A charming singer with an exotic appearance, who perfectly masters the technique of oriental dances - all this is Colombian Shakira. The only fellow countryman of the Colombian singer who can 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 to turn from an attractive and young Colombian girl into a world-famous singer and become a real symbol of her homeland. Shakira is admired in many countries around the world, and her songs are listened to by millions of fans. How old is Shakira? this moment and how did she manage to achieve such incredible success? This will be discussed below.
Shakira's age
If you are interested in knowing how old Shakira is and how she managed to achieve unprecedented heights in show business, then this article designed especially for you. From childhood, the Colombian girl knew that the stage was her calling, and music was her life. Many fans of the Colombian singer’s work are interested in Shakira’s age, because she has been known for quite some time. And yet she always manages to look excellent and impressive.
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's work will agree that she looks stunning, attractive and incredible, even despite 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 Shakira’s year of birth is 1977, respectively. The singer's father is Lebanese-born William Mebarak Shadid, while her mother is Colombian with Italian and Spanish roots, Nydia del Carmen Torrado.
Shakira's name means "goddess of light" in Hindi. The star's talent was noticed in early childhood. At the age of one and a half years, the girl already knew the entire alphabet, at three years old she could already write and read, and at four she even composed poems. Parents, noticing how quickly their daughter was 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 study and after some time her parents insisted that Shakira take part in a local competition, which she later won. Since then, the Colombian has won absolutely all the awards in tournaments held in her hometown.
The singer's early career did not work out. In the period from 1991 to 1997, Shakira released three albums at once, two of which, one might say, failed. Only on the third attempt, the Colombian singer managed to win the love of the inhabitants of Latin countries thanks to the album called Pies Delcalzos, which was released in 1996. In 2005, another one appeared studio album Shakira, which was called Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1, and in the fall of this year another album appeared - Fijacion Oral, Vol. 2.
After a long lull and massive concerts in 2007, Shakira finally released her new album called She Wolf. This happened in 2009, and fans themselves can calculate how old Shakira was at that moment. Today, the Colombian singer is working on creating her newest album called Shakira.
Acting
In addition to performing songs, Shakira also periodically engages in acting. For example, in 1994, the performer took direct part in the filming of a Colombian series called “Oasis.” Fans of the singer 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 long ago, in 2010, Shakira took part in the filming of a television series called “Wizards of Waverly Place,” where she starred as a guest pop star.
Personal life
From 2000 to 2011, Shakira was in a relationship with Now the Colombian singer is married to Gerard Pique, the famous defender of the Catalan Barcelona, who, by the way, is 10 years younger than Shakira. The couple has a son, Milan Pique Mebarak, who was born in January 2013.
Charity
The Colombian singer also takes an active part in charity work. In 1997, she founded an organization called the Bare Feet Foundation. Its main focus was raising funds to equip schools where children from Latin America could study. In addition, the singer is the inspirer of the ALAS Foundation, which was created in 2006 and united 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 songs
The Colombian performer has released a fairly large number of albums, which include many songs. The singer's third album, Pies Descalzos, brought Shakira popularity throughout Latin America, and the song Estoy Aqui was the most popular among fans of the Colombian singer.
Subsequently, the singer received Grammy awards for the songs Octavio Dia and Ojos Asi, and the videos for the compositions Tu and Ciega Sordomuda enjoyed unprecedented popularity in Spanish-speaking countries. Thanks to the hit Whenever, Whenever, the singer managed to achieve worldwide recognition. Her duet with Beyoncé and their song Beautiful Liar was awarded by MTV. The singer’s compositions, such as Loca, Waka Waka, Rabiosa and Can’t remember to forget you, are still very popular to this day.
Shakira began writing music at the age of 8, and by the age of 10 she was already winning talent competitions. In 1990, the 13-year-old girl, whose name translates from Arabic as “full of grace,” moved to Bogota in hopes of making a career in modeling. Shakira failed to become a model; her outstanding talent was noticed by Miguel Cubillos and Pablo Tedeci from the Sony Music corporation, and later they invited Shakira to sign a contract with the corporation.
In early December 2005, after appearing on two well-known ABC television shows, Good Morning America (1975) and Saturday Night Live (1975), Shakira again made her impact on America's musical scene by performing a duet with Alejandro Sanz. ) composition "La Tortura", (the song premiered on December 2), included in the list of "40 best video clips". Shakira, after the stunning success of her first album “Oral Fixation 1” (Fijacion Oral 1), on November 22, without the slightest hindrance, released her second album in English - “Oral Fixtation 2” (Oral Fixtation 2), receiving for it at the 33rd annual award ceremony the title of "Most Famous Latin Artist", thereby proving that the star of her talent shines as brightly as last year.
