Shakira Biography

Shakira is a highly successful Columbian pop artist, best known for her scintillating belly dance moves in the video of the song ‘Hips Don’t Lie.’ She has sold over 70 million albums worldwide. Having a keen interest in music from childhood, Shakira wrote her first poem when she was just four. At a young age, she would also dance impromptu at restaurants playing groovy music. She often used to sing and dance for her classmates and teachers at school, and earned the nickname ‘the belly dancer girl.’ As a teen, she began performing around her town and caught the attention of the local theater producer Monica Ariza who introduced her to ‘Sony Colombia’ executive Ciro Vargas. She released her first album ‘Magia’ when she was just 14. Though the album did not do well commercially, it gave her the much-needed exposure. Her big breakthrough came in the form of her third album ‘Pies Descalzos’ which peaked at number one in eight different countries. She also earned several awards and nominations for the album, and became popular overnight. Her success in Latin music encouraged her to try her hand at English language albums. Her first attempt at English language album ‘Laundry Service’ went multi-platinum, and is considered the most successful album of her career.