Shakira Mebarak Ripoll Isabel is a singer – songwriter, record producer, dancer, model, entrepreneur, actress, goodwill ambassador of UNICEF and Colombian philanthropist, has been named by Sony and Billboard with the nickname Queen of Latin Pop. It is estimated that Shakira has sold around 80 million albums in the world (more than 50 million according to BMI until 2007 , adding more than 30 million until 2019 ) of which 33.5 million certified only in the United States until 2019 .
Biographical synthesis
Shakira was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla , Colombia . She is the only daughter of William Mebarak Chadid, a New York- born American of Lebanese — Arab — origin, who emigrated to Colombia at the age of five, and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian of Spanish and Italian descent. Shakira (شاكرة šākira) means “grateful” in Arabic. It is the feminine form of the name Shakir (شاكر šākir). Her middle name, Isabel, comes from her maternal grandmother, and is of Spanish origin. His first surname, Mebarak (مبارك məbārak), is Arabic, and his second surname, Ripoll, is Spanish from the region of Catalonia]].
He wrote his first poem dedicated to his mother, entitled “La Rosa de Cristal”, when he was only four years old.
At the age of eight, Shakira wrote her first song entitled “Your dark glasses”, inspired by her father, who for years wore dark glasses to hide his pain from the death of his first-born son who died in a motorcycle accident, when Shakira was of the age two years.
Before he was 10 years old, he embarked on the adventure of becoming a singer and together with his parents, he did not hesitate to appear in all singing and participation competitions. He participated for the first time in the television contest Looking for a child artist in 1988 (of the regional chain of the Colombian coast Telecaribe ), a contest that he won for three consecutive years.
“It was an important stage in my career because I attended many competitions before entering the rank of ¨professional singer¨, (…) I also lost many competitions or came in third place, sometimes I came in first place. There were people who believed in There were people who did not believe in me and well the important thing is to be objective enough to recognize your own talent and then have the desire, an immense desire to be able to fight for those goals, until they achieve them and not give up until they achieve them. ” “When I decided to be a singer I was ten years old. It was the most important decision of my life.”
Career
1990-1994: First albums ” Magia ” and ” Peligro “
Between the ages of ten and thirteen, Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla and obtained some recognition in the area and as a result of her participation in local television, she met a theater producer, who helped her to arrange a meeting with an executive from Sony Colombia , Ciro Vargas , who after an informal test carried out in the lobby of the Hotel Cadebia (Puerta del Sol) , decided to promote the singer within his production company. The audition of some tapes did not initially convince the leaders of the same, but after listening to it live, after a plan organized by the same executive months later at the Manaos Bar in the heart of Zona Rosa deBogotá , Shakira with 13 years of age, was hired to record three albums by Sony Colombia .
For the first album the themes were a collection of material written by Shakira from the age of eight and themes written by others for her, with themes inspired by the experience of dating men, the adventure stories and dreams of living on the coast. . At 14 years of age Shakira released her first album in 1991 , titled Magic (album)and he begins to promote it with the singles Magic, Far from Your Love, and Tonight I’m Going With You. The record company felt that Shakira was promising because they saw a lot of effort in the singer to achieve the success of the album, however it did not quite work in the public, or on the radio, despite visiting some cities in the country. The release was hampered by lack of registration and production cohesion, and thus turned out to be a commercial failure, only 1,200 copies of the album were sold.
Months later, in February of 1993 , at age 16, he participated in the XXXIV International Festival of the Song of Vine of the Sea , where he placed third in the competition with the song “Eres” of his own. His second album; “Danger”, released in March of that same year, was edited by the interpreter. For three months, three promotional singles were released without success and he would only make one last effort with the theme of a consecrated American producer; “Tú Serás La Historia De Mi Vida (You’ll Be The Story Of My Life)”, which, like the album and the previous singles, was unsuccessful, despite having made the only promotional video for the album. Shakira and her new manager Eduardo PazThey took the album to all the local stations, but it did not generate any success and despite visiting the press media, to achieve live performances through them, they did not hire it. The parents’ effort to direct Shakira became obsessive to the point of almost pawning the jewelry, and annoyed the insistence in some sectors of entertainment and even rejection and ridicule; But Shakira’s talent and desire to succeed prevailed, although Shakira, disappointed and seeing the scant attention given to her new album, decided to focus on finishing her studies, and she graduated from high school and announced to her parents that she was determined to move to Bogotá.with or without them. He argued that if he did not carry out his plans, his career would stagnate since the main communication media and his record company were in the Colombian capital.
In August of 1993 he came with his mother to Bogotá and endeavored to promote himself to “Danger”. She suffered rudeness from the press, from the record company itself, who did not support her financially, and the media in general despite the respect that she professed for their representatives. Shakira, in addition to the objective of establishing herself in the entertainment media, was to have a certain permanence on the national stages and for this she had a band that supported her and they rehearsed in a rental garage.
Limited by economic insufficiencies, it was looking for alternatives to achieve its promotional plans, for which it had to obtain with many efforts contracts such as singing at the Tramonti Restaurant in Bogotá and for the Johnson & Johnson Company , particularly for the launch of sanitary cup disinfection products. In order to have decent costumes to appear as a guest singer at the TV and Novel Awards , she did modeling for the graduation thesis of students from the Arturo Tejada School of Design , in exchange for them, an event where Shakira proved her worth as an artist and emphasized her work record label despite sharing the stage with the consecrated Paulina Rubio andAlejandra Guzman . Shakira soon recognized that her appearance was more taken into account than her talent. Totally unknown, Shakira received in her first years of work in Bogotá an accumulation of ruthless criticism, all related to her personal appearance. It was a systematic and cruel rejection. She, with the help of the improvement books, had managed to build a huge wall of defense, but as she admitted among her closest friends: “Between brick and brick there are holes and there they hurt me, they weaken me.”
Despite this, for a time he resisted changing his image, which made his success in Bogotáshe was delayed because many considered that whoever dressed like her could not be a talented singer-songwriter and there was resistance to accept her as her essence was. They criticized her a lot for her image as a town, which caused her a permanent insecurity which would drag her inside for many years, because she never felt beautiful, but the cruel disdain for her person for not having an enormous beauty, made her show who had a lot of talent to get approved as a singer but in her efforts to go against the unfortunate norm in the entertainment world, she stopped her career from taking off and the support of the mass media in promoting her album Danger. A year after its release, this second album, although it was better received than the previous one, turned out to be a failure for Shakira in terms of sales, as Danger,had a sales drop compared to Magic, as it only managed to place a little more than 1,000 albums in the public’s taste.