The talented singer Shakira was born on February 2, 1977 in the town of Barranquila, Colombia. Her full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. Being youngest child In her family, Shakira inherited from her parents, father William Mebarak Chadid and mother Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, Lebanese-Colombian descent and exotic appearance. From a young age, Shakira listened to Colombian and Lebanese music as well as English-language songs, preferring bands such as Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, The Police and The Cure. "I was in love with the sounds of rock. But at the same time, since my father is a native of Lebanon, I am also devoted to Arabic music. So I am a combination of all these styles, and my music is a mixture of different emotions reflected in one song" “, she admits.
Shakira began writing music at the age of 8, and by the age of 10 she was already winning talent competitions. In 1990, the 13-year-old girl, whose name translates from Arabic as “full of grace,” moved to Bogota in hopes of making a career in modeling. Shakira failed to become a model; her outstanding talent was noticed by Miguel Cubillos and Pablo Tedeci from the Sony Music corporation, and later they invited Shakira to sign a contract with the corporation. Over the next year, her album "Magia" was released, enjoying incredible success. It contains songs that Shakira composed between the ages of 8 and 13. The second album, "Peligro", was released in 1993 and was no less successful than the previous one. But accustomed to achieving perfection in everything, Shakira, remaining dissatisfied with the released album, switched her attention to acting, playing the role of Louise Maria in the Colombian soap opera El Oasis in 1994.
Apparently, music again found a response in Shakira’s heart, and in 1995 her third album, “Barefoot” (Pies Descalzos), was released, in which the rhythms of rock and roll are organically combined with oriental motifs. This album, with the hit song "Esto Aqui", took first place in the ratings of eight countries, and was released platinum in the USA. In 1997, Shakira stopped starring in the TV series Oasis, completely turning her attention to music. For further development musical career she decides to invite her manager and producer Emilio Estefan Jr. to the position. Collaboration with Gloria Estefan's husband bore fruit - the next album, "Donde Estan los Ladrones?", released in 1998, became even more popular than all previous ones. Thanks to the single “Such Eyes” (Ojos Asi), the album spent 11 weeks at the top of the charts in the United States, sold more than 4 million copies, and became multi-platinum in America and platinum in Spain. Thanks to the release of the album, Shakira quickly gained worldwide fame; she was also the only one who added oriental motifs and belly dancing to her performances. IN end of the year Shakira receives an award from the World Music Awards in the category "Best Latin American Performer of the Year", and in the late 90s she became the best performer in Latin America. Remembering the success of the single “Such Eyes,” Gloria Estefan invites Shakira to translate the song into English. From that moment on, Shakira realized that in order to write songs and do shows, she needed to improve her English skills.
After starting to learn the language, Shakira performed on MTV in the program "MTV Unplugged", the first program released in Spanish. At the beginning of 2000, the singer released the album "MTV Unplugged" - a version of the album "Donde Estan los Ladrones?", for which she received a Grammy Award in the category "Best Latin Pop Album" and two more awards: "Best Female Pop Vocal" for the composition "Such eyes" (Ojos Asi), and "Best female rock vocals" for the song "The Eighth Day" (Octavo Dia).
Having improved her English skills, Shakira set about gaining international recognition. In 2002, she released the album "Laundry Service", with two outstanding compositions: "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes". Soon the album becomes triple platinum and sells more than 10 million copies. Thanks to the album "Laundry Service", Shakira received another Grammy award and 5 MTV Video Music Awards of Latin America. "I feel carefree, which is wonderful," Shakira says. “When I look back at my past life, I feel renewed, as if I had washed away everything that had happened. That’s why I called my album “Laundry Services,” the singer explains the choice of the album’s title. Later, she will conduct a world tour called “Tour Mongoose" (The Tour of the Mongoose). A DVD version of the tour "Grandes Exitos Shakira: Live & Off the Record" is scheduled for release on March 30, 2004, along with a CD containing 10 tracks from the tour.
