Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll aka biography

Real biography: Contents1 Shakira Biography Introduction2 Her Life Story3 Career Success4 Shakira Biography - Personal Life5 The Triple Threat6 More than Just a Pop Star7 The Songs that Made Her Famous8 Her Life Today if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } Shakira Biography Introduction

If you don't want your hips to lie, then you better ask Shakira for some advice. Her single "Hips Don't Lie" quickly became a staple song of 2006. Voted #38 in the AskMen.com's Top 99 Women 2008 Edition.

Her Life Story

Shakira was born in Colombia to her parents, a Colombian mother of Spanish-Italian descent and an American father of Lebanese Italian-descent. The name Shakira means grateful or thankful in Arabic. She wrote her first poem at age four and went on to write poetry constantly as a young child. When she was 8, she was inspired to write her first song after her older brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. She was also beginning to learn belly dancing at this time.

Shakira was signed by Sony Colombia and made her first studio album at age 14. The album only sold 1,000 copies, so they went back to the studio to try again. The second album was better received but still a flop.

Career Success

After graduating high school, she made her third studio album, Pies Descalzos, bringing herself and the album great fame in Latin America. The album sold over 5 million copies. She released 2 more albums, including an MTV Unplugged album, and began to be recognized globally in non-Spanish-speaking countries. She also won an MTV Video Music Award. In 2001, she began recording her fourth album, Laundry Service, a cross-over album in English.

Shakira has been a sensation ever since. The Oral Fixation project was announced in 2005, releasing Volumes 1 and 2. These albums were also huge successes. She has won two Grammy awards and seven Latin Grammy Awards. She has collaborated with artists such as Beyonce and Wyclef Jean. In 2006, she was named #20 in FHM's “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006”.

Shakira Biography - Personal Life

In 2000, She started dating the son of the president of Argentina. Shakira and Antonio de la Rua were in engaged in 2001 and remain that way to this day, with plans of marriage.

According to WallStreetFighter, Shakira is one of the 12 Highest Earning Hotties.

The Triple Threat

Shakira isn’t just a hot chick that can sing, she can write and sing in both Spanish and English, making her a worldwide pop star. When you add in her talent for belly dancing (aka shaking that booty), then she becomes a triple threat. She’s managed to take over the charts in Latin America and Spain, and finally conquered the U.S. and the rest of the world with her first English language album, Laundry Service.

More than Just a Pop Star

While it’s the hot body that attracts you, it’s nice to know there’s a pretty big heart in there too. Shakira started her charitable work right in her home country of Colombia with the Pies Descalzos Foundation that supports schools for children in need. She’s also a part of the Latin America in Solidarity Action (also known as ALAS) and managed to donate $45 million through the charity to the Clinton Global Initiative. She’s also played at a multitude of charity concerts and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

The Songs that Made Her Famous

Her first hits were in Spanish and her fame quickly spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world with these songs:

“Estoy Aquí” from the album Pies Descalzos is what put her on the map. Hit after Spanish-language hit followed with “Dónde estás corazón?”, “Pienso en Ti,” “Ciega Sordomuda,” “Tu,” and more. Her English-language hits include “Whenever/Wherever,” “Underneath Your Clothes,” and “Hips Don’t Lie.” Her Life Today

You know you’ve hit the big time when your likeness appears in a commercial with Madonna, and Shakira did just that for a Sunsilk commercial during the 2008 Super Bowl. She’s reportedly still very much engaged to Antonio de la Rua and is working on her next album in one of her many homes that span the globe from the Bahamas to Uruguay.