Despite the failure, there was the occasional executive or media outlet that did support her and had her appearance in magazines and it was precisely the image in one of them that made them look at her for the leading role alongside Pedro Rendón in the telenovela El Oasis made by Cenpro TV , in which a romance between the surviving families of the Armero tragedy was represented, quite an opportunity to constantly remain in the attention of the nation. After recording the entire soap opera and having dabbled in acting, she became enthusiastic and looked for other opportunities to work on television but the composer received more doors slammed in the nose than ever. He did not lower his guard for any reason in that tough fight. But the news was running out to keep media attention.
After the failure of Peligro in part because of her image, she considered that the recognition of her talent would be what would bring success even if she used her figure as a desperate strategy for this. The first promotional photos in the media were more sensual than usual. That is what the media was looking for, that was what it gave them, although with a lot of sacrifice. As Shakira had suspected, without a record, without the telenovela El Oasis on air, the media would forget it. Then the idea was born in the desperation of not having to tell the press and not continue resisting the cruel nature of the mass media of entertainment that imposed sensuality and beauty on it, of a strategy: The contest The Best “Cola” on Television Colombian, that winning it, placed it in the cusp of the fame although it cost the shame to him later years.
1995-1997: Pies Descalzos and The Remixes
In 1995 , the record label decided to launch a record of hits by Colombian artists. This is how they think of Shakira and tell her that they will include a song from one of their previous albums, Magic and Danger, to which Shakira refuses and offers to compose a song especially for said compilation album. This is how «Where are you heart?» Was born, becoming a requested hit on the radio. The song also began to be heard outside of his native Colombia .
In 1996 , Shakira released her first official studio album, titled Pies Descalzos (recorded the previous year), which, thanks to the collaboration of Luis Fernando Ochoa in the production work, would make her a figure in the Latin American musical scene. Making himself known with the simple “Where are you, my heart?” », A song that appeared on the compilation” Nuestro rock “and which led the listeners to find the single« I’m here ». The songs “Un poco de amor”, “Barefoot feet, white dreams”, “Anthology”, and “You want, you kill yourself” were also popular hits. Pies Descalzos incorporates Latin pop genres combined with alternative rock and reggae. Likewise, its lyrical content includes themes such as romance, ways of life and abortion.
Pies Descalzos received positive comments from contemporary music critics. Several praised the combination of the melody along with the lyrics. Of AllMusic , in his review he mentioned that the album “set the stage for one of the most famous and exciting stars in the international community.” Additionally, I point out that Pies descalzos “is a solid debut by a young artist who continued to evolve and would later fulfill her artistic potential even more.” From the About.com website, it was highlighted that the album represents Shakira’s original sound. He also stressed that “it offers pleasant music.” Finally he concluded his review by writing: «If it is not the best, Pies descalzos is undoubtedly one of Shakira’s best albums. The combination of styles, well thought out lyrics and musical arrangements that have transformed the album into a classic of the Latin pop genre.
El álbum y sus sencillos recibieron distintas nominaciones a los Premios Billboard latinos y los Premios Lo Nuestro. Comercialmente, fue un éxito ya que recibió distintas certificaciones de disco de platino en varios países tales como Argentina, Brasil, Estados Unidos, México y Venezuela y es uno de los álbumes latinos más vendidos en Estados Unidos. En Colombia, Pies Descalzos recibió el disco de diamante y ha vendido más de un millón de copias en ese país. El álbum alcanzó ventas superiores a los 5 millones de ejemplares, que aumentaron todavía más con las remezclas de Pies Descalzos. Su primer álbum de remezclas, titulado The Remixes, fue lanzado en 1997 y también incluyó algunas versiones en portugués de sus canciones más conocidas, y vendió alrededor de 500.000 unidades a nivel mundial.
Como parte de la promoción del disco, en febrero de 1997, Shakira se presentó en la trigésima octava edición del festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar. La cantante abrió el festival interpretando varios temas de Pies Descalzos, de igual forma, Shakira se embarcó en su primera gira mundial. El Tour Pies Descalzos comenzó en América Latina a comienzos de 1996. El repertorio estuvo conformado la mayoría por varias canciones de Pies descalzos, así como algunos temas de sus álbumes anteriores Magia (álbum) y Peligro. La gira recorrió Ecuador, Venezuela, Perú, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic , as well as Colombia , Mexico , Brazil and Argentina . Shakira continued the tour in April of 1997 in Miami , United States and ended the tour at the Estadio El Campin in Bogota in October of 1997 in front of an audience of 30,000 individuals. With this feat, Shakira broke a new attendance record. At that concert, the artist thanked her followers for being faithful to them during their tour.
1998-2000: Where are the thieves? and MTV Unplugged
In September 1998 , Shakira released her second studio album, entitled Where are the thieves? , with a production cost of close to three million US dollars, and at its launch it sold more than 10 million copies, spreading its fame to other markets and countries such as France , Switzerland , Canada and, especially, to the United States. , since only in that country it sold more than 1 million copies, making it the best-selling album in Spanish in this country in its year of release and it enjoyed great critical acceptance throughout the world, being considered one of the best albums of his career, Latin pop androck in Spanish . Among the hits are “Eyes like this”, “Inevitable”, “You”, as well as the classic “Blind, deaf and mute.” This album has sold more than 18 million copies to date and is considered the most important album of the last 20 years of Hispanic music and the best-selling and most diffused album in Spanish in history.
Due to the success of the album, Shakira was invited by MTV in 1999 to produce her first live album, entitled MTV Unplugged , which includes all the songs from Where are the thieves? (Except “Come back”). His unplugged or unplugged was the first to be broadcast in the United States and was performed by a Latin artist and in Spanish. The album sold more than 5 million units worldwide. It was released to the market in February of 2000 .
To promote the album, the singer went on a musical tour called the Amphibious Tour, which, according to the singer’s own words, moved like a fish in water and like a gazelle on land. The tour was promoted by Nokia on the South American tour . For the repertoire, the singer performed songs from this album and Pies Descalzos . The tour began on 21 March of 2000 in Lima , Peru and finalized after about three months in Buenos Aires , Argentina on 13 maypole of 2000 , among the regions where it appeared standsUnited States and Latin America .
