Shakira!
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Shakira Biography
Childhood and beginning
Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia to a Colombian mother Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado of Catalan descent and an American-born father William Mebarak Chadid of Lebanese-Macedonian descent. Shakira was one of seven siblings, one of which is her road manager. Shakira began writing and composing music at the age of eight. One of her first songs was called "Tus Gafas Oscuras" (Your Dark Glasses), which was about her father's grief over his son who had died in a car accident. At the age of ten, Shakira tried out for her school choir, but Shakira was not taken because her voice was "too strong." Shakira was teased by her friends for sounding similar to a goat. As a result, Shakira started looking for other singing opportunities, and competed in a weekly television singing competition for children, Vivan Los Ni'os (Long Live The Kids).Between the ages of ten to thirteen, Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla, and gained some recognition in the area. It was around this time that Shakira met local theater producer Monica Ariza, who was impressed with Shakira and as a result attempted to help her career. During a flight from Barranquilla to Bogot', Ariza convinced Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas to hold an audition for Shakira in a hotel lobby. Vargas held Shakira in good regards and returned to the Sony office and gave the cassette to a song and artist director. However, the director was not overly excitied and thought Shakira was somewhat of "a lost cause." Vargas, not daunted, was still convinced that Shakira had talent, and set up a audition in Bogot'. He arranged for Sony Colombia executives to arrive at the audition, with the idea of surprising them with her performance. Shakira performed three songs for the executives and impressed them enough for her to be subsequently signed to record three albums.
Magia (Magic) was her debut album, recorded with Sony Colombia in 1991, when Shakira was 15. The album did not fare well commercially as less than one thousand copies were sold. After Magia, Shakira released Peligro (Danger) in 1993. The album was better received than Magia, but Shakira decided to take a hiatus from recording so that Shakira could graduate from high school.
Shakira Estoy aqui
In 1996 Sakira begins faces international sucess: the hit Estoy Aqu' was success in Brazil pushing descalzos to sold more than 40 million units in 1997 in that country. This music was heavily remixed in dance music turning Shakira very known in Latin America. A special CD with Estoy aqui singed in portuguese was later released. Shakira it's in the small group of foreigners to sold 30+ million in Brazilian market.Shakira English market crossover
Laundry Service, her first English album (2001).In 2001, upon the success of 'D'nde Est'n Los Ladrones?, Shakira began working on a crossover album to the English language. Collaborating with Gloria Estefan, Shakira wrote and recorded English versions of the tracks from 'D'nde Est'n Los Ladrones?, and new songs were composed to create the album Laundry Service. Although it was created for 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 T'" (That You Love Me). Some critics claimed that her English skills were too weak for her to write in it, but Laundry Service was a success, with more than 13 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 her musical presence in the mainstream North American market.In 2002, Shakira also released her Spanish greatest hits volume Grandes 'xitos. A DVD and ten-track compilation album called Live & Off the Record, was also released in 2004 reaching sales of 3 million CDs worldwide, commemorating her 2002-2003 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, Shakira 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.
Shakira English Fijaci'n Oral and Oral Fixation
Fijaci'n Oral Vol. 1 was released on June 6, 2005 in Europe and on June 7, 2005 in North America and Australia. The lead single "La Tortura" (English: The Torture, featuring Alejandro Sanz) eventually reached number one in Spain and number twenty-three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, "La Tortura" also became the highest-charting Spanish song when it debuted and peaked at number twenty-one. Its success across the rest of the world was widespread and it managed to peak within the top ten of the majority of the charts it entered. In the U.S., "La Tortura" spent a record twenty-five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.Fijaci'n Oral Vol. 1 was simultaneously released in Latin America. It debuted at number one in Spain and at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. It was also well-received in non-Spanish speaking countries such as Italy and Germany, where it reached number one, Austria, where it reached number three, and Canada and Hungary, where it reached number seven. The second single from Fijaci'n Oral Vol. 1, "No" (English: No), was released in September 2005, and peaked at number one in Spain and Colombia, for fourteen non-consecutive weeks. So far, Fijaci'n Oral Vol. 1 has sold four million copies worldwide.
