Key Facts About Shakira
She’s a Colombian actress, dancer, singer, songwriter, and producer.
Her full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.
She made her debut record for Sony Music Colombia at 13.
She is half Lebanese and half Colombian.
She’s a Christian since she grew up Catholic.
She has a $350 million net worth.
She has sold over 75 million records.
Milan and Sasha are her children with her ex-partner.
She’s sold over 80 million albums from her 145-song collection.
William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado are her parents.
Forbes Colombia calls her the best-selling Latina musician ever.
She’s @shakira on YouTube and other social media sites.
Who is Shakira?
Shakira is a Colombian actress, dancer, singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist. She was born in Barranquilla and is known for her musical versatility. Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is her full name. She was born on February 2, 1977. She made her first record with Sony Music Colombia when she was 13. After the commercial failure of Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993), she rose to fame in Hispanic countries with Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). Her fifth album, Laundry Service (2001), sold 13 million copies worldwide. “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes” helped make her a leading crossover artist. Shakira was called a “pioneer” by Broadcast Music, Inc. Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), Sale el Sol (2010), and El Dorado (2017) all topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and were RIAA-certified diamond (Latin). Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), She Wolf (2009), and Shakira (2014) were all certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum. “La Tortura,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Beautiful Liar,” “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” “Loca,” and “Chantaje” have all reached number one in multiple countries. She coached The Voice for two seasons (2013–2014).
Shakira has sold over 80 million albums from her 145-song catalog, making her a best-seller. According to Forbes Colombia, she’s the best-selling female Latin artist ever. She helped Latin artists enter the international market. She’s won 3 Grammys, 12 Latin Grammys, 4 MTV Video Music Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 39 Billboard Latin Music Awards, 6 Guinness World Records, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Billboard twice named her the decade’s Top Female Latin Artist (2000s and 2010s). In 2011 she was named Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year for her philanthropy and music. She was named to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2011 and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2012.
Shakira Early Life
Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977. Her parents are William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado. She is of Lebanese and Colombian ancestry. Her father was born in New York City to Lebanese parents. His family emigrated to Colombia when he was five years old. Her mother is Colombian, and her family tree includes two Spanish surnames: Ripoll and Torrado. Ripoll is Catalan, and it comes from four brothers who settled along the Colombian coast in the 19th century. She claims Italian ancestry through a “Pisciotti” ancestor. She attended Catholic schools. Her father’s first marriage produced eight half-siblings. Shakira grew up in Colombia’s Caribbean city of Barranquilla. Shakira wrote her first poem, “La rosa de cristal,” at age 4. She was fascinated by her father’s typewriter stories and asked for one for Christmas. Since age 7, when she got a typewriter, she’s written poetry. These poems evolved into songs. Shakira’s older half-brother died in a motorcycle accident when she was 2; six years later, at age 8, she wrote her first song, “Tus gafas oscuras” (‘Your dark glasses’), inspired by her father, who wore dark glasses to hide his grief.
Shakira’s father took her to a Middle Eastern restaurant when she was 4 to hear the doumbek, a traditional drum used in Middle Eastern music and belly dancing. Dancing on the table made her want to be a performer. In second grade, her strong vibrato prevented her from joining the school choir. She sounded “like a goat,” said her music teacher. Hyperactive in school, she was often sent out. She was known as “the belly dancer girl” because she performed every Friday. Shakira’s father took her to a park to see orphans to instill gratitude for her upbringing. Shakira was invited to events in Barranquilla between ages 10 and 13. Around this time, she met theater producer Monica Ariza, who helped her career. Monica Ariza convinced Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas to hold Shakira’s audition in a hotel lobby during a flight. Ciro Vargas admired Shakira and gave the cassette to Sony’s song and artist director. Shakira was “a lost cause” in the director’s eyes. Ciro Vargas set up an audition for Shakira in Bogotá, still convinced of her talent. He invited Sony Colombia executives to Shakira’s audition to surprise them. She impressed executives with three songs and was signed to record three albums.
