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 trademark due to the rich sound and wide 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 blend Caribbean rhythms with those of Arab origin, as well as to create choreographies that highlight the typical belly dance, which is always present in her performances.
Three of her singles, "Chantaje," "La tortura," and "Suerte," are among the twenty most significant in Billboard history. In 2011, she became the youngest artist to receive the Person of the Year tribute.
One of Shakira's greatest passions is education, which is why in 1997 she founded Pies Descalzos in her hometown of Barranquilla with the aim of supporting the underprivileged children in Colombia and other developing countries. For her humanitarian work, she was named a goodwill ambassador and honored 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 for the alleged plagiarism of a fragment from a song he composed in 1995 titled Yo te quiero tanto. Livam claimed that he had sent Vives a sample of his song through Sony ATV for him to sing, stating that the Colombian had reproduced a fragment without his consent.
The success of the controversial song took place in 2017. The occasional duo reached the top positions in major global charts and in just six months garnered almost 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 openly requested a collaboration from the Colombian artist: "your land is asking for it," stated Alexander Delgado.
In August 2020, Shakira, via her social media, made some statements regarding 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 psychological tests to pilots before allowing them to fly, but not to presidents?" are some of her comments about the role of the current American president.
On February 2, 2020, Shakira, alongside Jennifer López , headlined the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Florida, which became one of the most-watched halftime shows of all time.