In 2005, Shakira, already known as a representative of the Pepsi Cola company, recorded the album "Fijacion Oral Volumen 1", planned for release on June 7, 2005, and its English version - "Oral Fixation 2", which will be released in November of the same year. She was assisted in working on the albums by Luis Fernando Ochoa and Lester Mendez, co-producers and co-writers of the songs. Her latest single, "La Tortura", a duet with Alejandro Sanz, reached number one on the US Hot Latin Track chart. Also, together with Alejandro Sanz, Shakira performed on the popular German TV show “Wetten, Dass..?”, performing the song “La Tortura” as a duet.
Shakira's talent is truly unique, unusual and impressive, this is how the laureate described it Nobel Prize Gabriel Garcia Marquez: “The music performed by Shakira leaves its own imprint, unlike anything else, no person, no matter what age, can sing and dance like her, at the same time sensually innocent , as if inventing movements on the fly." Shakira founded the Bare Feet Foundation (Pies Descalzos), which aims to provide education and meet the basic needs of homeless and abused children in Colombia. The singer is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. As for her personal life, Shakira has been engaged to Antonio de la Rua, the son of the former President of Argentina, for five years.
The year 2006 for Shakira began with receiving the NRJ Music Award in the category “Best Foreign Song” for the composition “La Tortura”.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll- singer, musician, composer, dancer, producer, philanthropist.
Shakira was born in the Colombian city of Barranquilla on February 2, 1977. Father - William Mebarak Shadid - owner of a jewelry store on San Blas, he is a bit of a writer, and is of Lebanese Arab origin. Mother - Nidia del Carmen Torrado - a housewife, Colombian with Italian and Spanish blood. Shakira is the eighth child of her father and the first of her mother.
Shakira grew up surrounded by books and Latin American rhythms. Her half-brothers constantly visited her, the girl was everyone's favorite. Shakira began to show interest in literature very early. At the same time, she was a real child prodigy: at the age of 3, the child already knew how to read and write.
At the age of four, the girl already tried to go to school, but due to her early age she was not accepted there. At the same age, Shakira wrote her first poem. The parents were simply sure that their beloved child would become a poetess or an artist.
At school, teachers saw the girl as a ballerina, because she often danced everywhere. And her favorite dance to this day remains belly dancing.
In 1985 An 8-year-old girl writes her first song, “Your Dark Glasses.”
In 1987 10-year-old Shakira wins the Child of the Atlantic beauty contest.
The girl also constantly sang and danced, participating and winning in various competitions held in their town and beyond.
In 1990 a journalist acquaintance brings 13-year-old Shakira to an audition with one of the Sony Music representatives. Impressed by the girl’s singing talent, as well as the way she moves and knows how to carry herself. The company signs a contract with Shakira. Now the girl begins to combine studying at school and recording her debut album "Magia".
In 1991 14-year-old Shakira is already becoming quite famous in the country. She even represented Colombia at the international song festival with the song "Eres" own composition.
In 1992 15-year-old Shakira is recording her second album, "Peligro", which did not gain great success from the listeners. The record company gave Shakira last chance: if the third disc is a failure, the girl will have to forget about her career as a singer. Shakira, in turn, set the condition of non-interference in songwriting.
The girl and her mother move to the capital of the country, Bogota, and begin to work closely on writing song material for her third album. The process was slow. During this time, Shakira managed to win the Miss Colombian TV competition and also star in the local TV series Oasis (1994). The angry producers were about to terminate the contract with the girl, but she presented them with her new song"Where are you, heart?" - “Donde estas corazon?”, which instantly becomes a hit.
In 1996, On October 6, Shakira’s third album “Bare feet, high dreams” - “Pies descalzos, suenos blancos” is released, which becomes a real breakthrough for the young singer and brings her wild popularity not only in her homeland, but also on both American continents. The album is followed by her first world tour.
At the end of the same year, Shakira was named Western media“Person of the Year” and “Woman of the Year”, because she became the first Colombian to conquer the most distant countries: Spain, Portugal and Japan.
In 1997 Shakira begins a relationship with fashionable actor Oswald Rios. However, after 8 months the couple broke up.
Meanwhile, the public is awaiting the singer’s fourth album. And waiting for another success. When almost all the songs were written, her notebooks were stolen by unknown people. Shakira urgently starts a new job.
In 1998 in a short time an album called "Where are the thieves?" saw the light. On the first day of sales, 300 thousand copies were sold out. It went platinum five times. Many songs from the album received awards.
In 2000 Shakira begins dating Fernando de la Rua Antonio, the son of the President of Argentina. The couple plans to get married, but the singer states to the press that these are just rumors. However, their relationship lasts for a very long time, until 2010. The singer later stated that they had beautiful love and now they are just friends.
