Shakira

2023-11-16 Gala de los Latin Grammy, 03 (cropped)02 photo by Junta de Andalucía, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Colombian Singer, Songwriter, and Activist • Born 1977 • Pop • Latin Pop • Electronic/Dance

Fast Facts

• Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia.
• She has been referred to as the Queen of Latin Music.
• She is the daughter of a Lebanese father and a Colombian mother.
• In school she was rejected from the school choir by a music teacher who said her vibrato was overpowering.
• She began belly dancing at a young age; dancing is a unique and important aspect of her performances.
• She has collaborated with famous musicians Carlos Vives, Bizarrap, Beyonce, Wyclef Jean, Rihanna, and Black Eyed Peas.
• In 2003 she became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, traveling internationally to raise awareness of the struggles of children in less-developed countries.
• Performed at US President Obama’s 2009 Inauguration.
• She was named Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade by Billboard Magazine twice (2000s and 2010s).
• She is the first artist to reach one billion views on YouTube with two different music videos.
• As of 2024, Shakira has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making her one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time.
• Shakira founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation (Barefoot Foundation),  a Colombian charity for disadvantaged children all around Colombia.