Shakira

Background

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, who is simply referred to as Shakira, is synonymous with the iconic staples of the entertainment industry in the 2000s. Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 22, 1977, to a Lebanese-American father, Mebarak Chadid, and a Colombian mother, Nidia Ripoll Torrado. An only child, Shakira’s roots influenced her artistry. Her name is the Arabic feminine word for grateful. Shakira always had a penchant for writing and she wrote her first song at age eight.

Shakira landed her first deal for an album at age 13, when Monica Arize, a local theater producer, managed to get her an audition with Sony Colombia executives, who were instantly taken with the young talent and signed her for three albums. Her first and second albums, however, did not succeed commercially. In 1994, she released a song dubbed ‘Donde Estas Corazon,’ which was a huge hit in Colombia, and prompted Sony Music and Colombia records to sign a third deal with the young singer. While the album fared well in Latin America and topped the charts at number five on the U.S Billboard Top Latin Albums, it was Shakira’s fourth album that put her on the map — reaching number 131 on the U.S Billboard 200, and number one on the U.S Latin Album charts.

Having learned English with the help of Gloria Estefan, Shakira then released her English album, “Laundry Service,” in 2001. ‘Whenever, Wherever’, which is featured on the album, topped the charts in several countries and made it to number six on the Hot 100. From then on, Shakira went on to release a string of hits, including ‘Hips Don’t Lie,’ ‘La Tortura,’ and ‘Waka Waka.’ Shakira is considered the best-selling Latin female artist of all time, with over 145 songs released and about 80 million records sold. She also headlined the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, alongside Jenifer Lopez, with about 103 million viewers tuning in. The singer has amassed, to date, 71.1 million Instagram followers.