Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977), known simply as Shakira, in English, Arabic: is a Colombian contralto singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who has been a major figure in the pop music scene of Latin America since the mid-1990s. She speaks fluent English, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, some Arabic, French and Italian. In 2001, she broke through into the English-speaking world with the release of Laundry Service, which sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, according to BMI. She has also won numerous awards worldwide, including two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, fifteen Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards and a People's Choice Award. She is also the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, the United World Chart and the UK Singles Chart.According to the United World Chart, Shakira is as of 2007 the 6th most successful artist so far from the 2000s. She is also the only artist to have two songs in the top ten of the most successful singles since 1999.
Birth name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Also known as Shaki, Shak
Born February 2, 1977 (1977-02-02) (age31) Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Genre(s) Pop, Latin pop, rock en Español, pop rock, world
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, dancer, actress, music video director
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, harmonica, drums[1]
Years active 1990's – present
Label(s) Sony BMG, Epic
Associated acts Alejandro Sanz, Gustavo Cerati, Wyclef Jean, Carle Santana,Miguel Bosé
