Shakira

Biography

Shakira wrote poetry and songs as a child in Barranquilla and was a star across Latin America before her English-language crossover, Laundry Service (2001), made her global. Her 2010 World Cup song Waka Waka became one of the best-selling singles ever, and her catalogue continues to set streaming records decades in.

Colombian singer whose fusion of Latin, rock and Middle Eastern influences made her the best-selling female Latin artist of all time.

Known for

Hips Don't Lie, Whenever Wherever and the World Cup anthem Waka Waka.

Notable works & defining projects

• Laundry Service
• Hips Don't Lie
• Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

Notable achievements

• Best-selling female Latin recording artist of all time
• Her 2010 World Cup anthem 'Waka Waka' is among the best-selling singles worldwide
• Won multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, including for her 2023 Bizarrap collaboration

Timeline

1. 2001English-language crossover album Laundry Service broke her worldwide
2. 2010Performed Waka Waka at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa
3. 2020Co-headlined the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Jennifer Lopez

Did you know?

• Founded the Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet) Foundation in 1997 to support education for vulnerable children in Colombia
• Of Lebanese descent through her father, reflected in her belly-dance-influenced performance style