Shakira has said oriental and Indian music influenced her earlier works. Her Arab heritage inspired her world hit “Ojos As.” Her parents influenced her musical style, too. She uses Andean and South American instruments in her Latin dance-pop songs. Her earlier Spanish albums included Pies Descalzos and Dónde Están los Ladrones? Pop rock and pop Latino influenced her cross-over English album Laundry Service and later albums. “Laundry Service” is a pop rock album with diverse influences. The singer credited her mixed ethnicity: “Fusion. My identity. I’m a fusion of black and white, pop and rock, cultures.” Arabian and Middle Eastern music elements that influenced Dónde Están los Ladrones? are present in Laundry Service, especially on “Eyes Like Yours.” The album features South American music. “Objection (Tango)” combines tango and rock and roll. Shakira raps in the bridge of the uptempo song. She Wolf is an electropop album that combines African, Colombian, Indian, and Middle Eastern influences. Shakira said she researched folk music from different countries to “combine electronics with world sounds, tambourines, clarinets, oriental and Hindu music, dancehall, etc.” Sale el Sol, her 2010 album, features ballads, rock songs, and Latin dance songs like “Loca.” Shakira’s early inspiration was Led Zeppelin. Shakira listened to Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Nirvana, the Police, and U2 as a child. Other influences included Gloria Estefan, Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Marc Anthony, Meredith Brooks, and the Cure. Shakira’s music videos and concerts feature her dancing. Her dancing style combines Latin and Middle Eastern belly dancing, which comes from her Lebanese heritage. Her hip shaking is mentioned in Fifth Harmony’s “Brave Honest Beautiful.” She usually performs with minimal makeup, natural hair, and no background dancers, focusing on her vocals, dance moves, and stage presence. She dances barefoot to overcome her shyness as a teen. She told MTV she learned belly dancing by flipping a coin with her belly. She’s a contralto. Shakira’s “unique and mesmerizing” voice includes yodeling. Beth Roars, a vocal teacher, analyzed Shakira’s cover of “Je l’aime à mourir” and noted her yodeling and “complex melisma” Shakira uses “Arabic scales” and “harmonic minor scales instead of pentatonic scales,” she said.
Shakira Education
Shakira was raised in a Catholic family in Colombia, where she also received her elementary and secondary education. Shakira made the announcement in the year 2020 that she had finished a course on ancient philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. She referred to the endeavor as an unrealistic hobby of hers.
Shakira Career
Shakira recorded Magia with Sony Music Colombia when she was 13 years old. Her tracks mix pop-rock ballads and disco uptempo tunes with electronic accompaniment. “Magia” and three more singles were on the 1991 album. Although song succeeded well on Colombian radio and gained Shakira recognition, just 1,200 copies were sold globally. Shakira’s label asked her to release a follow-up after Magia’s weak sales. Shakira performed at Chile’s Via del Mar International Song Festival in 1993, when she was hardly known outside Colombia. The event featured performances from up-and-coming Latin American singers, from which a winner was selected. Shakira placed third with her ballad “Eres” Ricky Martin, then 20 and a member of Menudo, voted for her to win. Shakira’s second studio album, Peligro, was released in March, although she was unhappy with the production. Shakira’s refusal to promote or advertise the record made it a commercial flop. Shakira stopped recording to finish high school. Shakira starred in the 1985 Armero tragedy-inspired TV series The Oasis in the same year. Since then, the albums have been withdrawn and are now considered promotional.
Shakira recorded “Dónde Estás Corazón?” for the 1994 Colombian compilation Nuestro Rock. The song was an instant hit in Colombia, and Sony chose to bankroll her third album after prior commercial flops. Shakira returned to Sony Music and Columbia Records in 1995 with Luis F. Ochoa, using musical influences from several nations and an Alanis Morissette-inspired persona on two of her next albums. Pies Descalzos is her third studio album and international debut. After the success of “Dónde Estás Corazón?,” recording began in February 1995. Pies Descalzos was released in Latin America in October 1995 and the US in February 1996. It ranked fifth on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. “Estoy Aqu” reached number two on the U.S. Latin chart, “Dónde Estás Corazón?” reached number five, “Pies Descalzos, Sueos Blancos” reached number 11, “Un Poco de Amor” reached number six, “Antologa” reached number 15, and “Se quiere, Se Mata” reached number eight. The album became platinum in August 1996. Shakira’s first tour, Tour Pies Descalzos, began in March 1996. The 1997 tour had 20 stops. Shakira won Album of the Year for Pies Descalzos, Video of the Year for “Estoy Aqui,” and Best New Artist. Pies Descalzos sold over 5 million copies, resulting in The Remixes CD. The Remixes comprised Portuguese versions of some of her well-known songs, recorded after her popularity in Brazil, when Pies Descalzos sold nearly one million copies. Dónde Están los Ladrones? was her fourth album. Shakira’s 1998 album was produced by Emilio Estefan Jr. The album became a bigger hit than Pies Descalzos after a stolen luggage containing her lyrics. The album peaked at 131 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and topped the Latin Albums list for 11 weeks. It’s sold over 7 million copies worldwide and 1.5 million in the U.S., making it one of the best-selling Spanish albums there. “Ciega, Sordomuda,” “Moscas En La Casa,” “No Creo,” “Inevitable,” “T,” “Si Te Vas,” “Octavo da,” and “Ojos As” are eight singles from the album. Shakira was nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album in 1999. Shakira recorded MTV Unplugged in New York City on August 12, 1999. It’s one of her best live performances, say American critics. Shakira began her two-month Tour Anfibio in March 2000. “Ojos As” got a People’s Choice MTV Video Music Award in August 2000. Shakira performed “Ojos As” at the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards, where she was nominated in five categories: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for MTV Unplugged, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “Octavo Da,” and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video for “Ojos As.”
