Shakira Biography Quotes 18 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, to William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll. Her father, of Lebanese heritage, and her mother, of Colombian and Catalan ancestry, fostered a home where literature, music, and storytelling were prized. Watching her father write inspired her to keep notebooks of poems and melodies; family gatherings often mixed Arabic rhythms with Colombian folk, shaping an ear attuned to cross-cultural sounds. Those early experiences, paired with her fascination for belly dance learned from her father's background, became signatures of her performance style. Her parents played a central role in guiding her early ambition, encouraging discipline and education while supporting the long hours she invested in songwriting and rehearsal.

First Steps in Music
As a child and teenager, Shakira performed at local events and on Colombian television, where her powerful voice and stage presence drew attention. Industry insiders in Colombia, including talent scout Monica Ariza, helped bring her to the attention of Sony Music executives. She signed with Sony Colombia and recorded her first albums as a teenager. While these initial releases built experience more than commercial momentum, they introduced her to producers and collaborators she would rely on for years, especially guitarist-producer Luis Fernando Ochoa. Together they honed a hybrid sound grounded in rock en espanol, Latin pop, and Middle Eastern textures.

Breakthrough in Latin America
Shakira's first major breakthrough came with Pies Descalzos (1995). The album's crisp songwriting and rock-pop arrangements, co-crafted with Luis Fernando Ochoa and supported by a dedicated Sony team, yielded hits such as Estoy Aqui and Pies Descalzos, Suenos Blancos. The follow-up, Donde Estan los Ladrones? (1998), produced with Ochoa and guided by mentors including Emilio Estefan, elevated her into a regional phenomenon. Songs like Ciega, Sordomuda, Inevitable, and Ojos Asi displayed a charismatic voice capable of buoyant pop hooks and emotive rock balladry. Her MTV Unplugged (2000) recording earned wide acclaim and later a Grammy Award, validating her as a writer and live performer in an era when Latin pop was gaining global attention.

Global Crossover and Pop Dominance
Determined to reach English-language audiences without sacrificing identity, Shakira wrote and released Laundry Service (2001). With singles such as Whenever, Wherever and Underneath Your Clothes, supported by a worldwide marketing push from Sony and a growing team of international publicists and tour organizers, she exploded onto mainstream charts. The album's success led to big-ticket tours and media appearances, including the ambitious Tour of the Mongoose. Under the guidance of seasoned managers and with creative input from producers and composers in both Miami and Los Angeles, she mastered the balance of Spanish and English repertoires that would mark the next phases of her career.

Artistic Evolution and Major Collaborations
Shakira expanded her range with the twin projects Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 (2005) and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005). The singles La Tortura with Alejandro Sanz and Hips Do not Lie with Wyclef Jean were cultural events, strengthening her position as a global pop innovator who moved comfortably between languages and genres. Subsequent releases, including She Wolf (2009) and Sale el Sol (2010), added electro-pop and dance textures, leading to collaborations with artists like Beyonce on Beautiful Liar and later Carlos Vives on La Bicicleta, Maluma on Chantaje, and Rihanna on Cant Remember to Forget You. In 2010 she recorded Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) for the FIFA World Cup, a worldwide hit tied to a global celebration and the tournament hosted in South Africa. The album El Dorado (2017) consolidated hits from her Latin collaborations into a cohesive statement, supported by the El Dorado World Tour and a production team that sustained her exacting standards despite demanding schedules.

Philanthropy and Advocacy
Alongside commercial success, Shakira prioritized education and childhood development. She founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation in Colombia in the late 1990s to build and support schools in vulnerable communities. Working with local educators, public officials, and international partners, the foundation has emphasized early childhood education, nutrition, and community engagement. Named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2003, she visited projects, spoke at global forums, and pushed for investment in early childhood development across Latin America and beyond. She also supported regional initiatives through coalitions of artists and business leaders, extending her influence beyond music into policy advocacy and philanthropy.

Television, Honors, and Cultural Impact
Shakira's mainstream visibility grew further when she joined The Voice in the United States as a coach in 2013 and again in 2014, working alongside Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Usher. The platform introduced her mentoring style to a new audience and demonstrated her ear for vocal performance and arrangement. She has received numerous honors, including Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and recognition from cultural and academic institutions for her humanitarian work. Her joint Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show with Jennifer Lopez in 2020, featuring cameos by artists including Bad Bunny and J Balvin, was a high-energy statement of Latin pop's central place in American popular culture, watched by millions and praised for precision, showmanship, and cross-generational appeal.

Personal Life
Shakira's personal relationships have intersected with her creative path. Her long partnership with Argentine lawyer Antonio de la Rua included years of managerial and strategic counsel during her global crossover; after they parted, her professional structure evolved with new management and touring partners. She later formed a high-profile relationship with Spanish footballer Gerard Pique, whom she met around the 2010 World Cup when filming the Waka Waka video. The couple had two children, Milan and Sasha, and lived in Barcelona for several years while balancing careers in music and sport. In 2022 they announced their separation, focusing public statements on their children's well-being.

Recent Years
In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Shakira maintained chart presence across markets, pairing established producers with rising Latin talent. She recorded successful collaborations with Bizarrap (BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53) and Karol G (TQG), channeling personal upheaval into cathartic pop narratives that resonated widely. She continued to collect accolades, perform on global stages, and release new material, culminating in the album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran in 2024. During this period she also navigated legal disputes related to taxes in Spain; she reached a settlement in 2023, an outcome she framed as a practical decision to prioritize family and career. Relocating to the United States opened new creative opportunities, expanding her studio network and bringing her closer to collaborators in Miami and Los Angeles.

Legacy
Shakira's legacy rests on the synthesis of cultural influences and a career-long insistence on authorship. From the rock-inflected confessionals of Donde Estan los Ladrones? to the global bilingual pop of Laundry Service and the collaborative Latin renaissance of El Dorado and later releases, she has written or co-written the songs that define her brand. Key collaborators such as Luis Fernando Ochoa, Alejandro Sanz, Wyclef Jean, Beyonce, Carlos Vives, Maluma, Rihanna, Bizarrap, and Karol G have helped shape different chapters, but the throughline is her distinctive contralto, percussive dance language, and songwriter's discipline. Supported in early years by mentors including Emilio Estefan and by her parents William and Nidia, she built a philanthropic platform that outlived trends and a catalog that continues to travel across borders. As a Colombian artist of Lebanese descent who became a standard-bearer for Latin pop worldwide, she has influenced a generation of performers who view multilingual music not as a crossover experiment but as a norm.

Our collection contains 18 quotes who is written by Shakira, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Art - Music - Love - Parenting.

Other people realated to Shakira: Jennifer Lopez (Musician)