Information AboutShakira |
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born -winning and eight-time Latin Grammy Award -winning artist, Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.1 She is also the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 , the Australian '' ARIA '' chart, the '' United World Chart '' and the '' UK Singles Chart ''. Shakira is also known for having an IQ of 140.2 According to the '' United World Chart '', Shakira is as of 2007 the fourth most successful artist so far from the 2000s. In fact, she is the only artist to have two songs in the top ten of the most successful singles since 1999.''Media Traffic'' "All Time Chart 1999-2007" {Link without Title} BIOGRAPHY Early life Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2 1977 in Barranquilla , Colombia . She is the only child of Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian of Catalan - Italian descent, and William Mebarak Chadid, an American of Lebanese descent. Her father also had eight children with his former wife. Shakira means "grateful" or "thankful" (شاكِرة) in Arabic . Her second name, Isabel, is also that of her paternal grandmother.http://www.babynameworld.com/arabic.asp She spent much of her youth in Barranquilla, a city located in northern Colombia. Shakira wrote her first Poem , entitled "La Rosa De Cristal" ("The Glass Rose") when she was only four years old. After receiving a Typewriter as a gift, she began to write poems constantly. Her poems eventually evolved into songs. At the age of eight, after an older brother was killed in a Motorcycle accident, Shakira became inspired to write her first song, which is entitled "Tus Gafas Oscuras" ("Your Dark Glasses") and documents her father's grief. At a young age, her father took her to a local Middle Eastern ''. December 11 2005 . , Colombia .]] Between the ages of ten and thirteen Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla and gained some recognition in the area. "Shakira" . ''Contemporary Musicians'', Volume 33. 2002. Retrieved February 5 2007 . It was at about this time that she met local theater producer Monica Ariza , who was impressed with her and as a result tried to help her career. During a flight from Barranquilla to Bogotá , Ariza convinced Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas to hold an audition for Shakira in a motel lobby. Vargas held Shakira in high regard and, returning to the Sony office, gave the cassette to a song and artist director. However, the director was not overly excited and thought Shakira was something of "a lost cause". Vargas, not daunted, was still convinced that Shakira had talent, and set up an audition in Bogotá. He arranged for Sony Colombia executives to arrive at the audition, with the idea of surprising them with Shakira's performance. She performed three songs for the executives and impressed them enough for her to be signed to record three albums.4 Shakira's Debut Album , '' Magia '', was recorded with Sony Music in 1991 , when she was only fourteen years old. The album did not fare well commercially, selling less than one thousand copies. After the poor acclaim of ''Magia'', Shakira's label urged her back into the studio to release a follow up with more hit songs, to give the album potential. The album '' Peligro '' was released in 1993, but Shakira was not pleased with the final result. The album was better received than ''Magia'', though it was also considered a commercial failure, due to Shakira's refusal to advertise it. Although little known outside of her native Colombia, Shakira was invited to perform at Chile's Viña Del Mar International Song Festival in February 1993. The festival gave aspiring Latin American singers a chance to perform their songs, and the winner was then chosen by a panel of judges. Shakira performed the ballad "Eres" ("You Are") and won the trophy for third place. One of the judges who voted for her to win was then 20-year-old Ricky Martin , who was left impressed with Shakira's voice and presence. Shakira then decided to take a hiatus from recording so that she could graduate from High School . 1995–2000: Success in Latin America and Spain Shakira returned to recording in 1995, using musical influences from a number of countries and an 2007 . and made her third studio one, '' Pies Descalzos '', which brought her great fame in Latin America. The singles " Estoy Aquí ", " Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos ", and " ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? ", which was included in the compilation album ''Nuestro Rock'', became pop culture icons. ''Pies Descalzos'' sold over five million copies, prompting the release of a remix album, titled simply ''The Remixes'', which sold more than a million copies. ''The Remixes'' also included Portuguese versions of some of her best-known songs, which were recorded as a result of her success in the Brazilian market, where ''Pies Descalzos'' sold nearly one million copies. Her fourth album, '' ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? '', was released in 1998. It was produced by Emilio Estefan , reportedly cost US$3 million, and had more of a polished sound than ''Pies Descalzos''. It was even more successful and solidified her as one of the major Latin artists of the 1990s. She began to gain more fans in non-Spanish-speaking countries like Turkey, France, Switzerland, Canada, and especially the United States. Eight of the album's eleven tracks became singles, including " Ciega, Sordomuda ", " Moscas En La Casa ", " No Creo ", " Inevitable ", " Tú ", "Si Te Vas", "Octavo Día", and the world-famous " Ojos Así ". Shakira's first live album, ''MTV Unplugged'', was composed of "Estoy Aquí" and all the songs from ''¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?'' except ''Que Vuelvas''. In March 2000, Shakira embarked on her Tour Anfibio , a two-month tour of Latin America and the United States. In August 2000, she won an MTV Video Music Award in the now-defunct category of People's Choice - Favorite International Artist. 