Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Colombian singer-songwriter born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977. She is also an actress, record producer, fashion designer, perfumer, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and philanthropist.

Her contralto voice is her most distinctive signature, characterized by its rich sound and wide vocal range that she brings to her songs. Since her debut in the Latin American music market in 1995 with the album Pies descalzos, Shakira has sold over 75 million albums and singles. She is considered the Queen of Latin Pop, being a worldwide icon of this genre, with melodic and danceable roots evident in all her compositions. The influence of her Lebanese heritage from her father has also led her to blend Caribbean rhythms with those of Arab origin, as well as to create choreographies that prominently feature the typical belly dance, always present in her performances.

Three of her singles, "Chantaje," "La tortura," and "Suerte," rank among the top twenty in Billboard history. In 2011, she became the youngest artist to receive the Person of the Year honor.

One of Shakira's great passions is education, which is why in 1997 she founded the Pies Descalzos foundation in her hometown of Barranquilla. The goal of the foundation is to provide support to the vulnerable child population in Colombia and other developing countries. For her humanitarian work, she was appointed a goodwill ambassador and honored at the United Nations in 2006.

In 2009 and 2010, Shakira collaborated with the American of Cuban descent Pitbull on the singles "Lo hecho está hecho" and "Rabiosa," respectively. They reunited in 2012 for the song "Get It Started."

In October 2019, her song "La bicicleta," performed with Carlos Vives, became embroiled in controversy after the Cuban Livam Rafael Castellanos appealed to the Spanish courts over the alleged plagiarism of a fragment from his 1995 song titled "Yo te quiero tanto." Livam claimed that he had sent Vives a sample of his song through Sony ATV for him to sing, asserting that the Colombian had reproduced a portion without his consent.

The success of the controversial song occurred in 2017. The occasional duo reached the top spots in major global charts and in just six months garnered nearly 800 million views on YouTube, along with a Latin Grammy in the Song of the Year category. Ultimately, the lawsuit was dismissed.

In February 2020, following their participation in the famous Barranquilla Carnival, the Cuban duo Gente de Zona openly requested a collaboration from the Colombian artist: “your land is asking for it,” stated Alexander Delgado.

In August 2020, Shakira made some statements about Trump through her social media, while encouraging Americans to vote in the upcoming general elections with the aim of removing Trump from the White House. “Donald Trump has shown that he is not the right person to lead the United States" and "why do they give psychological tests to pilots before allowing them to fly, but not to presidents?” are some of her remarks regarding the role of the current American president.

On February 2, 2020, Shakira, alongside Jennifer Lopez, headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Florida, which became one of the most-watched halftime shows of all time.