Debbie Jabbour - Shakira: A Biography

With more than 60 million records sold around the world and nearly 10 million in the U.S. and her reign as the only artist from South America to have a number one song in the U.S., Shakira is an international pop star who continues to bring a new flavor to the music scene while helping those in need in her homeland, as well as around the world. Shakira, who was born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll in Barranquilla, Colombia on February 2, 1977, has been singing and performing on the international stage since 1990. Shakira first started her career in Colombia, where she successfully built her reputation. It wasn't until 2001 when she first broke through the international music scene with her English single, "Wherever, Whenever." Since then she has inspired fans around the world and today, continues to live her life as a leading Latin pop princess. Fans love her ability to bring international flavors to her songs and performances while maintaining an approachable personality, which comes through on her personal posts for her fans as well as in her media interviews.

Most recently, Shakira released her most recent English album, She Wolf (2009) followed by Sale el Sol in October 2010 for her Spanish-speaking fans. She Wolf sold two million copies around the world and she received praise for her skilled lyrics combined with a unique and eclectic combination of sounds. Critics and fans alike enjoyed the album and many believed it was the best one that she has released to date. Since then, Shakira has been on a bit of a break from releasing new music. To the delight of many of her fans, she made an announcement in early 2012 that she is pursuing a new album, though it will be with Roc Nation, a new record label.

Shakira is known for her incredible vocal skills, and she is also an excellent guitarist. In addition, she plays other instruments, including the harmonica and drums. Additionally, her unique twist on belly dancing is another claim to fame for the singer, as she creates a unique, trademark dance by merging influences from all over the world. Much of this is attributed to her unique cultural background and upbringing. Furthermore, people love attending a concert by Shakira because it must more than just seeing her sing live Shakira is a performer at heart. She lights up the stage with her movements and it is clear that she has a passion for dance and art.

Unlike other famous singers that have been in the limelight for an extended period of time, Shakira hasn't been involved in any major scandals and tends to shy away from being the center of attention, unless it is to promote her role in her nonprofit organization or to advocate for helping those less fortunate. Her biggest scandal if you can even call it that, is her romantic relationship with her agent, Antonio de la Ra, which recently ended after they were together for 11 years.

Shakira has worked hard and that is what has brought her success and continued fame. While she has released several albums and created a public persona, she continues to serve her community because it is one of her passions. Within South America, Shakira is known for her support for children who are in need, mostly through her organization, the Barefoot Foundation .

In recognition of her success on the music scene, Shakira has been honored with many awards from organizations around the world. She has been honored with two Grammy awards as well as eight Latin Grammy Awards . She has been nominated for a Golden Globe and is also the recipient of 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Today, Shakira continues to be a favorite artist in the pop scene, as well as the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time. She maintains the title of the second most successful female singer of Latin descent, behind only Gloria Estefan.

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia on February 2, 1977, Shakira is the only child of Nidia Ripoll and William Mebarak Chadid. As her father has eight other children from previous marriages, Shakira wasn't raised as an only child. However, when she was just two years old, one of her half-brothers was killed, which changed her father forever.

Shakira has a beautiful mixed heritage, as she is of Italian, Lebanese and Spanish (both Castilian and Catalan) descent. Barranquilla, which is located in the northern region of Colombia, served as Shakira's home for most of her childhood. Before she started writing music, Shakira wrote poetry and completed her first poem, titled "La Rosa de Cristal," when she was just four years old. When she was younger, her father frequently wrote stories on a typewriter, which led Shakira to ask for one as a Christmas gift. At seven years old, her wish came true and it was even easier for her to write poetry. Eventually, these poems became songs and Shakira was on her way to becoming the singer and songwriter that she is today.

Music entered Shakira's life at a young age. She remembers visiting a Middle Eastern restaurant when she was four years old. It was at this restaurant that she was first introduced to Arab music and the doumbek, a traditional Arab drum. This type of music typically accompanies belly dancing. When she was eight years old, Shakira wrote her first song, which was called "Tus gafas oscuras," or "Your dark glasses" in English. Her father was her inspiration for this song, as after her older half-brother was killed, her father wore glasses to hide his grief.

As she grew up, Shakira enjoyed singing for her classmates at her Catholic school and would even sing for the teachers and nuns. She was rejected from joining the school choir when she was in second grade because her teacher thought that she sounded like a goat. Despite the negative feedback, Shakira continued to pursue her dream. In addition to her singing aspirations, Shakira was also dancing up a storm earning the reputation of "belly dancer girl" at her school. Every Friday, she would perform her newest dance in front of the whole school. It was around this time that Shakira knew that she wanted to be a singer and performer.

When she was eight years old, Shakira's life was turned upside down her father declared bankruptcy and she was forced to live with relatives in Los Angeles. Upon her return to Barranquilla, her life was different than she could have ever imagined as much of what her family owned was sold or no longer there. To demonstrate that things weren't that bad for the family, Shakira's father took her to a park to see orphans who were less fortunate. These images imprinted on her mind and continue to remain with her today and are often attributed to why Shakira dedicates so much of her time to helping those less fortunate.

Shakira started performing publicly at the age of ten, and before long, she was invited to perform at numerous public events within her local community, which helped her gain recognition and start building her reputation as a performer. This also helped her create a relationship with Monica Ariza, who was a local theater producer. Ariza was impressed with Shakira's talent and was focused on helping her reach her dreams.

It was Ariza who convinced Ciro Vargas, a Sony Colombia executive, to audition Shakira. Vargas instantly fell in love with Shakira and passed along the tape as soon as he could to a Sony song and artist director, who didn't share his passion for Shakira. Deeming her a "lost cause," Vargas knew he had to find a different route to help Shakira get noticed. Vargas set up an audition in Bogota for her, where he invited several executives from Sony Colombia, who were impressed enough to sign her to three albums.

While Shakira has yet to turn 40 years old, she has been honored with awards from organizations around the world to acknowledge her major accomplishments in her 20+ year career. To this day, Shakira is still recognized as the highest-selling Colombian artist ever with a total of 60 million albums having been sold around the world. Behind Gloria Estefan, she is the second-most successful female singer of Latin descent.