Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Colombian singer-songwriter born in Barranquilla, Colombia on February 2, 1977. She is also an actress, music producer, fashion designer, perfumer, UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and philanthropist.
Her contralto voice is her most distinctive hallmark, showcasing a rich sound and a wide range in her songs. Since her debut in the Spanish-speaking 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 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," are among the twenty most significant 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 Pies Descalzos in her hometown of Barranquilla with the aim of providing support to the underprivileged child community in Colombia and in third-world 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. In 2012, they reunited for 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 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 occurred in 2017. The occasional duo reached the top spots in major global charts and in just six months, it garnered almost 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 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 psychometric tests to pilots before allowing them to fly, but not to presidents?" are some of her remarks about 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.