Shakira began an English crossover album after Dónde Están los Ladrones? and MTV Unplugged. Gloria Estefan taught her English. She spent a year writing album material. “Whenever, Wherever” was released as the first single from her debut English album and fifth studio album between August 2001 and February 2002. The song’s instrumentation included charango and panpipes. Most countries ranked it number one. It was her first U.S. success, reaching No. 6 on the Hot 100. Laundry Service, Shakira’s fifth studio album and first in English, was released on November 13, 2001. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, selling over 200,000 copies in its first week. RIAA certified the album triple platinum in June 2004. It boosted Shakira’s popularity in North America. “Whenever, Wherever”/”Suerte”, “Underneath Your Clothes”, “Objection (Tango)”/”Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango),” “The One,” “Te Dejo Madrid,” “Que Me Quedes T,” and “Poem to a Horse” were singles from the album. Because the album was developed for the English-language market, the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album achieved minor critical success, with some critics suggesting that her English abilities were too weak for her to write songs for it; Rolling Stone wrote that “she sounds downright silly” or “Shakira’s magic is lost in translation”. Despite this, it was 2002’s best-selling album and her most successful to date, selling 13 million copies worldwide. It made her the world’s biggest Latin female crossover artist. Shakira released four songs for Pepsi around this time: “Ask for More,” “Pide Más,” “Knock on My Door,” and “Pdeme el Sol.” Journalist Joshua Klein called her international rise “multilateral, multicultural, and cooperative” Shakira sang at Aerosmith’s MTV Icon in April 2002. She performed at VH1 Divas Live Las Vegas with Cher, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Anastacia, and the Dixie Chicks. “Objection (Tango)” won the International Viewer’s Choice Award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. The Spanish version of the video won a Latin Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. In October, she won Best Female Artist, Best Pop Artist, Best Artist – North (Region), Video of the Year (for “Suerte”), and Artist of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America. In November, she began the Mongoose Tour, which lasted until May 2003. The journey included North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Sony BMG released Grandes Éxitos, Shakira’s Spanish greatest-hits album. Tour of the Mongoose was commemorated with a DVD and 10-track live album in 2004.