2001–2004: Worldwide success In 2001, upon the success of ''¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?'' and ''MTV Unplugged'', Shakira began working on a crossover album to English. Collaborating with Gloria Estefan , she wrote and recorded English versions of the tracks from ''¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?''. However, she later decided against using translations of older songs for the album and worked for over a year on new material for the album. The result was '' Laundry Service ''. Although it was created with the intent of selling to an English language market, the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album also featured four Spanish songs, including " Que Me Quedes Tú " (As Long as You Stay with Me). Some critics claimed that Shakira's English skills were too weak for her to write in it, but ''Laundry Service'' was a success, with more than 15 million sales worldwide, yielding the worldwide hit " Whenever, Wherever " and singles " Underneath Your Clothes " (a Canadian number-one), " Te Dejo Madrid " (I Leave You Madrid), " Objection (Tango) ", and " The One ". The album and its singles helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market. In 2002, Shakira also released her Spanish greatest hits volume '' Grandes éxitos ''. A DVD and ten-track compilation album, called '' Live & Off The Record '', was also released in 2004, reaching sales of 3 million CDs worldwide, and commemorating Shakira's world tour, the Tour Of The Mongoose . In September 2002, Shakira won the now-defunct International Viewer's Choice Award at the MTV Video Music Awards with " Suerte ". In October of that year, she won 5 MTV Video Music Awards Latin America for ''Best Female Artist'', ''Best Pop Artist'', ''Best Artist—North (Region)'', ''Video of the Year'' (for '' Suerte ''), and ''Artist of the Year''. At Aerosmith 's MTV Icon in 2002, Shakira performed "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)". Also in 2002, Shakira joined the likes of Celine Dion , Anastacia , Cher and the Dixie Chicks for '' VH1 Divas Live Las Vegas ''. 2005-present: Fixations Era ''Fijación Oral Vol. 1'' Shakira stayed out of the spotlight for over two years. She announced the ''Oral Fixation'' project in early 2005. '' Fijación Oral Vol. 1 '', the first album of the project, was released on June 3 , 2005 in Ireland , on June 6 , 2005 in Europe, and on June 7 , 2005 in North America, Latin America and Australia. The lead single from the album, " La Tortura ", which features Alejandro Sanz , was released as a single in April and achieved large-scale success in different radio and chart formats. It spent a record of twenty-five weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart. ''Fijación Oral Vol. 1'' was very well received by the public. It debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart on the week of June 15 . According to that publication, the album sold 157,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S., becoming the highest debut ever for a Spanish language album. In Latin America, on the very day of its official release in Venezuela, it went Platinum, in Colombia, triple Platinum and in Mexico, it was sold-out. The album sold over one million copies in three days. The second single from the album, " No ", was released in July 2005 , and peaked at number one in Argentina , Spain and Colombia , there for fourteen non-consecutive weeks. The third single from the album, " Día De Enero ", is dedicated to Shakira's fiancé, Antonio De La Rúa . This single was number one in several countries in Latin America, but it did not have the same success of the previous two singles in the United States. On February 8 2006 , Shakira won her second Grammy Award. She was awarded in the category of Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album . On April 27 2006 , Shakira received six Billboard Latin Music Awards for '' Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 ''. She was also honored with the Spirit of Hope Award for the Fundación Pies Descalzos. In late 2006, Shakira released " La Pared " as the fourth single from ''Fijación Oral Vol. 1''. The song reached number one in her native Colombia , Argentina and Spain . , Portugal (April 4, 2007)]] Later in 2007, " Las De La Intuición " was released as a single in Spain and Latin America. It became an instantaneous success, topping the radio chart '' Los 40 Principales '' for eight non-consecutive weeks and peaking at number one, charting just four weeks in Argentina . In mid-April, Shakira filmed a video for the song in Miami, which was then premiered via the internet on May 7th. The video, inspired by the work of photographer Helmut Newton , features Shakira with a bright purple wig, alternating between wearing a tight black corset and either a black shirt with a white tie or a white shirt with a black tie. According to Mexican media, " Las De La Intuición " is to be the fifth