In 2001 Shakira releases "Laundry Service", an entirely English-language album. She also changes her image by dyeing her hair in a light tone. Thanks to the hit "Whenever, Wherever" the singer achieves worldwide recognition.
2002- Shakira's world tour, called "Mongoose", which was visited by over a million people.
In 2004 A CD/DVD of this tour is being released, as well as "Poem to a Horse" - a live video.
2005 year- album in Spanish "Fijacion Oral Vol. 1.", which is rotated only in Spanish-speaking countries.
In 2007 Shakira and Beyoncé recorded the duet "Beautiful Liar", for which they received the MTV VMA award.
In 2008 on charity concert"Alas", held in Argentina, Shakira performs the song in a duet with Mercedes Sosa, and later with Carlos Vives and Gustavo Cerati.
In 2009, after a short break in her career, Shakira releases the disc "She Wolf". The album differs from previous ones in its electronic dance sound, as well as in the fact that the singer mixed music from different countries in it.
2010- the singer’s seventh disc, entitled “Sale el sol,” is released. It includes songs in both English and Spanish. The album brings Shakira 13 Billboard de la Musica Latina nominations, as well as 6 awards.
In 2011 Shakira officially confirms her relationship with Gerard Pique, Barcelona defender.
In the same year, the singer became a member of the US Presidential Commission, which deals with the problems of education of the Latin American population.
In 2012, the wedding of Shakira and Gerard Pique is planned in the summer.
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 rigidity of the educational structure did not allow her to do this. On next year Special exams were conducted, and experts declared that Shakira was a genius (prodigy). At the beginning, the mother thought that her daughter would become an artist, because... she drew a lot, or was a writer, because at the age of 4 she wrote poetry. At school, she was predicted to have a future as a ballet star or simply a modern dance star, because... she often performed belly dance in front of her classmates. Only at the age of 8 did her parents recognize the singer in her.
At this age, she wrote the song “Your Dark Glasses” (Tus gafas oscuras) under the impression of Don William’s optics. Giftedness and exceptional abilities were not reflected in her childhood.
“I remember how I played cops and bandits with my neighbors. I was the leader."
Today she says that in these men's games she developed the character of a leader, a winner. Shakira was not just talented, but also very beautiful, she won the “Child of the Atlantic” competition. At the age of ten, Shakira's parents turned into her impresario, they began to invite her to dance oriental dances. Ciro Vargas, Shakira sang to 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 childhood fun with recording his first album “Magia”. She studied at Enseñanza del Barriloche, and although she was an actress at the college, she was not allowed into the choir; one of the teachers said that her voice sounded like the moo of a goat. It was a hard blow for Shakira, but outside of this shithole, she was becoming 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 become a professional singer.
At the age of 14 she became the most famous singer in the city, and her name began to be heard throughout the country.
During this time, she had the honor of representing Colombia at the Viña del Mar festival, where she won the Silver Gull (Gaviota de Plata) with her own song “ERES” (“To be” in the sense of being something that -That). There she met Ricky Martin, 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.
At the age of 15, Shakira recorded her second album, “DANGER” (Peligro). Only one song from this album was successful; overall the album was not a success. At the request of Shakira herself, the advertising campaign was stopped, and she decided to focus on a new album, which would better reflect her inner state and life credo. Hard times have come for the singer: the contract was signed for 3 years and if the third disc fails, then the whole career will come to an end. It seemed impossible to achieve high sales by singing 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 prevented her. Many journalists convinced her that only in Bogota can one achieve success, and because. the crisis in her music dragged on, she gave up, packed her bags, took her mother and went to the capital.
First thing Arriving in the capital, she went to the Sony Music office and the TV GUIA magazine. After an interview with this magazine, she received an offer from the CENPRO channel. star in leading role in the series “EL OASIS” (Oasis) ()
Summing up the results at the end of the year, the magazine named her “Miss TVK”, as well as the best actress.
