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Biography
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After achieving superstardom
throughout Latin America,
Colombian-born Shakira
became Latin pop's biggest
female crossover artist
since Jennifer Lopez broke
down the doors to
English-language success.
Noted for her aggressive,
rock-influenced approach,
Shakira maintained an
extraordinary degree of
creative control over her
music, especially for a
female artist; she wrote or
co-wrote nearly all of her
own material, and in the
process gained a reputation
as one of Latin music's most
ambitiously poetic
lyricists. When she released
her first English material
in late 2001, she became an
instant pop sensation,
thanks to her quirky poetic
sense and a sexy video image
built on her hip-shaking
belly-dance moves.
Shakira Mebarak (full name:
Shakira Isabel Mebarak
Ripoll) was born February 2,
1977, in Barranquilla,
Colombia, into a poor
family. Her mother was a
native Colombian and her
father was of Lebanese
descent, and so as a child
Shakira soaked up music from
both cultures; she also
listened heavily to
English-language rock &
roll, listing her favorite
bands in later interviews as
Led Zeppelin, the Beatles,
the Police, the Cure, and
Nirvana. Shakira wrote her
first song at age eight,
began entering (and winning)
talent competitions at age
ten, and started learning
the guitar at age 11; one
story runs that around this
age, she was kicked out of
her school choir for singing
too forcefully. In 1990, at
age 13, Shakira moved to
Bogot? in hopes of pursuing
a modeling career, but wound
up signing a record deal
with Sony's Colombian
division instead. Her 1991
debut album, Magia (Magic),
was comprised of songs she'd
written over the past five
or six years, including some
of her earliest efforts.
Although it didn't break
internationally, the record
started to make a name for
her in her home country.
Dissatisfied with the pop
inclinations of the
follow-up, 1993's Peligro
(Danger), Shakira changed
direction for a time,
joining the cast of the
Colombian soap opera El
Oasis in 1994.
When Shakira returned to
recording in 1995, she
asserted more control over
the direction of her music,
and worked more rock & roll
rhythms -- as well as
occasional Arabic tinges --
into her Latin pop material.
The first results were Pies
Descalzos (Bare Feet), which
was initially released in
1995; a slow seller at
first, the album gradually
caught on thanks to the
rock-tinged single "Estoy
Aqui," which became a hit
all over Latin America, as
well as Spain. After that
breakthrough, Pies Descalzos
just kept spinning off
singles: "D?nde Est?s
Coraz?n?," "Antolog?a," "Pienso
en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor,"
"Se Quiere, Se Mata." The
album hit number one in
eight different countries
and eventually went platinum
in the U.S. as well; Shakira
toured for nearly two years
promoting it (she finally
left El Oasis in 1997).
Seeking to build on her
success, Shakira signed
Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's
husband and a highly
successful music-biz insider
-- as her manager and
producer. The move paid off
when her follow-up album,
1998's D?nde Est?n los
Ladrones? (Where Are the
Thieves?), became an even
bigger worldwide hit than
its predecessor. What was
more, it cracked the
lucrative U.S. market wide
open, spending 11 weeks at
number one on Billboard's
Latin album chart and
producing two U.S. number
ones (on the Latin chart)
with "Ciega, Sordomuda" and
"Tu." The album's signature
track, however, was the
worldwide hit "Ojos As?,"
her most explicit nod yet to
the Arabic music she'd
picked up from her father
(not to mention its latent
belly-dancing connotations).
D?nde Est?n los Ladrones?
was also the most effective
presentation yet of
Shakira's strong-willed
persona; her self-analysis
made her even more popular
among female fans, while her
anger over love gone wrong
drew comparisons to Alanis
Morissette.
When Gloria Estefan offered
to translate "Ojos Asi" into
English, the prospect of a
crossover suddenly seemed
tangible, and Shakira
decided that the most
effective way to maintain
control over her material
was to learn English well
enough to write in it
herself. In the meantime,
she set the stage for her
crossover bid with a
performance on MTV
Unplugged; the channel's
first Spanish-language
broadcast. MTV Unplugged was
released as an album in
early 2000, and topped the
Latin charts for two weeks
on its way to becoming her
third straight platinum
album; it also won a Grammy
for Best Latin Pop Album. At
the inaugural Latin Grammy
Awards ceremony in 2000,
Shakira delivered a
much-discussed,
show-stopping performance of
"Ojos As?," and took home
Unplugged-related trophies
for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos
As?") and Best Female Rock
Vocal ("Octavo Dia").
Mainstream pop stardom
beckoned. Shakira dyed her
long brown hair blonde,
romanced Antonio de la Rua
(son of the former president
of Argentina), and went to
work on her first (mostly)
English-language album,
Laundry Service. The
single/video "Whenever,
Wherever" was released in
advance of the album in late
2001, and made her a star in
the English-speaking world
almost overnight. Laundry
Service entered the American
pop charts at number three,
and "Whenever, Wherever"
climbed into the Top Ten of
the singles chart, peaking
at number six. The follow-up
"Underneath Your Clothes"
also hit the Top Ten,
halting at number nine; less
than a year after its
release, Laundry Service had
gone triple platinum.
Reviews of Laundry Service
were divided as to the
effectiveness of Shakira's
English lyrics, but nearly
all agreed on her unique
poetic imagery.
Steve Huey, All Music Guide |
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