BIOGRAPHY

Singer, songwriter. Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia. With a Lebanese father and Colombian mother, Shakira honors her Latino and Arabic heritage in her music. She wrote her first song at the age of 8 and signed her first record deal at 13.

After her first two albums flopped, Shakira took the reins of her third album, becoming involved in every aspect of its production. Released in 1996, Pies Descalzos, meaning "bare feet," sold more than three million copies. The album featured her trademark sound, a blending of Latin, rock, and Arabic musical styles. It sold more than three million copies and the follow-up record, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998), which translates as "Where are the thieves?," reached the top of Billboard's Latin charts. Based on the success of her albums, Shakira became a music superstar in the Spanish-language markets, known for her strong vocals and incredible hip-shaking belly dance moves.

While hugely popular in much of the rest of the world, Shakira had not yet achieved a major record on the U.S. pop charts. She moved to Miami with her family to further her goal and taught herself to write songs in English. She enlisted Emilio Estefan, of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame, to act as her manager and producer. Her first English-language album, Laundry Service (2001), provided Shakira with the success in the United States that she longed for the album was number three on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week. The songs "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes" were both big hits.

Shakira returned to the top 10 of the albums chart in 2005 twice. She first released the Spanish-language Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 in June, which was followed in November by English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. She received the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, her second time winning such an honor. Previously, she had won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for 2000's Shakira: MTV Unplugged.

Touring extensively, Shakira released two concert albums: 2007's Live and 2008's Oral Fixation Tour. She has also found time to record. In July 2009, Shakira released the new single, "She Wolf," from her upcoming new studio album. Besides her busy career, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children in her native Colombia in 1997.

On July 2, 2008, Shakira signed a 10-year deal with Live Nation, the international touring giant that has begun signing up marquee names for lucrative all-purpose contracts. The record label will encompass tours, recordings, sponsorship and merchandise throughout the world, she announced. "Shakira is one of the few truly global artists," said Jason Garner, global music chief of Live Nation. "She can sell music and tickets in nearly every corner of the globe." Neither Shakira's representatives nor Live Nation would confirm the value of the deal, but people close to the negotiations said that depending on Shakira's performance over the 10 years, it is likely to be worth between $70 million and $100 million. Shakira's contract with Epic Records calls for three more albums - one in English, one in Spanish, and a compilation, but the touring and other rights of the Live Nation deal would begin immediately. In early 2008, Forbes has named Shakira the fourth top-earning female artist in music industry, Shakira's official website announced that "The full album is She Wolf due out in October 2009 from Epic" and it "features a predominantly English track list". The site also announced that a Spanish album will be released in 2010. The first single from the English album is titled "She Wolf". Shakira wrote and produced the track with John Hill, and Sam Endicott (Lead Singer and Songwriter of The Bravery). In June 2009, several music journalists and reviewers got an advance listen of the track. The reviews were extremely positive. The Spanish version titled, "Loba", premiered on June 29, 2009. Shakira premiered "She Wolf" on Z100 and KIIS-FM on July 13, 2009. On July 14, 2009 "She Wolf" and "Loba" became available to download from iTunes. The video for "She Wolf" Premiered on MTV, July 30 at 8pm.
Shakira confirmed that she will embark on a tour in 2010.