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 feature, notable for the remarkable sound and range 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 for being a global icon of this music, with melodic and danceable roots evident in all her compositions. The influence of her Lebanese heritage on her father's side has also led her to blend Caribbean rhythms with those of Arabic origin, as well as to create choreographies that prominently feature the traditional belly dance, always present in her performances.
Three of his singles, "Chantaje," "La tortura," and "Suerte," are among the twenty most important in Billboard history. In 2011, he 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, aiming to provide support to the underprivileged children in Colombia and other third world countries. For her humanitarian work, she was named a goodwill ambassador and awarded at the United Nations in 2006.
In 2009 and 2010, Shakira collaborated with the Cuban-American artist Pitbull on the singles "Lo hecho está hecho" and "Rabiosa," respectively. In 2012, they reunited for the song "Get It Started."
In October 2019, her song "La bicicleta," performed alongside Carlos Vives, became embroiled in a certain controversy after the Cuban Livam Rafael Castellanos appealed to the Spanish courts regarding the alleged plagiarism of a fragment from a song he wrote in 1995 titled Yo te quiero tanto. Livam claimed that he had sent a sample of his song to Vives through Sony ATV for him to sing, stating that the Colombian had reproduced a fragment without his consent.
The success of the disputed song took place in 2017. The occasional duo reached the top positions in major global charts and in just six months garnered nearly 800 million views on YouTube and 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," expressed Alexander Delgado.
In August 2020, Shakira, through her social media, made some statements about Trump 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 psychotechnical 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, along with Jennifer López , headlined the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Florida, which became one of the most viewed halftime shows of all time.
