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, goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, and philanthropist.
Her contralto voice is her most distinctive signature, characterized by the great resonance and range she brings to her songs. Since her debut in the Hispanic American music market in 1995 with the album Pies descalzos, Shakira has sold over 75 million albums and singles. She is regarded as the Queen of Latin pop for being a global icon of this music, whose melodic and danceable roots are present in all her compositions. The influence of her Lebanese heritage from her father has also led her to fuse Caribbean rhythms with those of Arabic origin, as well as to create choreography that prominently features the traditional belly dance always present in her performances.
Three of her singles, "Chantaje," "La tortura," and "Suerte," are among the twenty most important in Billboard history. In 2011, she became the youngest artist to receive the Person of the Year tribute.
One of Shakira's great passions is education, which is why in 1997 she founded the Pies Descalzos foundation in her hometown of Barranquilla with the goal of providing support to the underprivileged children in Colombia and other developing countries. For her humanitarian work, she was named a goodwill ambassador and received an award from 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. In 2012, they reunited with the song "Get It Started."
In October 2019, her song "La bicicleta," performed alongside Carlos Vives, became embroiled in some controversy after the Cuban Livam Rafael Castellanos appealed to the Spanish courts for the alleged plagiarism of a fragment from a song he authored in 1995 titled Yo te quiero tanto. Livam then claimed that he had sent a sample of his song to Vives through Sony ATV for him to sing, stating that the Colombian reproduced a fragment without his consent.
The success of the controversial song took place in 2017. The occasional duo reached the top spots in major global charts and within just six months garnered nearly 800 million views on YouTube and a Latin Grammy in the category of Song of the Year. Ultimately, the lawsuit was dismissed.
In February 2020, following their participation in the famous Barranquilla Carnival, the Cuban duo Gente de Zona took the opportunity to openly request a collaboration with the Colombian artist: "your land is calling for it," expressed 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 leader.
On February 2, 2020, Shakira headlined alongside Jennifer López the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Florida, which became one of the most-watched halftime shows of all time.