Fijación Oral, Volumen Uno is Shakira’s sixth album. “La Tortura” entered the Hot 100’s top 40. The song featured Alejandro Sanz. Shakira, Sanz, and Daddy Yankee (“Gasolina”) performed Spanish songs during the 2005 VMAs. It was well-received. It opened at number four on the Billboard 200 with 157,000 copies sold. It’s sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. and been certified 11 Platinum (Latin field) by the RIAA. The album had the highest first-week sales for a Spanish album. The album was certified after one day in Latin America. In Venezuela, it was certified Platinum and in Colombia, triple Platinum. In Mexico, demand surpassed delivery and the album was unavailable after one day. “No,” “Da de Enero,” “La Pared,” and “Las de la Intuición” were additional singles. Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 has sold 4 million copies. Shakira received her second Grammy for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 on 8 February 2006. She won Record of the Year, Song of the Year for “La Tortura,” Album of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album in November 2006. Shakira’s seventh album’s lead song, “Don’t Bother,” missed the top 40 on the Hot 100. In most countries, it reached the top 20. Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 is Shakira’s second English and seventh studio album. The album opened at number five on the Billboard 200 with 128,000 sales. The album has sold over eight million copies worldwide including 1.8 million in the U.S. Despite the U.S. failure of the album’s lead song, it spawned two more. The album’s second hit, “Hips Don’t Lie,” featured Wyclef Jean. It became Shakira’s first Billboard Hot 100 number one single and topped the charts in 55 nations. Shakira and Wyclef Jean recorded a Bamboo version for the 2006 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony. Shakira released “Illegal” featuring Carlos Santana in November 2006. In June 2006, she began the Oral Fixation Tour. The 125-show tour visited six continents between June 2006 and July 2007. Shakira performed at the 49th Grammy Awards and was nominated for “Hips Don’t Lie” alongside Wyclef Jean. Shakira and Alejandro Sanz collaborated on the 2006 duet “Te lo Agradezco, Pero No.” The song topped Latin America’s Hot Latin Tracks list. Shakira and Miguel Bosé teamed on the duet “Si T No Vuelves.” Shakira collaborated with Beyoncé Knowles on the 2007 single “Beautiful Liar” In April 2007, the track leapt 91 spots, from 94 to 3, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting a record at the time. It topped the UK Singles Chart. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Shakira sang on Annie Lennox’s song “Sing” from Songs of Mass Destruction, which features 23 other female singers. “King and Queen” is Shakira and Wyclef Jean’s second duet. The song appeared on Wyclef Jean’s 2007 album Carnival Vol. II. Shakira created the lyrics and co-composed two new songs for Love in the Time of Cholera, based on Gabriel Garca Márquez’s novel. Shakira was commissioned by Garca Marquez. Shakira contributed “Pienso en ti,” “Hay Amores,” and “Despedida” to the soundtrack. “Despedida” was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Shakira was Forbes’ fourth highest-earning female musician in 2008. Shakira signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with Live Nation in July. The touring group promotes but doesn’t control the songs its musicians release. Shakira’s contract with Epic Records allowed for three further albums – one in English, one in Spanish, and a collection – but the Live Nation deal began immediately. Shakira performed at the Lincoln Memorial “We Are One” events for Obama’s inauguration. She performed with Stevie Wonder and Usher. She Wolf was released internationally in October 2009 and in the U.S. on November 23. AllMusic’s year-end “Favorite Albums,” “Favorite Latin Albums,” and “Favorite Pop Albums” lists included the album. Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, and Switzerland all ranked She Wolf #1. It charted in Spain, Germany, and the UK. It debuted at #15. She Wolf was awarded double-platinum in Colombia and Mexico, platinum in Italy and Spain, and gold in France and the United Kingdom. Shakira’s least successful studio album in terms of sales sold 2 million copies globally. Shakira and Freshlyground created the official World Cup song in May. “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” is based on “Zangalewa” by Zangalewa or Golden Sounds. Shakira performed the track at the World Cup opening and closing ceremonies. It’s the best-selling World Cup song ever. Sale el Sol is Shakira’s tenth album. AllMusic’s “Favorite Albums of 2010” and “Favorite Latin Albums of 2010” lists included the album. Sale el Sol won “Best Female Pop Vocal Album” at the 2011 Latin Grammys. Sale el Sol charted in Belgium, Croatia, France, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain. It debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 list, the highest for a Latin album, and was Shakira’s fifth number-one album. Digital sales accounted for 35% of Billboard’s first-week sales. The album also topped the Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, with high digital sales. “Loca” was a worldwide hit. The album has sold over 4 million copies since its release.
Shakira began The Sun Comes Out World Tour in September. The 107-show tour visited North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. Critics appreciated Shakira’s stage presence and intensity throughout the tour. Shakira was named Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in 2011 and played Joe Arroyo’s “En Barranquilla Me Quedo” as a homage to the late singer. Shakira and Pitbull collaborated on “Get It Started” in 2010 for Pitbull’s album Global Warming. The song was made available on June 28, 2012. She signed with Roc Nation for her future album’s management. Shakira and Usher replaced Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green on The Voice’s fourth season, joining Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Shakira said she’d focus on her new album in the fall and returned in February 2014. Shakira wanted to release her new album in 2012, however her pregnancy delayed its release. Shakira’s upcoming single was postponed in December 2013. Shakira’s tenth album, self-titled, was released on March 25, 2014. The album opened at #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart with 85,000 first-week sales. Shakira became the singer’s highest-charting album, but had her lowest first-week sales (for an English-language album). Three singles were released. After “Can’t Remember to Forget You” and “Empire” RCA’s third hit was “Dare (La La La).” Carlinhos Brown’s World Cup rendition was released on May 27 to radio stations. Shakira performed “La La La (Brazil 2014)” with Carlinhos Brown at the 2014 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony. This was her third World Cup performance. Shakira started her 11th album in 2016. In May 2016, she partnered with Colombian musician Carlos Vives on “La Bicicleta,” which won Record and Song of the Year. Shakira released “Chantaje” with Maluma on October 28, 2016. The song was from her upcoming 11th studio album, however it wasn’t the lead single. The video has almost 2.1 billion views as of June 1, 2018. Shakira released “Me Enamoré” as the second single from El Dorado on April 7, 2017. On May 25, 2017, she released the promotional single “Perro Fiel” with Nicky Jam. It was released as the third single on September 15, 2017, the same day its music video was released. “Perro Fiel” was certified gold in Spain on August 30, 2017, for selling over 20,000 copies.
