Shakira is the sexy Colombian pop singer who took the world by storm with her iconic belly dancing and her smash hits, 2001’s ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and 2005’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, Shakira is the highest – selling Colombian artists of all time with more than 70 million albums sold. The one-of-a-kind singer shows no signs of slowing down once she has been consistently in the public eye, particularly through touring, concerts and appearing as a judge on The Voice Season 4.
Who is Shakira, her age and where is she from?
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia, the only child of William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado. The name Shakira means “grateful” in Arabic. Her grandparents were immigrants who came to the United States from Lebanon. However, her father later emigrated to Colombia when he was only five years old. Shakira was raised Catholic and as such enrolled in Catholic schools. She also has eight older half-siblings from her father’s previous marriage before her own mother. She spent most of her teenage days in Barranquilla on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast. Growing up, she remembered her father’s stories, which he personally typed on typewriters.
Later her poems would grow into songs and her first song was inspired by her father’s dark glasses (which he used to hide his grief). She called it “Tus gafas oscuras / Your dark glasses”. She began belly dancing after her father took her to an Arabic restaurant where she first heard Arabic music as well as the traditional drums used to create native sound. At school, she showed off her new skills to her friends and teachers (including nuns). She tried to join a choral group at school but was turned down on the grounds that she had quite high vibrato which made her sound like a goat.
career and discography
When Shakira was between the ages of 10 and 13, she began receiving invitations to perform at various venues around Barranquilla. During this time she was noticed by Monica Ariza (a local theater producer) who decided to help her launch a proper music career. Monica came up with the idea of signing Shakira to Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas. However, Sony’s song and artist director wasn’t too excited about them after listening to their demos.
Still, Vargas is convinced of her talent, set up a surprise audition for other Sony executives to watch perform. After she performed three of her songs, executives were convinced and signed to produce three albums. So far Shakira has 11 albums to her name including; Magia in 1991, Peligro 1993 Pies Descalzos published in 1995, Dónde Están los Ladrones? released in 1998.
Her 2001 album entitled, Laundry Service, is her first English album, intended to break into the mainstream of the US music scene. By 2002, the album was the best-selling album of the year, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and making her the most successful Latin crossover artist in the world. Other albums that followed include; Fijacion Oral. 1 in 2005, oral fixation. 2 in 2005, She-wolf in 2009, Sale el Sol in 2010, Shakira released in 2014 and most recently El Dorado (2017).Personal Life Husband, Gerard Piqué and Children,
Shakira hasn’t gone through muchrelationships After becoming a big star, in 2000 she began dating Antonio de la Rúa, an Argentine lawyer. After dating for more than three years, she was asked in an interview if there were any plans for a wedding, but she responded by saying that her relationship with Antonio worked well, so she didn’t need a document confirming her union saw. Unfortunately, the couple split in August 2010 after spending 11 years together.
Her next relationship started in 2011 and this timeIt was with Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, who plays “central defender” for the “Spanish national team” and FC Barcelona. The two first met in the spring of 2010 when Piqué appeared in the music video for her official World Cup song, “Waka Waka.” Interestingly, Shakira is 10 years older than him and they both share the same birthday. Pique was born on February 2, 1987. The couple have two beautiful children together. Their first son, Milan Piqué Mebarak, was born on January 22, 2013, while their second son, Sasha Piqué Mebarak, was welcomed on January 29, 2015.
Height
Blessed with looks to die for as well as a very pretty look, Shakira has managed to captivate fans who absolutely love her. However, if you’ve been a Shakira fan for a number of years, you’ve probably already assumed that the singer is of average height. She thus stands at an unenviable height of 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m). In her case, the adage “nobody has everything” applies in a way.