The following August, he won an MTV Video Music Award in the defunct International Audience Award category for the song “Eyes like this.” Also for MTV Unplugged , in September she won 2 Latin Grammys and in 2001 she was awarded her first Grammy Award in the category of “Best Latin Pop Album”.
2001-2004: Laundry service and international success
In November of 2001 , the singer released his third studio album and the “bilingual” first, entitled Laundry Service (known as Laundry 2002 in Latin America ), which merged pop and rock with elements of Latin music (eg, tango and Andean music) or Arabic elements. The album also included four songs in Spanish, including “Que me quedes tú” and “Te dejo Madrid”, the only ones that were not translated from Spanish to English. Even with criticism regarding its adaptation to the English language, Laundry Service was a resounding commercial success, with sales that, gradually, would exceed 25 million units worldwide, as stated on Shakira’s official website, placing it as one of the best-selling albums of all time and Shakira’s best-selling album. The album made her known worldwide and consolidated her as an international star, in addition to making her one of the most important and famous Latin figures on the planet and the new sensation of World Pop .
His first single, “Whenever, Wherever” (its Spanish version was titled “Suerte”) was especially successful. It reached number one on the charts in several countries, and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 . single was successful in Europe, in countries such as France where it was a diamond single, with more than 970,000 units sold or in Switzerland, where the song remained in the first place for 17 weeks in a row. The second single, “Underneath Your Clothes”, was also successful in several countries in Europe , America and Asia . In the United States, the single was number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.. For Spanish-speaking countries, “Te dejo Madrid” was released as a second single.
Months later, «Objection (Tango)» (whose version in Spanish is «I notice you, I announce you (tango)») became the third single from the album with moderate success. Finally, for Europe and Australia the song “The One” was released as a single, which did not have much impact. Meanwhile, for the Spanish-speaking countries “Que me quedes tú” was launched.
For its part, Laundry Service won several awards around the world, including the Latin Grammy for Best Short Version Music Video for the song “Suerte (Whenever, Wherever)”.
In 2002 , Shakira released a compact disc with her biggest hits in Spanish to date, which contained songs from Barefoot Pies, Where are the Thieves ?, MTV Unplugged and Laundry Service and whose title was simply Greatest Hits. It achieved sales of more than 3.5 million copies.
Due to the success of the Laundry Service, between 2002 and 2003 the Tour de la Mongoose tour was carried out with which Shakira performed 61 international concerts. The name of the tour comes from Shakira herself that “The mongoose is the only animal that is immune to the venom of the cobra. For me, the cobra symbolizes all the hatred, disease and negativity in the world. We should be more like the cobra. mongoose and attacking the cobra’s head. ” In the concerts, referring to this, a projection appeared where it was shown how the mongoose defeated the cobra. The video was divided into two sections and ended at the end of the concert with the caption “Bite the neck of hate. Kill death”.
Shakira published in February 2004 , a compilation DVD as a document of that tour at a concert in Rotterdam , the Netherlands ; along with an audio disc, entitled Live & Off The Record (Live and in private). The DVD contained fifteen live songs and a documentary; and only ten songs were included on the audio CD. Sales reached 4 million units.
2005-2008: Oral Fixation Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Shakira took a year and a half to prepare this project. The decision to release two albums simultaneously was not premeditated, however, the excess of composite material made him make this decision. Shakira considers this project her “graduate thesis”. Four years after the launch of Laundry Service, Shakira released her fourth studio album, entitled Oral Fixation Vol. 1, during June 2005 in Europe , North America , Australia and Latin America . The album reached first place in sales in Mexico , Colombia , Argentina , Spain and several Latin American countries. In the United States , Oral Fixation Vol. 1 debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart .
The first single was titled “La Torture” with the contribution of the Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz . The song is basically Latin pop but with certain influences from the Jamaican dance hall . This song took it to occupy the first places in the musical charts in several countries and it stayed during 25 consecutive weeks in the number one position of Hot Latin Tracks of Billboard , a record at the time. The second single was “No”, a ballad that did not have as much international presence as its predecessor but in the annual Billboard count (USA) it was # 8 among Latin Pop songsTop hits of 2006. “Día de Enero” (released only in [[Latin America) and “La pared” would become the next two singles. “The wall” was number one in Spain for 4 weeks and “January Day” was quite successful in Latin America .
In 2005, Shakira became the first Latin singer to perform a song in Spanish during the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony and to be nominated for such awards for a video of a song in Spanish. In 2006 it was awarded with its second Grammy Award in the category of “Best Latin Rock / Alternative Album” (“Best Latin Rock / Alternative Album”). In that same year, he won four Latin Grammy Awards for this album.
As the main theme of the then new SEAT car campaign , «Las de la intuición» began to sound in Spain in 2007 , where this theme became the second most popular theme of Oral Fixation Vol. 1, after «La Torture », And stayed at the top of the list of hits of the station” Los 40 Principales “for eight non-consecutive weeks. Its English version, “Pure Intuition”, had some presence in certain parts of Europe . It was the last single from Oral Fixation Vol. 1.
Oral Fixation Vol. 2
On 28 November of 2005 , the singer released her fifth studio album and first completely in English, entitled Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 , a continuation of Oral Fixation Vol. 1. debuted at number five in the United States within the Billboard 200 , but it quickly sank down the charts , precipitating a reissue six months later, climbing the chart to number 23 as one of the top-selling albums of 2006 in the US . At the end of 2006 Oral Fixation Vol. 2It was ranked # 9 among the world’s best-selling albums and to date, according to Shakira’s official website, the album has sold around 10 million copies worldwide, and is the singer’s third best-selling album. It is considered one of Shakira’s best albums in all aspects.
His first single was “Don’t Bother” which achieved moderate success in Europe, but did not have the expected success in the Anglo-Saxon market, leading to a reissue, half a year later, which was reinforced with the addition of “Hips Don ‘t Lie’ to Oral Fixation Vol. 2 which was the second single. In those six months, there was no single from Oral Fixation Vol. 2 .