At this time, she lives a luxurious life in a luxurious apartment in the north of Bogota. She is in love with Oscar Wall (another Oscar), who specially moved from Barranquilla to Bogota, but as happens in such cases, love quickly passes. In 1994, Shakira performed for the first time in front of a high-profile audience, including journalists, critics and film and stage stars. It happened at the awards ceremony best TV series and TV programs. Here she was noticed by Parecia Tellez (future manager). Sony was about to break the contract with Shakira, but
last moment someone suggested that she include her song in the collection. In a taxi on the way from home to the company, she wrote the song “DÓNDE ESTÁS CORAZÓN?” (Where are you, heart?). And it became the most popular song, from that moment on its popularity knew no decline. Work on the third album “Pies descalzos”(Barefeet) she starts in the USA with producer Luis Fernando Ochoa. The album was modestly presented on October 6, 1995 in
national theater
La Castigliana. A huge success, the discs are selling like hot cakes. Although some, for example Luis Fernando Ochao, will later say that the entire album was ripped off from “The Pretenders” and other English-speaking groups.
Millions of her records were sold around the world, she broke all records and could have received a prize as the most awarded international star. Steven Spielberg invited her to audition for female role in the film El Sorro. She didn’t fit, but the fact itself means a lot.
The fame was overshadowed by the death of several people as a result of ticket speculation for her first big concert in her native land, Barranquilla. An event that she cannot remember without shuddering. She found out about what happened when she had already returned to the hotel, as she assures, if she had known about it earlier, the concert would have been cancelled. This tragedy affected her so much that at some point she wanted to quit her career.
In 1996 she was elected by means mass media"Woman of the Year" and "Person of the Year". 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) the success was no less grandiose, Shakira’s songs were heard everywhere: on the streets and in homes.
In 1997, all Shakira's admirers shuddered when they learned about her affair with the fashionable actor Oswald Rios, who at that time was filming in Colombia (in the TV series). The lovers did not show their feelings in public, but everyone knew that they were in love. They appeared on site at the Billboard and Lo Nuestro (Our) awards. Osvaldo accompanied her on tour in Brazil
. Here she gave two dozen concerts, thus overtaking Enrique Iglesias, Luis Miguel, and Alanis Morissette in popularity. The tour continued in Europe. And on October 10, 1997, 2 years after the release of the Pies Descalzos album, the final concert of her tour took place in Bogota. Although not many knew about it, the affair with Osvaldo, which lasted 8 months, had ended by that time. Hundreds of awards, including “Eres”, “Billboard”, “Lo Nuestro”, 22 gold discs, 55 platinum, “Diamond Prism”,.
 and the most dear thing to her heart is meeting with the Pope And the most dear to her heart |
An endless series of weeks, successive days spent in creative torment, did not break Shakira. She continued to write songs and look for a producer. It was Emilio Estefan, whom she met at the Lo Nuestro awards ceremony. Shakira doubted that she could handle all the work herself, but Estefan convinced her otherwise. And soon she began recording new songs. At this time, Time magazine, a Latin American publication, surprised all Colombians with news of the upcoming new era rock, the first representative of which will be Shakira. The hour everyone has been waiting for has arrived with the release of the album “¿Dónde están los ladrones?”(Where are the thieves?). For the first time in Colombia's history, 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, and 300 thousand copies were sold on the first day alone. All fears about her new disc have dissipated. She returned to the top of the charts in America (Latin America) and the Iberian Peninsula, first with the song “Ciega, sordomuda” (Blind, Deaf and Mute) and then with “Tú” (You).
It may seem that Shakira has nothing more to desire in this life, but this is not so! She still has many cherished desires for different tastes and colors. One of them is to visit Lebanon (the homeland of her ancestors), or to fall in love with a person with an eternal and uncontrollable 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 her songs in the album “MTVUnplugged” and the subsequent broadcast of the concert itself on MTV Latino made Shakira quite famous in the country called the USA, 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, in Latin America a week earlier) called "Laundry service" and contains 13 songs 9 in English and 4 in Spanish. The most pop song of the album was chosen as the first single - “Whenever, wherever”, which made Shakira famous all over the world. An easy-to-remember motif, a colorful video in which Shakira demonstrated a mesmerizing belly dance - and the whole world in your pocket! Unfortunately, not the best songs were chosen as the next singles or very mediocre videos were shot.
To date, the album “Laundry service” has sold about 8 million copies, and
Shakira is on a world tour called the "Tour de la mangosta" (Mongoose Tour), 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... Will she keep her word? ... Wait and see!
Celebrity biographies
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02.02.17 10:55
At school she was told she “howled 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 IQ that would be the envy of scientists. She is a star, philanthropist, poet, composer, public favorite and companion of one of the most famous football players - Shakir. Biography of a Colombian – shining example, what can you achieve if you don’t bury your talent in the ground!
