History
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known globally as Shakira, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and global pop icon. With over 80 million records sold worldwide, she is recognized as one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the top-selling female Latin artist in history. Widely credited with opening the international market for Latin musicians, Shakira has seamlessly bridged cultural divides through her dynamic blend of Latin, pop, and rock influences.
Early Career and Latin American Breakthrough
Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira made her recording debut with Sony Music Colombia at just 13 years old. While her first two albums, Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993), failed to achieve commercial success, they laid the groundwork for her artistic development. She rose to prominence across the Hispanic world with her third and fourth studio albums, Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). These critically acclaimed projects established her as a major force in Latin American music.
The Global Crossover
In 2001, Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album, Laundry Service. The record was a massive commercial triumph, selling over 13 million copies worldwide. Driven by the international mega-hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes", the album cemented her status as a leading crossover artist. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) has described her as a pioneer who significantly expanded the global reach of Latino singers.
Sustained Bilingual Success
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Shakira continued to dominate both the Spanish and English music markets. Her Spanish-language albums, including Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), Sale el Sol (2010), and El Dorado (2017), all topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and earned Diamond certifications from the RIAA. Simultaneously, her English-language projects—Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), She Wolf (2009), and Shakira (2014)—achieved multi-platinum status across the globe. Beyond her recording career, she expanded her media presence by serving as a coach on two seasons of the American reality competition series The Voice (2013–2014).
Legacy, Awards, and Philanthropy
With a catalog spanning over 145 songs, Shakira's cultural impact is reflected in her extensive list of accolades. She has won four Grammy Awards, twelve Latin Grammy Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and thirty-nine Billboard Latin Music Awards. Additionally, she holds twenty-one Guinness World Records and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Billboard named her the Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade for both the 2000s and 2010s.
Beyond music, Shakira is highly regarded for her philanthropic efforts, primarily through her Barefoot Foundation (Fundación Pies Descalzos), which focuses on education for vulnerable children. In recognition of her charity work and musical contributions, she was honored as the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and the Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year in 2011. That same year, she was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the United States, and in 2012, the French government named her a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.