“Hips Don’t Lie”, which achieved great worldwide success, becoming the most downloaded song on the Internet, is a song with a mixture of cumbia , Latin pop , reggaeton , salsa and hip hop , originally written by the rapper and Haitian producer, Wyclef Jean and whose title was “Dance Like This”. Shakira decided to cover it with the help of Jean himself. The single has become Shakira’s most successful song in English, it reached number one on the popularity charts of several countries, in the United States , it was Shakira’s first song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.. With the release of “Hips Don’t Lie” as a bonus track on the album, it boosted Oral Fixation Vol. 2 sales even further around the world, but especially in the United States where it jumped from number 98 to No. 98. number 6 on the Billboard 200 , which led to it being awarded platinum certification on April 4 , 2006 for having exceeded one million units sold in the United States .
At the beginning of 2006 , he received the certification of thirteen gold records from different countries ( Canada , Mexico , Spain , Argentina , Chile , India , Germany , Austria , Italy , Portugal , Norway , Hungary and his native Colombia ); but the subsequent success of the release of Hips don´t Lie resulted in Shakira being awarded 18 platinum certifications for sales of Oral Fixation Vol. 2 in the following countries: Canada , Mexico ,Austria , Germany , Hungary , Italy , Norway , Portugal , Spain , Switzerland , Argentina , Peru , Chile , India , Greece , United Kingdom and Colombia .
Shakira was chosen to sing a special version of “Hips Don’t Lie” (Bamboo version) at the closing ceremony of the 2006 World Soccer Championship in Germany , this being the first time in history that a Latin female singer sings in this event. In November 2006 he released “Illegal” as his last single. It is a ballad that has the participation of Carlos Santana . It had moderate success in Europe and its release as a single was canceled in the United States .
Sculpture of Shakira in Barranquilla
In November 2006, a statue of Shakira was placed outside the Metropolitano soccer stadium in her hometown of Barranquilla , Colombia , donated by German-born artist Dieter Patt .
In the summer of 2006, the Oral Fixation Tour started, a tour that took her to different countries on five continents, this being the most successful of the Colombian, who with her Mongoose Tour toured 61 locations. The tour was featured in 125 venues around the world, several of which broke attendance records. Europe has been the continent in which this tour has been most successful, thanks mainly to two important places, Spain with 15 presentations and Germany with 10.
Shakira winner of 4 Latin Grammy in 2006
In Latin America , Mexico was the country with the highest number of presentations (21 in total), 10 of them on a first visit in 2006 and the remaining on its closing return in 2007 gave a concert in the Zócalo where it had an audience of more of 210,000 people, the largest concert in the history of Mexico City at that time, followed by Colombia and Puerto Rico , with three each. The tour officially ended on July 14, 2007 in Nigeria , within the Thisday Festival . But in December 2007 he performed one last concert in Georgia, which was free. The Tour raised more than $ 100,000,000 and brought together more than two million people around the world.
Although she was not part of the tour, Shakira performed at Live Earth in Germany , where she performed four songs, one of them with the collaboration of Argentine musician Gustavo Cerati . In 2008, he signed an agreement with the Spanish fashion and perfume company Puig to market the perfumes that bear his name.
2009-2012: She Wolf / Loba y Sale el Sol
She Wolf / Loba is Shakira’s sixth studio album. In the Colombian singer’s own words, the album is “electronic, with a lot of fusion and very danceable.” On June 29, 2009, the Spanish version of the first single from the album entitled “Loba” (“She Wolf” in English) was released. Loba was written by Shakira ( Jorge Drexler collaborated in the Spanish version ) and co-produced between Barranquillera and John Hill . On 31 July of the 2009 music video for “She Wolf” which was premiered directed by Jake Nava and recorded in LA in June . The cover of the album was revealed on 9 August of the 2009.
The album was released in October of 2009 in most countries and in November of 2009 in the United States , received positive reviews from critics. The album has been a chart success and has since been certified Gold in Russia , Ireland , Switzerland , Poland , France , Argentina , Greece and Hungary , Platinum in Spain , the UK and the Middle East , 2X Platinum in Colombiaand Mexico , and 3 times Platinum in Taiwan . The subsequent singles, “Did It Again / What is done is done,” Give It Up to Me, and “Gypsy / Gitana,” received moderate chart success.
During the Soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010 , Shakira becomes the interpreter of the official song of the event. The song, called “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa),” uses excerpts from an African military song, used this time with the aim of bringing people together through music and football. Shakira interprets it with the collaboration of the South African group Freshlyground . The song becomes one of Shakira’s biggest hits in Latin America , Spain and the rest of Europe , having moderate success in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom .
It was initially announced that Shakira would release a Spanish album in 2010 after the release of She Wolf, similar to what she had done with Las Fijaciones 1 & 2, but Shakira later indicated that the album would be a bilingual project, containing a majority. of songs in Spanish and three in English. The album cover was unveiled at dawn on September 1, 2010, as was the first single titled “Loca.” His seventh studio album, titled Sale el sol, was released in October 2010, debuting at the top of the charts. Three more singles were officially released during 2011Among which are “Sale el sol”, “Rabiosa” and “Before six” the latter promoting his DVD Shakira: Live from Paris, reaching high and medium positions. In 2012 , the single “Addicted to You” was released.
Shakira confirmed a world tour titled Sale el Sol World Tour. Her website announced that “The tour will bring Shakira’s spectacular show to major venues and a number of cities through the summer and fall.” The tour was held in support of her sixth and seventh studio albums, “She Wolf” and “Sale el Sol” and began in September 2010 and ended in October 2011 , touring more than 40 countries on 106 dates, performing songs like “Light Years” and “Gordita”. The music tour, Sale el Sol World Tour, raised more than $ 100,000,000, and brought together more than two million people, marking Shakira’s second consecutive tour to achieve this.
In November 2011 , Shakira received her star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and later in the Latin Grammy , Academy Shakira honored as the winner of the prestigious prize for his artistic achievements and philanthropic contributions. The 34-year-old singer is the youngest to receive the Person of the Year award, Shakira was also nominated for two more awards, “Album of the Year” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Album” for Sale El Sol of which this last one he won.
2013-2016: SHAKIRA.
