Shakira - Biography

It doesn't bother me to talk about my private life; it doesn't bother me to talk about anything. My life is like a glass of water, transparent. - Shakira.

Shakira was born on 2nd February 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Her father William Mebarak is jeweler and also clock salesman. Her mother is Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado. She has three sisters are Lucy, Patricia and Robin and four brothers are Edward, Alberto, Tonino and Moises. Among eight children she is youngest.

Shakira soaked up music from two cultures Colombian and Lebanese because her mother from Colombian and father from Lebanese. Always she liked to listen English rock and roll. At the age of 10 she won local and nation singing competition. And thus her love to music was appearing. You know at the age of 8 she wrote her first song. At the age of 11 she began to learn guitar. She moved to Bogota to become a model in 1990. But instead she signed recording contract with Sony.

Writing in English was a major challenge. I didn't want other songwriters to write for me. I wanted to preserve the spirit of my songs in Spanish. I am the same Shakira in English as I am in Spanish. - Shakira

Her debut album is "Magia" which was released when she was 14 and also she has been written song for that album. But this album didn't do well. Her second album was "Peligro". It was also didn't do very well. From this failure she decided to move to acting. In 1994 she appeared in Colombian soap opera El Oasis.

In 1995 she got commercial success for "Pies Descalzos". After 'Estoy Aquí' she became famous in world. More than 4 million copies of "The Remixes" are sold worldwide. The album was at number one position in eight different countries even in US also. In 1997 she left the El Oasis.

In 1998 her album "Donde Están los Ladrones?" was worldwide hit. Even than her predecessor "The Remixes". "Donde Están los Ladrones?" this album is considered as her best album. "Inevitable" and "Ojos Así" is the most notable singles of Shakira from this album. "Shakira MTV Unplugged" is produced by Shakira.

Shakira's album "Grandes éxitos" released in 2002 and "The Tour of the Mongoose" released in 2004. And "Fijación Oral 1" followed by "Oral Fixation 2" released in 2005.