Shakira
Birthplace : Barranquilla, Colombia
Fast Facts : Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born in Barranquilla, Colombia on February 2, 1977. She began her career as a singer songwriter at a young age writing poems as a child which eventually became songs.
Her debut album, Magia was recorded when she was thirteen followed by Peligro two years later. She began producing herself and took creative contol for her third album Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet) for which she won three Billboard Latin Music Awards. Her next album, Donde Estan Los Ladrones? (Where Are The Thieves?) was an even bigger success becoming one of the best selling Spanish albums in the US and earning two Latin Grammys and a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
Her first English album, Laundry Service became a best selling album with seven tracks becoming international singles. Her next album, Fijación Oral Vol. 1 sold one million copies in three days and won her second Grammy and five Latin Grammys followed by Oral Fixation Vol. 2 with ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time and the first South American to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Shakira has performed for a large number of benifit concerts and supports a variety of charities including the Global Campaign for Education and the Latin America in Solidarity Action. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has been honored by the United Nations for creating her foundation Pies Descalzos, the Barefoot Foundation which is devoted to ensuring that every child can exercise his or her basic right to a quality education.