Shakira was interviewed by Billboard about her next project. When asked about it, she replied:
“I’ve already started writing new material. I’ve started exploring in the recording studio whenever I have time in Barcelona and here in Miami. I’m working with different producers and DJs, and I try to eat out of that and find new sources of music. inspiration and musical motivation. I can’t wait to get back to the studio. My body is asking for it. “
Shakira
In mid-February 2012, it was confirmed by Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s label) that Shakira had signed a contract with that label. Shakira confirmed through her Twitter account that she had started recording a new album entirely in English; scheduled for mid-2013. In that same year the artist signed a contract with the international mobile phone company T-Mobile with the purpose of establishing a mutual promotion of their products. On October 9, the singer gave a special concert in conjunction with the company to promote the new cell phone service “Simple Global” and in turn use it as a margin for her musical comeback. Later in an interview, as a complement to the agreement, expressing their support and interest with telecommunications and the proposals implemented by the company,and affirming his second participation in the singing program The Voice and the release of his first single from his new material by the end of that year.
On January 6, 2014 Rihanna confirmed that the single would be called Can’t Remember to Forget You and would be released on the 13th of that month, and Shakira reconfirmed through her cyber accounts hours after Rihanna’s publication all the information on the single . Three days later, he published the image of what would be the cover of the single, on the 13th, the launch was made starting at nine in the morning in the United States and finally on January 30, the official video was released on his VEVO account on YouTube. ; the first promotional single from the new album peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Also on January 13, in the afternoon, Shakira announced that March 25, 2014 would be the release date of her eighth official studio album. On January 22,In an open letter the singer disclosed that her new record production will have a homonymous title (Shakira); two days later he published the cover of what was the deluxe version of the album.
Shakira’s tenth studio album and first self-titled album was released on March 25, 2014 by the RCA Records label, this being the artist’s first album released by the label. The album “SHAKIRA.” debuted on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at number two on the Billboard 200, the most important album chart in the United States; thus becoming Shakira’s highest debut in her entire career in that country, above Laundry Service in 2001 where she ranked third.
The album features a personal concept, living up to its namesake title. When the album was first announced, Shakira described its sound as “a little rock, a little folk, a little reggae, and naturally a little dance.” In December 2014 the prestigious music magazine Rolling Stone published a list of the 20 best albums of 2014 in which the album Shakira is located in position 19. This was said by an editor of said magazine:
“Shakira is superstar enough to have a greater leeway than her peers, and she’s talented enough to use that leeway to unsuspected limits. While the first single from her tenth (tenth!) Album, ‘Can’ t Remember to Forget You “, accompanied by Rihanna, led the way of a” duet with guaranteed broadcasting “, the album itself ended up having some twists and turns. “It gives a sinister edge to the worst moments of a relationship, while” Empire “turns into an expressive ballad: its unique structure provides the ground wire to raise your voice about the power of love.”
Maura johnston
The album has obtained more than 3,000,000 copies sold throughout its release in addition to Diamond certifications in Colombia; Gold in Argentina, Spain and Mexico; and Platinum in Poland.
“La La La (Brazil 2014)” would be the first song on the deluxe edition of the album, was an adaptation of Dare (La La La) with lyrics inspired by the FIFA World Cup of FIFA ” World Cup Soccer 2014 “that was part of the official album of the World Cup of FIFA 2014 entitled” One Love, One Rhythm “and was attended by the Brazilian singer Carlinhos Brown, who sang the first verses in Portuguese. For this version, Brazilian rhythms were added, such as drums at the beginning. This song also featured a successful video uploaded to the YouTube video platform where it has more than 400 million views.
On July 13, 2014, Shakira performed “La La La (Brazil 2014)” with the Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown in the closing ceremony of the World Cup of FIFA 2014 in Maracanã Stadium. This action became his third consecutive appearance in the World Cup of FIFA successfully and an achievement of his career.
On August 14, 2015, at the D23 Expo Disney announced that Shakira would play a character in the animated film Zootopia of Disney , playing Gazelle, the biggest pop star Zootopia . Shakira also contributed an original song to the film, titled “Try Everything”, which was written by Sia and Stargate , which was released on January 8, 2016.
Billboard announced in May 2016 that Carlos Vives would be collaborating on a new track with Shakira, called La Bicicleta. This was the first time Shakira has recorded with another Colombian star. The same song was the winner of two Latin Grammys , apart from being the song of the year 2016. Shakira also agreed to collaborate with other artists of different genres, thus demonstrating her versatility as a singer; He collaborated on the song Comme Moi by French rapper Black M and with the song Deja Vú from Prince Royce’s fifth album that was released in March 2017.
In October 2015, Shakira announced that she was “soon” returning to the recording studio to record what was to be her 11th studio album, but emphasized that her priority was her family, saying, “Later this year or early next year I will start working on my new studio album Now I want to be a mother first, the Colombian singer announces the production of her eleventh studio for 2016. During that time, Shakira began to wonder if she ever would make an album again, saying, “I was full of doubts, and I thought I was never going to make good music again.” She also recalled wondering when she was going to retire, to which she replied, “When you have nothing to say, but that moment has not yet come. “What”the creator within me was in desperate need of attention But also my 2 year old son was in the same need, the mother, the creator – all those little Shakiras were fighting inside of me, In February 2016, during an interview For the animated film Zootopia (2016), where she voiced the character Gazelle, Shakira commented on the early stages of the album, saying: “I’m starting to write again and the ideas are starting to flow … In Spanish, I have many things to say in Spanish this time. ” Shakira talks about juggling motherhood career.During an interview for the animated film Zootopia (2016), where she voiced the character Gazelle, Shakira commented on the early stages of the album, saying: “I’m starting to write again and the ideas are starting to flow … In Spanish , I have many things to say in Spanish this time. ” Shakira talks about juggling motherhood career.During an interview for the animated film Zootopia (2016), where she voiced the character Gazelle, Shakira commented on the early stages of the album, saying: “I’m starting to write again and the ideas are starting to flow … In Spanish , I have many things to say in Spanish this time. ” Shakira talks about juggling motherhood career.
“All my life, I had pushed so many things in my personal life to follow my dreams, my professional dreams, to become a successful artist. And suddenly, things changed, and I saw myself as a mother, with a family with whom I had dreamed since I was a child and then when I realized that the creator within me was also asking to be considered, my music became my escape. The studio became the place to leave a bit of steam off, away from everyday life As a mother -became my hobby And then it became a pleasure as all hobbies are So now music is my hobby Oh, I never thought I would say that!
Shakira describing the artistic change she faced during the “El Dorado” recording process.
