Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. Referred to as the "Queen of Latin Music," she is known for popularizing Hispanophone music globally and opening international market opportunities for other Latin artists. Over her career, she has earned numerous honors, including four Grammy Awards and fifteen Latin Grammy Awards.

Born on 2 February 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira is the daughter of William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado. Raised Catholic, she wrote her first poem at age four and composed her first song at age eight. After demonstrating belly dancing throughout her childhood and winning a local television talent contest at age ten, she signed a three-album recording deal with Sony Music Colombia at age thirteen.

Shakira released her debut studio album, Magia, in June 1991, followed by Peligro in March 1993. While both were commercial failures, she earned third place at Chile's Viña del Mar International Song Festival in 1993 with the song "Eres." Between 1993 and 1994, she also acted in the Colombian telenovela El Oasis as Luisa Maria. She achieved her commercial breakthrough with her third album, Pies Descalzos (1995), which sold over five million copies worldwide. Her fourth album, Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998), became an even larger success, selling over seven million copies globally and topping the U.S. Billboard Latin Albums chart for eleven weeks.

In 2001, Shakira transitioned into the English-language market with her fifth studio album, Laundry Service. Supported by the single "Whenever, Wherever," the album sold over 13 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female Latin artist. Her subsequent Spanish releases, including Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, Sale el Sol, El Dorado, and Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, all topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, making her the first woman with number-one albums across four separate decades. She also released platinum-certified English albums, including Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, She Wolf, and Shakira.

In addition to her music career, Shakira served as a coach on the American television series The Voice, took voice roles in the animated films Zootopia and Zootopia 2, and executive produced and judged Dancing with Myself. She has been involved with the FIFA World Cup since 2006 as a tournament icon. Billboard twice named her the Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade, and she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

Known for blending Western and Middle Eastern musical influences, Shakira has written or co-written most of her songs. She is actively involved in humanitarian work through organizations such as the Barefoot Foundation. Her philanthropic contributions earned her the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award, an appointment to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, and the honor of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government.