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 feature, 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 regarded as the Queen of Latin pop, being a global icon of this genre, 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 others of Arab origin, as well as to create choreographies that prominently feature the traditional belly dance, which is 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. The aim was to provide support for the underprivileged children in Colombia and other developing countries. For her humanitarian work, she was appointed a goodwill ambassador and received an award from the United Nations in 2006.
In 2009 and 2010, Shakira collaborated with American artist of Cuban descent Pitbull to record 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 with Carlos Vives, became embroiled in controversy after the Cuban Livam Rafael Castellanos appealed to 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 and asserted that the Colombian had reproduced a section without his consent.
The success of the controversial song occurred in 2017. The occasional duo reached the top spots in major global charts, accumulating nearly 800 million views on YouTube in just six months, along with a Latin Grammy Award for 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 ask the Colombian artist for a collaboration: "your land is asking for it," said 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 goal of ousting 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 among her comments regarding 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, making it one of the most-watched halftime performances of all time