2017 – 2019: El Dorado and El Dorado World Tour
Shakira released as the first promotional single the song “Blackmail” with Colombian Maluma, on October 28, 2016, by Ace Entertainment; The song had an immediate international success, becoming a global success, dominating 5 of the most important Latin Billboard charts, topping Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart for eleven consecutive weeks and making it onto the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. . and Canada and reached number 1 in 20 other countries. On Spotify, it reached 45 million listeners, entering the world’s top 50, reaching number 11, surpassing any song in Spanish released in 2016. It was also recognized by more than 150 thousand downloads. Within a week of the video’s release, it had 22 million views and a record of “the first Latin video that is VEVO certified before the month “, with only 19 days of being published, the music video reached 100 million reproductions, being awarded the VEVO certification. The song became certified sixteen times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In March 2017 he released the single “Deja Vu” with the American singer-songwriter of Dominican origin Prince Royce and the single ‘Comme Moi’ with the French rapper Black M. Shakira released on April 7, 2017, the second single from his album , the song “Me Enamoré”, which achieved immediate success on some music charts and commercial success.
On May 11, 2017, Shakira announced on social media that the new album would be titled El Dorado, and that it was scheduled to be released on May 26, 2017. Shakira created a Twitter account for the album and its release, Through which she allowed her followers to discover the album cover and track list piece by piece, and even the song “Nada” was made available a week before the release. “According to Colombian legends, the city of El Dorado kept precious treasures and many spent years searching for them,” he wrote.
El Dorado became the eleventh studio album by Colombian singer Shakira, released on May 26, 2017 by Sony Music Latin. The album is sung primarily in Spanish, with three songs sung in English. Inspired by her personal life and experiences, El Dorado mainly features songs about the singer’s relationship with Piqué and is a mix of Latin pop and reggaeton, with influences from bachata, vallenato and electronic pop and has six vocal collaborations: two with him. Colombian singer Maluma, and one with Nicky Jam, Carlos Vives, Prince Royce, Black M and Magic! Music critics gave the album generally favorable reviews, praising its consistency and fun, with all mature nature.Other critics felt that El Dorado lacked creativity and relied too heavily on previously released collaborations. The album debuted number fifteen on the Billboard 200 and was accompanied by minimal promotion.
As the third single, the song “Perro Fiel” was released on September 15, 2017 with Nicky Jam. In less than three days, “Perro Fiel” managed to enter the music charts of several countries, including France, Switzerland and, most notably, Spain, where it reached the ninth position during the first week after the album was released and was certified Gold for selling 20,000 copies in August 2017.
On January 26, 2018, the fourth single Trap was released with Maluma, making the launch of their promotional video one of the most talked about topics worldwide on social networks due to the impact caused to their followers.
The song “Nada” was the fifth and last single from the album El Dorado, released during the show he offered on November 3, 2018 in the city of Bogotá, as the closing of his El Dorado World Tour, the music video was uploaded to its official channel on YouTube, reaching 1.5 million views in 24 hours, and positioning itself among the trends in each country, until after two months with 12 million visits. It has been compared to the classic hits from his early albums such as Pies Descalzos and Where Are the Thieves ?.
El Dorado World Tour was announced on June 27, 2017 and would be sponsored by Rakuten, counting as partners with the Global Touring Division of Live Nation Entertainment (which had previously collaborated with the singer on her Sale el Sol World Tour) and Citigroup, which are, respectively, the producer and the credit card for the North American sleeve of the tour. As part of the tour presentation, Live Nation posted a video through their official social media as an additional reminder.
The tour would have started on November 8 in Cologne, Germany, but due to problems related to the vocal effort made by the singer during rehearsals, the date was canceled a day earlier and rescheduled for a later date. For the 9th of November, for the same reason, Shakira announced the postponement of the two presentations in Paris, as well as the next ones scheduled in Antwerp and Amsterdam.. On November 14, he announced through his social networks that he had contracted a hemorrhage in his right vocal cord at the end of October, during his last stage of rehearsals, and that he needed to keep his voice at rest to heal; In this way, the entire European manga of the tour was postponed to 2018. In January 2018, she won her third Grammy Award with the album El Dorado, being the only Hispanic artist to achieve it. He won it in the category of Best Latin Pop Album. Sales of his album reached 4 million copies worldwide, which would later add up to 8 million copies between physical sales and digital downloads.
In January 2018, he announced the final dates of his El Dorado World Tour, his leg in Europe began on June 3 in Hamburg and ended on July 7 in Barcelona. He had a short stint in Asia, on July 11 and 13. In North America, it began on August 3 in Chicago and ended on September 7 in San Francisco. In Latin America, it began on October 11 in Mexico City , and ended on November 3 in Bogotá, Colombia. The tour was praised by critics for Shakira’s versatility on stage, in addition to the fact that the tour managed to raise more than 110 million dollars, this being one of the most successful in recent years.
The massive success made El Dorado the most successful Latin pop album of 2017 and 2018, thanks to multiple global sales certifications, views on YouTube channels, and success on international charts.
2020: Super Bowl LIV and New Album
Currently the singer is recording her tenth studio album. On January 13, 2020, he released his first single from the album titled Me Gusta, with the collaboration of Puerto Rican singer Anuel AA, two months later he released the music video for it.
On February 2, 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show, which took place in Miami Gardens, Florida. The event was seen by more than 103 million people in the United States, which means a huge increase in the number of viewers in 5 years. On the other hand, the media impact of such a colossal event generated an unusual increase in digital sales of their record material, placing 6 of their main albums in the first 6 positions of the Top Latin Albums in the United States. The single Whenever Wherever released 19 years ago reached # 1 on iTunes USA a day after the show. On February 3, 2020, Live Nation announced through its Twitter account a new world tour for the singer for 2021.
Collaborations
In 2007, he collaborated with his colleague and friend Alejandro Sanz, on the album “El tren de los Momentos” in the song “I thank you, but no”. In 2007 he also participated in a song and music video entitled “Beautiful Liar” for the American singer Beyoncé, corresponding to her album “B’Day”.
In that same year he also collaborated with the song “Si tú no vuelves” for the Spanish singer Miguel Bosé, corresponding to his album “Papito”. Shakira collaborated with other artists, including Pink, Madonna, KT Tunstall and Joss Stone, on a charity song featured on Annie Lennox’s album, titled “Sing.” The album “Songs of Mass Destruction” was released in October 2007.
