Shakira

Latin pop, Celebrity

1977 –

118

Who is Shakira?

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known professionally as Shakira, is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer and model. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she began performing in school, demonstrating Latin, Arabic, and rock and roll influences and belly dancing abilities. Shakira released her first studio albums, Magia and Peligro, in the early 1990s, failing to attain commercial success; however, she rose to prominence in Latin America with her major-label debut, Pies Descalzos, and her fourth album, Dónde Están los Ladrones?.

Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album, Laundry Service, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Its lead single, "Whenever, Wherever", became the best-selling single of 2002. Her success was solidified with her sixth and seventh albums Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, the latter of which spawned the best-selling song of the 21st century, "Hips Don't Lie". Shakira's eighth and ninth albums, She Wolf and Sale el Sol, received critical praise but suffered from limited promotion due to her strained relationship with label Epic Records. Her official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, "Waka Waka", became the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time. With over 550 million views, its music video is the eighth most-watched video on YouTube. Since 2013, Shakira has served as a coach on the American version of The Voice, although she temporarily left the series during the fifth season.

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Born
Feb 2, 1977
Barranquilla
Also known as
  • Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
  • Shakira Mebarak
  • Shakira Ripoll
  • Shakira Mebarak Ripoll
  • Shaki
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Catholicism
Ethnicity
  • Colombian people
  • White Latin American
  • Lebanese people
Nationality
  • Colombia
Profession
Education
  • University of California, Los Angeles
    History
    (2007 - 2007)
Employment
  • Recording Artists, Sony Music Entertainment
Lived in
  • Barranquilla
  • Los Angeles

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Shakira." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/shakira>.

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