SHAKIRA – A super hit Singer and a songwriter is making big waves right now. The name ‘Shakira” means “the graceful one.” She was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia. Among a Lebanese father and Colombian mother, Shakira honors her Latino and Arabic legacy in her music and wrote her first song at the age of 8 and signed her first record deal at 13. She says,
I was so in love with the rock sound but at the same time because my father is of 100 percent Lebanese descent, I am devoted to Arabic tastes and sounds. Somehow I’m a fusion of all of those passions and my music is a fusion of elements that I can make coexists in the same place, in one song.
Besides that, Shakira speaks five languages (Italian, Spanish, English, Arabic and Portuguese).
Shakira Gets Her Musical Start:
After her first two albums flopped, Shakira took the reins of her third album, becoming involved in every aspect of its production. That was released in 1996, Pies Descalzos, meaning “bare feet,” sold more than three million copies. Album featured her trademark sound, a combination of Latin, rock, and Arabic musical styles. Additionally, the follow-up records, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998), which translates as “Where are the thieves,” reached the top of Billboard’s Latin charts. Strongly based on the success of her albums, Shakira became a music superstar in the Spanish-language markets, known for her strong vocals and barely credible hip-shaking belly dance moves.
Despite the fact that hugely popular in the rest of the world, Shakira had not yet achieved a major record in the U.S. Pop charts. So she moved to Miami with her family to promote her goal, and taught herself to write songs in English. And she enlisted Emilio Estefan, of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame, to act as her manager and producer. Finally her first English-language album, Laundry Service (2001), provided Shakira with the success in the United States that she longed for—the album was No. 3 on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week. Within that, the songs “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes” were both big hits.
Shakira revisited to the top 10 of the albums chart in 2005 twice. First, she released the Spanish-language Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 in June, which was followed in November by English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. And received the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, and her second time winning such an honor. Until that time, she had won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for 2000′s “Shakira: MTV Unplugged”.
Shakira’s Super Duper Hit-‘Waka Waka”
Far on the road, Shakira released two concert albums: 2007′s Live and 2008′s Oral Fixation Tour. During July 2009, Shakira released the new single, “She Wolf,” from her studio album of the same name. That album went platinum in 2010, and hit No. 15 on the Billboard charts in 2009. Her biggest hit “Waka Waka” from her 2010 album Sale el Sol became the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The universal superstar headed on tour shortly after to promote her album. “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” along with its Spanish language version, “Waka Waka (Esto es Africa),” is genuinely a worldwide sensation. It is sold over two million singles, making it the biggest World Cup song ever released. Amazingly, the official video has seen over 200 million YouTube hits, making it the Number Four most watched video of all time and the Number 3 most watched music video. As well as unofficial “Waka Waka“ videos, the total cumulative views are over 400 million. This track was also the soundtrack to Shakira’s 1Goal campaign for universal education.
Shakira’s Social Life:
With he her busy career, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children in her native Colombia. In addition, she is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and was awarded a UN International Labor Organization medal in 2010 for her philanthropic efforts.
