Shakira - Colombian Singer, Dancer, Model

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripollwas born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia. Highly successfull Colombian pop singer & dancer Shakira has won 2 Grammy Awards, 7 Latin Grammy Awards & 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards. She has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Known for hits like "Whenever, Wherever" & "Hips Don't Lie," Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time & the second most successful female Latin singer after Gloria Estefan. Her U.S. album sales had reached nearly 10 million By 2012.

 Shakkira at her early age

With a Lebanese father & Colombian mother, Shakira Isabel honors both her Latino & Arabic heritage in her music. She wrote her first song at the age of eight & signed her first record deal at thirteen.

After her first 2 albums flopped, Shakira Isabel took the reins of her third album, becoming involved in every steps of its production. Released in 1996, Pies Descalzos sold more than three million copies. The album featured Shakira’s trademark sound, a blend of Arabic, Latin & rock musical styles. Her “Dónde Están Los Ladrones?” (1998) reached the top of Billboard's Latin charts. Soon after, Shakira won her first Grammy Award for Shakira: MTV Unplugged (2000).

With the success of her albums, she became a music superstar in the Spanish language markets, known for her strong vocals & unbelievable hip-shaking belly dance moves.

While huge popularity throughout much of the rest of the world, Shakira Isabel had not yet achieved a major record on the American pop charts. To increase her American fan base, in 1997, at the age of twenty, she moved with her family to Miami, Florida & taught herself to write songs in English.

In 2001, Shakira released her first English album, Laundry Service, which quickly brought her the success in the United States for which she had been waiting for long. The album took 3^rdplace on the charts, selling more than two lac copies in its first week of release.

Shakira released two concert albums 2007's Live & 2008's Oral Fixation Tour. In 2009, she put out a new single, She Wolf. The album went platinum in 2010. Around the same time, her hit "Waka Waka" from 2010's Sale el Sol became the theme song for the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

By 2012, her U.S. album sales had reached nearly 10 million & her worldwide album sales had reached more than 70 million. She is considered as the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time & the second most successful female Latin singer after Gloria Estefan.

Instead of her busy career, Shakira created the “Pies Descalzos Foundation” to help children in Colombia. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador & was honored by the ILO for her philanthrophic efforts in 2010.

Shakira is in a relationship with Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué. The couple welcomed their first new born together in 2013. She previously dated Antonio de la Rua, son of ex- Argentine President Fernando de la Rua. Shakira lives with her husband & son in Spain.