Biography of Shakira
Goddess of Light Prodigy
The full name of the star, who turns 40 today, is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, she only child Nydia and William Mebarak Shadid. When Shakira was born (February 2, 1977), the family lived in Barranquilla (Colombia). WITH Arabic name singer is translated as “full of grace”, from Hindi – as “goddess of light”. Shakira has been bringing light to people for many years!
Shakira's mother's ancestry included Catalans, Castilians and Italians; her father was born in New York, where his Lebanese ancestors moved. William has been married before, so singer Shakira has eight older sisters and brothers. The baby grew up very smart, 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 the 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 belly dancing
One day, William took his daughter to a restaurant where he was playing a doombek (an Arabic drum that accompanied belly dancing). Shakira was fascinated. She studied at a Catholic school and was already singing 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, and also took belly dancing lessons.
The first contract is with Sony Music Colombia
As a child, the future singer Shakira felt her first strong sensations from performing on stage - she presented her art at concerts in hometown, and the schoolgirl liked singing and dancing in public more and more. 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 Shakira’s biography.
However, the debut studio album “Magia” (1991) and the subsequent disc “Peligro” (1993) did not cause a stir. Commercial failures only provoked the girl, however, she took a break in order to finish school.
Breaking into the American charts
Already the “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 fifth place in the US chart.
In support of the album, Shakira conducted her first tour, consisting of two dozen performances. The fourth album, “Dónde Están los Ladrones?”, launched two years later, was received even warmer. But the English-language market was finally conquered when singer Shakira released the stunning disc “Laundry Service” (in 2001). A year later, the hit from this album “Whenever, Wherever” was recognized as a sales leader.
Growing popularity and the World Cup anthem
Further, the popularity of the beauty, who raised Latin American music to a new level, used ethnic instruments and motifs, masterfully performed belly dancing and amazed with her vocal range, only gained momentum. In 2005, Shakira released two albums at once - Fijación Oral, Vol. 1" and "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2". The song "Hips Don't Lie" was recognized as the best-selling hit (at that time).
Although the singer's next two discs became victims of Shakira's disagreements with the Epic Records brand, the reviews for them were still excellent. And the Colombian’s achievements by that time (2010) had reached incredible heights. She performed duets with fellow stars, released videos, and gained a record number of views (and subscribers on social networks).
Sales of Shakira's albums (according to media reports) have exceeded 70 million, this is the best result for a Colombian artist. In 2010, she wrote the “anthem” of the World Cup in South Africa, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” On YouTube music video This song was seen by more than 629 million users.
Voiced a parody of herself
In 2014, the singer released her 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 - pop star Gazelle, who was voiced by Shakira herself. Both the cartoon itself and the character came out wonderful, smart, kind, lively and funny!
Shakira received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and served on the jury of the American show “The Voice” for 2 seasons. She is the winner of two Grammys (and eight Latin Grammys), won 28 Billboard Latin Music Awards and many other awards and honors.
Goodwill Ambassador with high IQ
The performer and composer paid and continues to pay special attention to charity. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with own fund, which raised millions of dollars. Largely thanks to this, singer Shakira entered the hundred most powerful women on the planet (according to Forbes) - twice, in 2013 and 2014. Shakira fights hunger and advocates for the rights of poor children to education and a decent life.
There are still many surprising things in Shakira's biography. She is a polyglot, and although she native language– Spanish, the beauty speaks Portuguese, English, Catalan, and speaks passably 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 say that singer Shakira has an IQ of 140, so she is probably the smartest person in pop culture.
Shakira's personal life
Greedy Antonio
At the age of 23, Shakira became the companion of a lawyer from Argentina, Antonio de la Rua; she later claimed that they did not need to get married, they already felt like husband and wife.
This union lasted a long time, but at the beginning of 2011, Shakira’s personal life changed - she stated that she broke up with Antonio by mutual agreement. However, the star was wrong: the offended de la Rua wanted compensation (he allegedly served as the singer’s manager) and initially planned to sue his ex-girlfriend for 250 million, but then filed a claim for 100 million dollars.
Music connected them: an affair with Pique
After Barcelona central defender Gerard Pique Bernabeu took part in music video Shakira (“the anthem” of the 2010 FIFA World Cup), the two began dating. Shakira announced her relationship in March 2011. It is interesting that the Spaniard Gerard Pique and his beloved were born on the same day - February 2, but with a difference of 10 years (the football player 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 charming.
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 just wonder who Shakira named one of her children after, Sasha? Not a Latin American or Spanish name at all!
