 |
| Shakira |
|
Shakira
Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on
February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla,
Colombia, known simply as Shakira,
is a Colombian singer, songwriter,
record producer, actress and dancer
who has been a major figure in the
Latin-pop superstar music scene
since the mid-1990s. In 2001, she
broke through into the English-speaking
market with the release of her first
album in that language, Laundry
Service, which has sold over fifteen
million copies worldwide. Shakira
is the highest-selling Colombian
artist of all time, having sold
almost fifty million albums worldwide. |
She
is also the only artist from that country
to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard
Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Shakira,
who goes by her first name only in Arabic
means "woman full of grace,"
belies her ancestry. She is the daughter
of a Colombian mother and a Lebanese father-a
jeweler and writer whose Arabic background
greatly influenced his daughter. Shakira's
fondness for music was apparent early
on, and she started winning local and
national talent contests at age 10. While
in school, Shakira was making her musical
talent known by winning talent shows playing
the guitar, and she was even kicked out
of her school choir because her voice
drowned out the other choir singers. Elsewhere,
Shakira impressed judges at local and
national competitions, who declared her
winner of these contests. By 13, she had
signed a record deal with Sony in Colombia,
which resulted in her first album, "Magia
(Magic)," a compilation of songs
she wrote between the ages of 8 and 13.
It was an effort that put Shakira in Colombia's
musical map, and led to her being chosen
to represent her country at the Fesival
OTI in Spain. Because she was under the
minimum age of 16, she wasn't allowed
to participate. So instead, Shakira recorded
a second album of original material, "Peligro
(Danger)." At that point, Shakira
took a break from music, graduated from
high school (at age 15-really) and came
back with a vengeance. The result was
the phenomenally successful "Pies
Descalzos," a hit-laden smash, which
has sold close to four million copies
worldwide. Shakira became an international
sensation touring for an almost solid
two years, playing her songs to sold-out
audiences throughout the world. In Brazil
alone, "Pies Descalzos" sold
in excess of 900,000 copies, leading Shakira
to record remixes in Portuguese for her
Brazilian fans. She abandoned the light
pop format she had been doing and declined
her label's suggestion to explore more
commercial avenues. Instead, she insisted
on recording her very own brand of music:
a blend of pop and rock that was unprecedented
for a Colombian musician, much less a
woman. Such a smashing hit seems impossible
to surpass. But Shakira has done it with
"Donde Estan los Ladrones,"
a collection of potential hits that further
explores the realms of rock 'n' roll without
losing Shakira's authenticity. Produced
by über-producer Emilio Estefan --
who also became her manager -- the album
is the perfect blend of gritty, thought-provoking
lyrics and rock-laden tracks, while still
preserving the Shakira that her original
fans knew and loved. No wonder, then,
that it was Shakira who was chosen among
dozens of female Latin singers to grace
the cover of Time Magazine in a recent
article titled "Era of the Rockera".
For the most exciting singer/songwriter
to come out of Latin America in years,
the possibilities are endless. For the
millions that already buy her albums,
she is already the voice of a new generation.
|
|
|