He also performed a duet with Wyclef Jean entitled King and Queen for the album “The Carnival Two: Memoirs of an Immigrant” which was released in December 2007. Shakira collaborated on the musical theme “La Maza” by Silvio Rodriguez, released on a double album of duets by the Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa with various interpreters entitled “Cantora”. In 2012 he made a duet with the singer and rapper Pitbull on the song “Get It Started” from the latter of the album “Global Warming”. In 2013 he collaborated on the singer Draco Rosa’s album entitled “Vida”, an album in which other Latin artists also collaborated, lending their voice to give life to the songs that make it up. Shakira collaborated on the new version of the song “Blanca Mujer”.
Shakira also collaborates on the song “Mi Verdad” by Maná, which was released in February 2015 on the album “Cama Incendiada” and which quickly gained popularity placing high positions in music rankings, such as Top Latin Songs – USA by Monitor Latino where it obtained No. 2 spot for several consecutive weeks. Shakira collaborates for Carlos Vives’ thirteenth studio album entitled “Vives”, with the duet track “La Bicicleta”, which has been number one on several Latin Billboard charts including Latin Pop Songs, Latin Rhythm Airplay, Tropical Songs, and number two on Hot Latin Songs and was the song in Spanish that topped the charts for most countries in 2016 with 26 nations. Shakira collaborated with French singer Black M on the theme song “Comme Moi,” released in 2017.Shakira also collaborated on the album “FIVE” by Prince Royce released on February 24, 2017, on the song “Deja Vú”, venturing into the bachata genre for the first time.
The voice
Vocal Type: Alto coloratura
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 1 note E3-F #
Vocal Bonus: The unique and versatile vocal style that incorporates a yodelling technique as well as Arabic influences. The voice has a heaviness that runs throughout, although surprisingly it seems to be more prevalent in the midrange and lower belt range. This weight can be removed, revealing a contrasting chrysanthemum, a lighter, younger-sounding timbre.
His lead voice is strong and bright, becoming more penetrating as he grows taller, but is not used often. He is capable of making complex melismas , generally built on a Middle Eastern musical scale , as well as capable of sustaining sustained notes with or without vibrato. The vibrato itself is fast but controlled.
Music
About her music, Shakira has said that, “my music, I believe, is a fusion of many different elements. I am always experimenting. So I try not to limit myself, or put myself in a category, or … be the architect of my own prison. ”Shakira has frequently indicated that she has been inspired by oriental music and Hindu music, which influenced many of her previous works.
She has also been influenced by her Arab heritage, which was the main inspiration for her hit song that broke through the world with “Ojos Así”. She told Portuguese TV, “A lot of my movements belong to the Arab Culture.” She also refers to her parents as the biggest contributors to her musical style. She is also heavily influenced by Andean music and South American folk music, using her native instrumentation for her Latin pop dance songs.
His first albums in Spanish, Pies Descalzos and Where Are the Thieves? they formed a mixture of Latin Pop with folk music and Latin rock.
His English crossover album, Laundry Service, and subsequent albums were influenced by pop rock and Latin pop. “Laundry Service” is primarily a pop rock album, but it is also influenced by a diverse collection of music genres.
The singer credited this on account of her mixed ethnicity, saying: “I am a fusion. This is my persona. I am a fusion between pop and rock, between cultures – between my Lebanese father and my mother’s Spanish blood, Colombian folklore and the Arab dance that I love and American music ”.
The Arab and Middle Eastern elements that exerted a high influence on Where Are the Thieves? It is also present in Laundry Service, most notably in “Eyes Like Yours” / “Ojos Así”. The musical styles of different South American countries come to the surface on the album. Tango, a hurried ballroom dance style that originated in Argentina, is evident in “Objection (Tango)” in which it also combines elements of rock and roll. The uptempo track features a guitar solo and a bridge on which Shakira raps as a chorus.
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She Wolf is primarily an electropop album that combines influences from the musical styles of various countries and regions, such as Africa, Colombia, India, and the Middle East. Shakira called the album a “sonic experimental journey”, and said that she looked at folk music from different countries to “combine electronics with world sounds, drums, clarinets, oriental and Hindu music, ballroom music, etc.” . His 2010 album Sale Sol is a return to his beginnings containing ballads, rock songs, and Latin Dance songs such as “Loca.”
In SHAKIRA., The characteristic Latin pop and pop rock predominate but he uses other genres to mix them and reggae appears, explores the country genre, and the dance genre reappears with influences of electronic music and Eurodisco. At El Dorado Shakira explores urban music with greater influence and incorporates it into Latin pop; where he reinterprets the raggaeton that he had used in previous hits like La Tortura and Hips don´t lie; now gender predominates but in different aesthetics and collaborators; mixing them with different elements and sounds from vallenato, the sound of cellos, and electronic music. It also includes the battered Latin trap genre within the urban music in vogue. He incorporates urban bachata and salsa to the sounds of his album.
In general, Shakira’s music is summarized in Latin Pop and Pop Rock mixed with different musical genres and the folk elements that make up the sounds that identify a country.
Musical and artistic influence
Arab music and dance
Shakira in her childhood and thanks to the influence of her ethnic heritage and by her father, had a permanent contact with the Arab culture through the music that he listened to and quickly influenced the musical taste of the Colombian. One of the singers who influenced Shakira within this music was the legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz, of which her first performances in childhood and later as a singer in her musical tours, she performed some of her songs.
Shakira, after recognizing the doumbek that traditionally accompanies belly dance, in a local Middle Eastern restaurant at the age of four, began to imitate the movements and when she saw that it was designed for the stage, she became a self-taught dance student in his adolescence who also learned this form of dance to overcome his shyness. She also mentioned in an MTV interview that she learned to master dancing by attempting to flip a coin with her belly. Later, after years and the musical triumph, in a way of having a unique stage projection, it began to be practiced with professional trainers.
She was influenced as early as her teens by the Spanish rock vibe, as all boys were in the early 1990s. That rock and Latin vibe developed with great force in Argentina and Mexico . In fact, groups like Soda Stereo , Maná , Café Tacuba , Los Fabulosos Cadillacs or artists like Fito Páez or Miguel Mateos , toured all over Latin America with their music. This is what happened with the Argentine group Soda Stereo, a band that she always loved and in 1994 she attended a concert they offered in Barranquilla, and was such a fan of the group that she introduced herself to them the next day, in the lobby of the Hotel del Prado, and told them that she had recorded records and who was working on television and that night he took them to the beaches of Puerto Colombia and had a long conversation with the leading voice, Gustavo Cerati , with whom he established a friendship over the years and one of the most influential artists of his musical career.