Before the release of her second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2, Shakira appeared at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony and Shakira was nominated in the category of "Best Female", which Shakira won to great shock since Shakira had outmatched the international popularity of other artists such as Gwen Stefani. Shakira performed Oral Fixation Vol. 2's lead single "Don't Bother" amid dancers and a large car resting on the stage following her win.
Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2 was released on November 29, 2005 in North America and Australia, and also at this time in Continental Europe. While "Don't Bother" was warmly received by music critics as the album's lead single, it failed to peak within the U.S. top forty. The second single "Hips Don't Lie" (featuring Wyclef Jean) became her first single to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. On March 28, 2006, Shakira re-released Oral Fixation Vol. 2 in the US and released it June 19, 2006 in the UK as the original Oral Fixation Vol. 2 since it had not been released there yet.
On April 3, 2006, Shakira was honored at an United Nations ceremony because Shakira created the Descalzos Foundation, a charity that helps to protect children from violence in Colombia. At the event Shakira said: "Let's not forget that at the end of this day when we all go home, 960 children will have died in Latin America."
On April 27, 2006 Shakira received 6 Latin Billboard Awards. The awards included Female Latin Pop Album of the Year for Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 and Hot Latin Song of the Year for La Tortura. Shakira was also honored with the Spirit of Hope Award for her foundation Descalzos.
On July 9, 2006, Shakira performed a remix of her hit "Hips Don't Lie", from her Oral Fixation vol. 2 album called "Bamboo Hips Don't Lie Remix" alongside Haitian hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean live at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final of soccer at the Olympic stadium in Berlin. The performance, before 69,000 fans, was lasted 10 minutes before kick-off time of the Final.
Shakira English Personal life
In 2000, Shakira started dating Antonio de la R'a, the son of the then president of Argentina Fernando de la R'a, a romance that made headline news throughout Latin America. In March of 2001, he proposed to her. During Fernando De la R'a's presidency, the economy of Argentina collapsed, leading to the subsequent December 2001 riots; in response to the turmoil, Tower Records decided to no longer sell her albums in Argentina as Antonio was directly involved in the management of his father's administration. De la R'a and Shakira remain engaged, with no announced marriage plans.Shakira English Dancing
Shakira is well-known for her dancing in various music videos. The moves are based on the art of belly dancing, a part of her Lebanese heritage, which Shakira says Shakira learned as a young teen to overcome her shyness. The intense training has afforded her a fluidity in her body movement most seen in the video to her hit "La Tortura". In an MTV interview, Shakira said people told her Shakira never moved her chest when dancing, so Shakira danced with her chest (as well as her usual belly dancing moves) in the videos for "La Tortura" and "Hips Don't Lie".Shakira English Controversies
In 2002, e-mails were circulated that made allegations about anti-Semitic comments Shakira is said to have made during an appearance on MTV Europe while promoting her latest album, Laundry Service. However, there has never been any evidence or video footage to substantiate these and MTV have confirmed no such comments were made.In 2006, 2 well known artists in Latin America claimed that Shakira had breached their works, but both claims were proven wrong and resolved in her favor. The best known was Puerto Rican Salsa Singer Jerry Rivera. Shakira's song used portions of the melody from the song Amores Como El Nuestro, a top Salsa hit in the early 90's. But apparently Jerry Rivera, failed to realize that Sony Discos had already given permission and in fact the credits of the published track read "Contains Excerpts from the composition 'Amores Como El Nuestro' performed by Jerry Rivera, courtesy of Sony Discos'.
Shakira English Trivia
Shakira was the "mystery singer" on "Al Comp's de un Sentimiento", a television special produced by the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico in 1996 which featured the music of Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores. Since the special was dated in the late 1940s, Shakira dresses the part. Shakira's rendition of the Flores song "Amor" has become a collectors' item because of its rarity.Shakira English Discography
Albums
1991: Magia1993: Peligro
1996: Descalzos
1997: The Remixes
1998: 'D'nde Est'n Los Ladrones?
2000: MTV Unplugged
2001: Laundry Service
2001: Servicio de Lavanderia
2002: Laundry Service: Washed & Dried
2002: Grandes 'xitos
2004: Live & Off the Record
2005: Fijaci'n Oral Vol. 1
2005: Oral Fixation Vol. 2