Shakira is the only female Latin performer to win three Grammys for Best Latin Pop Album. The fourth single, “Trap,” was her second collaboration with Maluma. Shakira’s El Dorado World Tour was announced on June 27 and sponsored by Rakuten. Live Nation Entertainment’s Global Touring Division (which worked with Shakira on her The Sun Comes Out World Tour) and Citi were also identified as tour partners in a news release. The trip starts November 8 in Cologne, Germany. Due to voice-strain issues during tour rehearsals, the engagement was cancelled one day before the original schedule and rescheduled. On 9 November, she postponed her Paris and Antwerp/Amsterdam gigs for the same reason. Shakira announced on November 14 that she had had a bleed on her right vocal cord in late October, at her final session of rehearsals, and that she needed to rest her voice for some time to recuperate; this forced the tour’s whole European itinerary until 2018. Latin American dates were expected when the tour resumed. When the tour resumed, Dominican Republic was planned. A Brazilian journalist from the Portuguese newspaper Destak tweeted that the Colombian artist would visit Brazil in March. Shakira’s Latin American performances were also postponed due to her vocal-cord hemorrhage, according to the same tabloid. Shakira recovered from her hemorrhage and resumed her tour on June 3, 2018, in Hamburg, Germany. El Dorado World Tour dates were announced in January 2018. Her tour began in Hamburg, Germany on 3 June and ended in Barcelona, Spain on July 7. She spent July 11-13 in Asia before going to North America. She began in Chicago on August 3 and left on September 7. Her Latin America tour began in Mexico City on October 11 and ended in Bogota on November 3. In 2019, Forbes ranked her 10th highest-paid female musician. She and Jennifer Lopez performed during Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Billboard says 103 million people watched the halftime concert. It was then YouTube’s most-viewed halftime show. Shakira performed on Global Goal: Unite for Our Future (with “Sale el Sol”) and The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II during the COVID-19 epidemic (with “Try Everything”). Shakira sold Hipgnosis Songs Fund 145 songs in 2021. The corporation didn’t reveal sale information. Shakira released “Don’t Wait Up” in 2021. “Te Felicito” is the lead track of her upcoming twelfth studio album. Shakira revealed in May 2022 that the album was complete and will be electronic with urban and rock influences. She was honored with the Ivor Novello Awards’ Special Award for Songwriting in the UK for her English and Spanish songwriting and for paving the way for Latin performers. By the end of the month, Shakira’s dance reality competition show Dancing with Myself premiered on NBC.
Shakira Ethnicity
Shakira has roots in both Colombia and Lebanon. She has also said that she is descended from a Pisciotti family in Italy.
Shakira Parents
William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado are Shakira’s parents.
Shakira Siblings
Shakira grew up without a brother or sister because she was an only child.
Shakira Religion
Shakira is a Christian because she was brought up in a Roman Catholic family.
Shakira Husband
Shakira recently severed her relationship with Gerard Piqué, who she had been with for many years. They were together for a total of 12 years, however they chose not to be married throughout that time. There is no information regarding the relationship status of Shakira at this time.
Shakira Children
Shakira and her ex-partner Gerard Piqué are the parents of her two kids, Milan and Sasha.
Shakira Social Media
Shakira can be found using the username @shakira on all of the most popular social media platforms, including YouTube.
Shakira Net Worth
Shakira is one of the best-selling music artists in the world, with a net worth of $350 million and having sold more than 75 million records around the world. She is also one of the most famous singers in the world.