On the world stage in her youth, Shakira was influenced by Anglo-Saxon rock music, listening to excessively rock’n’roll bands such as Led Zeppelin , The Beatles , Metallica , Nirvana , The Police , Scorpions , U2 and The Cure . Colombian singer Shakira is also influenced by Depeche Mode . Ximena Diego , the author of the book “Shakira – woman full of grace”, wrote in this book “The thirteen likes of Shakira, especially Depeche Mode , an electronic rock band from Great Britain. One day he was listening to the band’s song, Enjoy the Silence, he realized that it is not only listening to the music, but also feeling the music in his body. He told his mother, Every time I hear the guitar riff I feel that weird thing in my stomach. “
The Pretenders has been another of the bands that have attracted his attention musically, in the same way in their artistic projection they have interpreted songs from AC / DC , and Aerosmith . She was a follower of Kurt Cobain , who after his suicide in the splendor of his career, Shakira recorded all his videos. He has seen the vast majority of the artists he admires at concerts or in person like Bono . But there are two female singers with whom he has a special musical relationship because they are his heroines; they are Tracey Chapman and Alanis Morissette .
Personal life
In 2000, she began dating Antonio de la Rúa , son of the then President of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa , a romance that made headlines throughout Latin America. In March 2001 , De la Rúa proposed to her. There have been many rumors about the couple in recent years. In June 2007 , the media speculated that the couple had separated. Days before, Shakira and Antonio were seen in a restaurant in New York , where they denied the rumors.
Shakira’s future mother-in-law, Inés Pertiné revealed that the wedding would take place in September 2007 at Shakira’s mansion in the Dominican Republic. He also said that Shakira had already ordered Argentine designer María Pryor to design her wedding dress. All of this was denied by Shakira herself in Mexico.
In September 2009 Shakira declared on her Twitter page “We didn’t get married, we didn’t fight. We are very close and very well.”
Shakira has also stated that their relationship already works as a married couple, and that they do not need papers for that. Shakira’s interests include world history, and she frequently studies the history and language of the countries she visits. Shakira is the cousin of the model and Miss Colombia 2005, Valerie Domínguez.
On January 10, 2011, Shakira announced on her website that after 11 years together, she and her boyfriend Antonio de la Rúa had separated in August 2010 after having made “a mutual decision to give us time away from our relationship. romantic “and that the couple” see this period of separation as temporary and as a time of individual growth as we continue to be partners in our business and professional life. ” Noting that De la Rúa continues “working in the companies and career interests as he has always done.” In 2011 the relationship with the footballer was confirmed Spanish of the FC Barcelona Gerard Pique. In January 2013 the son of the couple named Milan was born, thus fulfilling the singer one of her dreams, to be a mother. He recently accompanied Piqué to the celebration of the 2013 Brazil Confederations Cup. At the 2014 Brazil World Cup, he participated in the closing ceremony performing the hit La la la, in the company of Carliñhos Brown, Alexandre Pires and other singers from the region and Brazilians, There, Piqué and her one and a half year old son accompanied her, whom she showed at the end of the musical activity, carrying him in her arms. In the event, without saying a word, Shakira told the world that she was pregnant again and on January 29, 2015, she is the mother for the second time of another man whom she and Piqué name Sasha and whom two days later , the footballer’s grandfather registers, as he did with Milan, as a partner of FC Barcelona.
Barefoot feet Foundation
Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation in 1995 when she had her first international success and gave the same name to her philanthropic project, born from her memories when she learned about the poverty conditions of many children in Barranquilla. Shakira has dedicated herself to the Pies Descalzos Foundation in order to help children from Colombia and third world countries.
The Colombian singer, thanks to her work with this foundation, was chosen by UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador in 2002, and it is in that same year that she summoned the former Chancellor and former Minister of Education María Emma Mejía, to assume the Executive Presidency of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, whose headquarters moved from Barranquilla to Bogotá .
In April 2006 he received an honorable mention at a United Nations ceremony for the creation of the Pies Descalzos foundation. In the act of delivery he declared:
“Let’s not forget that at the end of the day when everyone goes home, 960 children will have died in Latin America.”
Shakira
The Spanish car brand SEAT teamed up with Shakira to create a car called Pies Descalzos and it was auctioned in 2007 among those who donated money to the foundation. Also that year, the Colombian singer participated in the Clinton initiative, where she, on behalf of the members of the ALAS Foundation (América Latina en Acción Solidaria), donated more than 40 million dollars to the people of Peru and Nicaragua for the events that occurred. in both countries and 5 million more for education projects in Latin America . Furthermore, in May 2008 he participated in one of the ALAS charity concerts.
In early 2009, the Pies Descalzos Foundation Educational Institution and Community Center was inaugurated. This is focused on giving a better education to the people who live in La Playa, on the outskirts of Barranquilla, who are largely artisans and fishermen. This school began work on the day that Shakira turned 32 years old. In October of that same year, Shakira represented Colombia in a campaign broadcast worldwide for the One Drop Foundation, to preserve water, where the founder of Cirque du Soleil , Lila Downs , U2 , Salma Hayek performed.Vice President Al Gore and other world-class personalities. This act was broadcast on the foundation’s website in the United States, Canada and other countries around the world.
Following the earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010, Shakira visited Port-au-Prince and pledged to support education in this country. During the month of June 2010, the Mango-Waka Waka campaign led by Shakira began, which raised funds to support a multipurpose classroom in a school in Soweto (Southeast of Johannesburg – South Africa ).
Shakira made the traditional Freixenet Christmas announcement , a payment that she donated in full to the Foundation for the construction of two new schools in Port-au-Prince ( Haiti ) and Cartagena ( Colombia ). The Pies Descalzos Educational Institution of the Corregimiento de la Playa , Barranquilla reached “High Level” in the Saber 11 tests.
In 2012, Shakira was nominated for the Prince of Asturias Award for the promotion that she and her foundations do to help underprivileged children in Latin America and the Caribbean.
His commitment and hard work in favor of education for the most vulnerable children in his native country and in the world, captured the attention of different international media such as the New York Times and The Economist .
Shakira has participated during the last years in different events around the world on education, taking her message to different governments, universities, non-governmental organizations and private entities about the importance of offering quality education to all boys and girls to guarantee them a better future. and possible.