Famous for making the hip shaking movements as a major form of dance regime, Shakira, the ruling diva of pop world has carved a beautiful niche for herself. A self made woman, she is known for her signing and dancing talent worldwide.
This singing beauty arrived on earth on 2 February 1977, Barranquilla, Colombia. Having an interesting cultural mix of her father being a Lebanese father and Colombian mother, Shakira from the beginning had a major influence of Arabic and Latino flavor in her music. She wrote her first song as earliest as 8 and by the time she was 13, practically a teenager, she has already signed her first record deal.
She did her schooling from La ensenanza de Barranquilla, a traditional school formed by nuns who formed the basis of her catholic breeding. What more it was her maternal grandmother who taught her Arabic belly dancing that later turned into a fad around the whole world.
Career in Music
With the debacle of her first two albums not hitting the mark, Shakira herself got involved in the third album and gave al there is got give to it. . Not surprisingly, Pies Descalzos, released in 1996, meaning "bare feet," sold more than three million copies. The album featured her trademark sound, a blending of Latin, rock, and Arabic musical styles. Latin Shakira became a music superstar in the Spanish-language markets with her other follow up song Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998) reaching the Billboard’s Latin charts. Known for her strong vocals and incredible hip-shaking belly dance moves, she is also called as the "Latin Alanis Morissette”.
Harboring the dreams of an US success, Shakira shifted base to Miami with her family and soon hired the services of Emilio Estefan to act as her manager and producer of her music career.
She finally released her first English album, Laundry Service (2001) that sky rocketed her to the chart toppers ranking third among the big wigs. Shakira has arrived upon the US music scene with a bang and fire of the songs,"Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes".
Wining a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for 2000's Shakira: MTV Unplugged, the pop diva since then hasn’t looked back and again delivered a chart topping album by the name of Spanish-language Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 in June, which was followed in November by English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2.
Not to forget the less fortunate than her, she also founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children in her native Colombia in 1997. This hip shaking girl has won her place in the hearts of people all across the world with poise and grace, an English meaning of her name, incidentally.
Shakira returned to the top 10 of the albums chart in 2005 twice. She first released the She received the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, her second time winning such an honor. She followed it up with the second volume of the same album, Oral Fixation Vol. 2 in the November of the same year which featured songs like "Hips Don't Lie", a chat topping number. Shakira received the most number of nominations for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards with "Hips Don't Lie", but she won only the award for Best Choreography. In fact her Oral Fixation Tour, in June, 2006 registered a highest number of attendance ever received by a show in Mexico.
She has started work on her new album since February this year i.e. 2008. The lady also has a fixation for movies too. She has worked in several shows like Colombian telenovela El Oasis in 1994, playing the character of Luisa Maria and also wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music for two new songs that are featured in the movie Love in the Time of Cholera, based in the acclaimed novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Marquez.
Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and also served as the Honorary Chairperson for "Action Week" 2008 (April 21-27),an event is sponsored by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), to generate awareness about the Education for All Act. She is currently engaged to Antonio de la Rúa, the son of then president of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa and has been dating him since 2000.
All one can say about this boogie woman is can move the people as well she moves her hips on the dance floor. A sure fete for any woman, don’t you think so!