and final single from ''Fijación Oral Vol. 1''. According to the biography in the official web of Shakira {Link without Title} , ''Fijación Oral Vol. 1'' has sold over 7 million albums to date. ''Oral Fixation Vol. 2'' Before the release of '' Oral Fixation Vol. 2 '', the second and last album of the ''Oral Fixation'' project, Shakira appeared at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon , Portugal were she performed " Don't Bother ", the lead single from the album, just minutes before winning an award in the category of Best Female Artist. ''Oral Fixation Vol. 2'' was released on November 29 2005 in North America and Australia, and in continental Europe. Two tracks of the album, " How Do You Do " and " Timor ", sparked some controversy at the time of its release. The cover of the album was also considered controversial, and it had to be altered in several countries. While "Don't Bother" was warmly received by music critics as the lead single from the album, it failed to peak within the top 40 in the United States. " Hips Don't Lie ", the second single released from the album, became Shakira's first (and, to date, only) number one single on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ''UK Singles Chart''. On March 28 2006 , the album was re-released and featured "Hips Don't Lie". Shakira received the most number nominations for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards with "Hips Don't Lie", but she won only the award for Best Choreography. In June of 2006, Shakira started her biggest world tour to date, the Oral Fixation Tour , which lasted through July of 2007. The Oral Fixation tour had 111 dates and visited many European, American, African and Asian countries. Shakira also released " Illegal ", which features Carlos Santana as a single. "Illegal" was released to pop radio in the United States, but it was not picked for regular rotation outside the Rhythmic / Dance format stations. "Illegal" has become another major hit for the singer on both the Hot Dance Music/Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts. The song became a top ten hit in much of Europe, and Shakira added the song to the tracklist of her tour. According to the biography in the official web of Shakira {Link without Title} , ''Oral Fixation Vol. 2'' has sold over 8 million albums to date. Collaborations In late 2006, Shakira and Alejandro Sanz worked together again in the duet " Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No ", which is featured on Sanz' album '' El Tren De Los Momentos ''. The song was a top ten hit in Latin America, and topped ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart. Shakira worked with Miguel Bosé in the duet " Si Tu No Vuelves ", which was released in Bosé's album Papito , which celebrates his 30-year career. In early 2007, Shakira worked with American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles in the track " Beautiful Liar ", which was released as the second single from the Deluxe Edition of Beyoncé's '' B'Day ''. In the week of April 7 2007 , the song jumped 91 positions, from 94 to 3, on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, setting the record for the largest upward movement in the history of the chart. It was also No. 1 on the official UK Singles Chart . According to ''Billboard'', Shakira, along with Lil Wayne will collaborate on a new (yet to be titled) track for Carlos Santana 's greatest hits CD titled '' Ultimate Santana ''.5 Shakira will feature on Annie Lennox 's new song called "Sing", from the album '' Songs Of Mass Destruction '', which also features other twenty-three female singers such as Madonna , KT Tunstall , Faith Hill , Dido , Celine Dion , Melissa Etheridge , Joss Stone , Fergie , Anastacia and Pink . http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/fascinating%20fact%203595_1037950 ''Contactmusic.com'' FUTURE PROJECTS According to an article published on ''. 10 December, 2006. Retrieved 19 April, 2007. On November 12, the DVD from the Oral Fixation Tour will be released with the title Live In Miami. It will be available in Blu Ray . {Link without Title} ACTING Shakira appeared in the Colombian '' Since then, the singer has shown no desire to ever act again. PERSONAL LIFE In 2000, Shakira started dating 2006 ] She currently lives in The Bahamas . According to Shakira's future mother-in-law Inés Pertiné, the wedding will be taking place in September 2007 in the mansion which Shakira owns in the Dominican Republic . She also said that Shakira has already ordered Argentinian designer María Pryor to design her wedding dress.''Terra Actualidad'', "Shakira se casa en septiembre en su residencia de República Dominicana" (Retrieved on May 21 2007 ) However, these rumors have been denied by Antonio's father, Fernando De La Rúa , and by Shakira herself in Mexico. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/428276.html ''Eluniversal.com'' In June 2007, Latin American Media speculated that the couple had finally split up and that Shakira was involved romantically with Irish actor Colin Farrell since both were seen in a Los Angeles disco. This rumor was immediately denied by Shakira's assistants, stating that she was invited by Penélope Cruz , who later introduced Colin Farrell to Shakira. On the previous days, Shakira and Antonio were seen in a restaurant in New York City , facing and denied the rumors one more time. {Link without Title} ''ADNMundo.com'' DANCING |
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