, who worked for Sony Music Colombia. I had to be persistent, but this led to the signing of the first contract in the biography of Shakira.

However, the debut studio album "Magia" (1991) and the subsequent disc "Peligro" (1993) did not generate a stir. Commercial failures only provoked the girl, however, she took a break in order to finish school.

Breaking into the American charts

The already “adult” album of the singer Shakira “Pies Descalzos”, which was released in 1996, became the leader of several charts (though not American), but one of the singles from the disc took the fifth line in the US charts.

In support of the album, Shakira conducted her first tour, consisting of two dozen performances. The fourth album "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", Which started two years later, was received even more warmly. But the English-speaking market was finally conquered when the singer Shakira "issued" a terrific CD "Laundry Service" (in 2001). A year later, the hit from this album "Whenever, Wherever" was recognized as the bestseller.

Rising popularity and World Cup anthem

Further, the popularity of the beauty, who raised Latin American music to a new level, used ethnic instruments and motives, performed belly dance masterly and amazed with her voice range, only gained momentum. In 2005, Shakira released two albums at once - “Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 "and" Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 ". The composition "Hips Don't Lie" was recognized as the best-selling hit (at the time).

Although the singer's next two discs were "victims" of Shakira's disagreements with the Epic Records brand, the reviews on them were still excellent. And the achievements of the Colombian by that time (2010) had reached incredible heights. She has performed duets with fellow stars, released music videos, and gained a record number of views (and subscribers on social networks).

The sale of Shakira's albums (according to the media) exceeded 70 million, this is the best result for a Colombian artist. In 2010, she wrote the "anthem" of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)". More than 629 million users saw the music video for this song on Youtube.

Voiced a parody of herself

In 2014, the singer released the namesake album ("Shakira"), the single from which ("Can't Remember to Forget You") was incredibly popular. In 2016, an animated feature film was released, in which there is a cute parody of Shakira - the pop star Gazelle, which Shakira herself voiced. Both the cartoon itself and the character came out wonderful, smart, kind, groovy and funny!

Shakira received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and entered the jury of the American show "The Voice" for 2 seasons. She has won two Grammy Awards (and eight Latin Grammy Awards), won 28 Billboard Latin Music Awards and many more.

Goodwill Ambassador with high IQ

The performer and composer paid special attention to charity. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with her own fund raising millions of dollars. Largely thanks to this, the singer Shakira entered the hundred of the most powerful women on the planet (according to Forbes) - twice, in 2013 and 2014. Shakira is fighting hunger, advocating for the rights of poor children to education and a decent life.

There are still many amazing things in Shakira's biography. She is a polyglot, and although her native language is Spanish, the beauty speaks Portuguese, English, Catalan, and is fluent in Arabic and French. She studied the History of Western Civilization course at the University of California, incognito, under her middle name, Isabel Mebarak. Sources claim that singer Shakira's ai qyu is 140, so she is probably the smartest representative of pop culture.

Shakira's personal life

Avid Antonio

At 23, Shakira became the companion of a lawyer from Argentina, Antonio de la Rua, later she argued that they did not need a marriage, they already felt like a husband and wife.

This union lasted a long time, but at the beginning of 2011, Shakira's personal life changed - she announced that she had parted with Antonio by mutual agreement. However, the star was mistaken: the offended de la Rua wanted compensation (allegedly, he was performing the duties of the singer's manager) and at first planned to sue his ex-girlfriend for 250 million, but then filed a lawsuit for 100 million dollars.

Music connected them: an affair with Pique

After Barcelona center-back Gerard Piqué Bernabeu featured in Shakira's music video (the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem), the two began dating. Shakira announced her relationship in March 2011. Interestingly, the Spaniard Gerard Pique and his beloved were born on the same day - February 2, but with a difference of 10 years (the footballer is younger).

Charming quartet: Gerard, Shakira and children

They are a very beautiful couple, Gerard and Shakira! The children from this union - Milan, born on January 22, 2013, and Sasha, born 3 years later, are also adorable.

Both sons were born in Barcelona - the singer's father and mother live there. Gerard is also from there, with whom the singer still has a "civil marriage". Shakira is not going to change her personal life - she is satisfied with this order of things. I wonder only after whom did Shakira named one of the children, Sasha? Not a Latin American or Spanish name at all!

The life of the popular singer Shakira has had ups and downs, happy periods and times of depression. This, of course, reflected in her appearance, but in a short time, the singer was getting in shape. In any case, it is obvious that the age of the singer Shakira is a nominal parameter that can be determined solely by her passport, because she looks no older than ten years ago. How old is now the Latin American diva Shakira, who has won more than one heart?

Shakira's seductive options

The future world star was born on February 2, 1977. Its homeland is the large industrial Colombian port city of Barranquilla. While still a schoolgirl, the girl stood out among her peers for her plasticity and flexibility. She was madly attracted and. Then the girl discovered her vocal talent. The first four Spanish-language albums made her popular in Colombia and Latin America. Releasing her fifth album in English, Shakira conquered the American listener.

In her youth, Shakira looked like an ordinary teenager - a skinny girl with barely visible breasts and problem skin. But by the age of thirty, she had turned into a sultry Latin American beauty, after whom the man's necks were folded. Shakira was never fat, although extra pounds sometimes appeared on her body. In her youth, Shakira did not follow what she eats, but she quickly realized that a beautiful figure is a daily work on oneself. Today, having become a mother of two sons, she limits herself in nutrition. The rigid diet lasts six days, and at the end of the week, the singer allows herself a little weakness. This approach allows her not to pay attention to her age, because at thirty-eight, Shakira, whose height is 157 centimeters and weighs 58 kilograms, looks like a thirty-year-old girl. Parameters 83-60-94 are almost ideal!

The singer is in favor of vegetables and fruits that are not subject to heat treatment. But she has to give up the adored chocolate. The singer allows herself a small piece twice a month. In the past, Shakira worked in the gym on her own, and now a personal trainer is developing a training program for her. In addition, we are all aware of Shakira's love for dancing. It is they who help the mother of two children to keep her tummy in perfect shape. Perhaps any oriental dancer would envy such a belly.

In 2009, Shakira met Gerard Piquet, a famous footballer from the Barcelona club. After two years of secret dating, the couple decided not to hide the relationship anymore. In 2012, Shakira moved to the bachelor apartment of her civil husband, and in 2013 gave birth to his first child, who was named Milan. Two years later, Gerard and Shakira became the parents of another baby. Both babies were born as a result of a cesarean section. Of course, the best surgeons worked on Shakira's body, because her stomach remained just as perfect. In the summer of 2015, the happy mother of a six-month-old baby has already demonstrated a toned figure that has become even more feminine and seductive.

The father encouraged his daughter to write lyrics for songs. She first performed at her grandmother's Lebanese restaurant, where she taught and perfected dance moves. Although she was born in Colombia, her father was Lebanese by birth.

In 1995 she released her debut album “Pies Descalzos”, which became very popular in Latin America and Spain. 1998 album "Donde Estan Los Ladrones?" was very important to her career and brought her worldwide popularity. In the early 2000s, she entered the English-language music market - she learned English and wrote and recorded her own songs, released albums in Spanish and English. Her albums broke numerous records, including downloads, and Shakira became the best-selling Colombian artist of all time.

Shakira is also involved in humanitarian projects, especially in her native Colombia, which is struggling to recover from long periods of civil war. When asked why she spends a lot of time on humanitarian projects, she replied that after growing up in a developing country, she realizes the huge gap between the lives of rich and poor people in her country.

She is one of the 5 best-selling artists of the 2000s. Shakira performed at the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama in 2009.

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