Shakira is a female celebrity we all know and many of us love.
Not necessarily as well know in the states, she's an
international celeb known for her music, great singing ability,
and exceptional beauty. Interested in learning more? Then read
on.
Born in Barranquilla, Columbia on 2nd February,
1977, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is one of the
world's most prolific singer and songwriter.
Shakira means "thankful" in Arabic.
FAMILY Her father was an
American of Lebanese Italian descent and her mother
was Colombian of Spanish-Italian descent. She was
multilingual. In other words, she spoke Spanish,
English, Portuguese, Italian and Arabic with
relative ease.
Ojos
Asi
THE START OF HER CAREER
At a tender age of four years, she wrote her first poem and
since then never looked back. 'Tus gafas oscuras' (Your dark
glasses) was the first song written by her in memory of her
brother who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. The
song title was inspired from her father who used to hide his
grief over his son's death by wearing dark glasses. At that
time she was 8 years old. Also, during that time she started to
learn belly dancing.
When Shakira turned 14 years, she made her first studio album.
One thousand copies were sold off the album and she went back
to the studio for a second attempt. Even though the second
album got better reviews, it didn't do much to her career.
After graduating from high school, Shakira made her third
studio album, Pies Descalzos. This album gave her overwhelming
recognition and fame in Latin America. Over 5 million copies
were sold off this album. After releasing two more albums, she
became a global star.
SHAKIRA GAINS MOMENTUM Shakira teamed up
with Wyclef Jean for her song 'Hips Don't Lie'. Needless to
say, this song was a tremendous hit in the year 2006. Her
fourth cross-over English album, Laundry Service sold over 13
million copies all over the world in the year 2001. Since then,
Shakira has become an international icon.
In the year 2005, the Oral Fixation was announced releasing
Volumes 1 and 2. These albums were a big hit. Shakira has won 2
Grammy Awards, 8 Latin Grammy Awards, 15 Billboard Music
Awards, 3 MTV Music Awards, People's Choice Award and has also
received a Golden Globe nomination.
According to http://www.wallstreetfighter.com, Shakira is one
of the top 10 highest earning "hotties". Shakira, 31, certainly
surprised me with the amount of money she earned last year. But
when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. She's
dominating the Spanish-speaking world with endorsements, and
tours all over South America. And now she's a household name in
the United States. Plus she's super short and wears skimpy
clothing. Therefore, she probably saves a lot of money on
wardrobe.
OTHER SHAKIRA DETAILS TO KNOW Shakira was
named #20 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" in the
year 2006.She started dating Argentinean President's son,
Antonio De La Rua in the year 2000. In the year 2001, they got
engaged and have made plans to marry in future.
Shakira has done a lot of charity work. Based on reports,
Shakira has contributed about $55,000 annually to charity.
Also, Shakira is voted #38 in the AskMen. com's Top 99 Women
2008 Edition. Based on BMI reports, Shakira is the highest
selling Columbian artist of all times having sold a whopping 50
million albums globally.
Shakira will be awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame. She will be the first Columbian to receive such an
honor.
So as you can see, she's a celebrity worthy of the title
"celebrity". She's a born singer and performer, and has made
great strides gaining international recognition. If you don't
know who Shakira was before you read this, you definitely know
who she is now.
About the Author: Juliet Monkish is a celeb fan
who loves getting all the dirt on female
celebrities. For more information on the
Shakira biography
(http://www.chickipedia.com/shakira/) and other
Celebrity females, visit http://www.chickipedia.com/
.