Shakira is a Columbian singer, song writer, dancer and philanthropist. With her famous twists in belly dancing, Shakira has created waves in the dance music industry and has many awards to her credit including two Grammy awards and a Golden Globe nomination.Shakira was born as Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977. Her mother was Columbian and her father was a Lebanese Jeweler. She was raised as a Roman Catholic and spent much of her childhood in Barranquilla.Inspired by her father’s story writing, Shakira started writing poems and wrote her first poem, "La Rosa De Cristal" ("The Crystal Rose") at the age of four. When Shakira was eight, she wrote her first song "Tus gafas oscuras" ("Your dark glasses") inspired by her father, who wore dark glasses to hide the grief of his son’s death. She enjoyed singing at her school and belly dancing since she was four years old.Seeing young Shakira perform at various cultural events in Barranquilla, Monica Ariza, a local theater producer was greatly impressed and decided to support her. In 1990, at the age of 13, Shakira started her music career with the debut album, "Magia", recorded with Sony Music.Shakira won numerous awards, including two Grammy, seven Latin Grammy awards, twelve Billboad Latin Music awards and many MTV music awards. She is engaged to Antonio de la Rúa, the son of former Argentinian president, Fernando de la Rua. Shakira is a known philanthropist, and the founder of Pies Descalzos Foundation, aimed at schooling and uplifting the living conditions of poor children in Columbia. She is also the goodwill ambassador of UNICEF.
Shakira Music - Elemental Fusion
With singing for the album "Magio", Shakira debuted her music career, when she was thirteen. Shakira music adopts many genres including pop, electro pop, dance music, folk and rock, and is a fusion of various elements.Shakira's stage shows show the influence of oriental music. Her famous song, Ojos Así is the influenced by her Arabic inheritance. She has also introduced some devout ballads into her latest music albums. Shakira is most acclaimed for her twist in belly dancing performed at stages and for her music videos. During her Oral Fixation Tour in 2006, Shakira performed in 125 shows in six continents.
Shakira Songs - Latin influence
Shakira impacted the English music industry through her song “Whenever, Wherever”, in 2001, followed by the song “Laundry Service”. The other few famous Shakira songs are "Underneath Your Clothes”, “Inevitable”, “Hips Don't Lie”, “Give It Up To Me”, and “Beautiful Liar”. “Hips Don’t Lie” was named the best selling song of the century and was Shakira’s first number one in Billboard Chart top 100. Her album sales reach 9.6 million in the United States. Her song, “Waka Waka” was the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
