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Early life and career beginnings

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An iron statue of a girl holding a guitar
Statue of Shakira in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. Donated by German sculptor Dieter Patt, the 15-feet statue is made of iron and weighs 6 ton[1]

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on 2 February 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia, to jeweler Don William Mebarak Chadid and homemaker Nidia Ripoll Torrado. Her father is of Lebanese descent and was born in New York City, although he moved to Barranquilla shortly after. Her mother is a native of Barranquilla and is of Catalan blood.[2] Speaking about her mixed ethnicity, Shakira described herself as a "walking contradiction. A mix of elements that come from far and different worlds."[3] Her name was chosen by her mother and is derived from the Arabic word shuhram, which translates to "grace" in English. The name hence literally means "woman full of grace."[2] Shakira is her parents' only daughter and has seven half-siblings—five brothers and three sisters—from her father's previous marriage.[4] Out of all the half-siblings, Shakira was the closest to Tonino Mebarak and later employed him as her road manager.[5]

In addition to attending the Catholic school La Enseñanza de Barranquilla, Shakira received private lessons in modern dancing, modelling, and singing. Along with her parents, she regularly visited a social club where families of Lebanese descent met and socialised. There, she started observing Arabic traditions and culture and was intrigued by belly dance performances.[6] According to her mother, Shakira was a child prodigy; she was able to recite the alphabet by the age of eighteen months, knew how to read by the age of three, and was ready to attend school by the age of four.[6] The sight of her father working on his typewriter inspired her to write.[7] When she was four years old, she wrote her first poem, entitled "La Rose de Cristal" ("The Crystal Rose").[8]

At the same age, Shakira heard the doumbek, a Middle Eastern drum used to accompany belly dance routines, for the first time at her father's favourite local restaurant. The sound of the drum greatly affected Shakira and urged her to stand on the table and dance. Her impromptu dance performance was positively received by the customers at the restaurant, who "clapped and cheered in time to the drum and this four-year-old girl's hips."[7] The experience motivated her to become a performer as she "fell in love with the sensation of being on stage. Right there, right then."[7] Soon she began performing belly dancing routines for the entire school body, including the nuns, on Fridays. She received a typewriter on Christmas when she was seven and used it to pen lyrics. A year later, Shakira's aunt gifted her a guitar for her birthday, leading to her being "struck by a second coup de foudre."[7] She began practising and perfecting the guitar and composed her first song, "Tus Gafas Oscuras" ("Your Dark Glasses").[7][9] Although inspired by her father's large sunglasses, Shakira later revealed to Rolling Stone that it was a romantic song "dedicated to a little boy" in her imagination.[4]

After listening to the sound of the electric guitar employed in Depeche Mode's 1990 single "Enjoy The Silence", which "sent her into a near orgasmic spasm,"[7] Shakira confided in her mother that she wanted to enter the music industry as a rock artist.[7] Her frequent appearances at local talent competitions captured the attention of theatre producer Monica Ariza, who arranged a meeting with Ciro Vargas, the record executive of the Colombian division of Sony Music. The audition was successful and Vargas approached the executives at the Sony Music office in an effort to win Shakira a record deal. However, the executives were not impressed with her at all and refused to sign her. Vargas and Shakira then "tricked" the executives into a second audition in which Shakira "showcased her signature belly dancing and powerful voice."[10] This time round, they were impressed with the 13-year old singer and signed her to a record deal spanning three albums.[10]

Career

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1991–1994: Magia and Peligro

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A large theatre with a white and brown colour scheme
The Teatro Amira de la Rosa in Barranquilla, Colombia, where Shakira's first album Magia was launched (pictured in 2012)

The contract offered by Sony Music to Shakira dictated that the record label would have full creative control over the albums. The first album, Magia (Magic), was allotted a low budget and was produced by Miguel E. Cubillo and Pablo Tedeschi. Shakira was displeased with the fact that she was not included in the decision-making process regarding the album's content. It comprised of eight songs she had written between the ages of eight and twelve. "Tus Gafas Oscuras" was included as the closing track of the album. At the singer's suggestion, Sony Music hired four backup dancers cum singers to accompany her performances at various cities the album was to be released.[11] Magia was released exclusively in Colombia on 24 June 1991.[12] It was launched at the Teatro Amira de la Rosa in Barranquilla and received print, radio, and television coverage. Despite attracting a large crowd of about 800 people at its launch event, Magia ultimately performed poorly and less than 1000 copies were sold. Despite this, Shakira's shows at various cities such as the capital Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín, Riohacha, and Santa Marta were regularly sold out and received an enthusiastic response from the audiences. Shakira was also invited to perform at two national music festivals in 1991 and 1992, and at one international festival held in Miami, Florida, in 1992. Magia also helped garner Shakira accolades; she received the awards Premio Cantante Revelación of Barranquilla and Premio Superestrella de Oro in 1991 and 1992, respectively. In her biography of the singer, Shakira: Woman Full of Grace, Ximena Diego wrote that the album helped Shakira gain recognition in her home country and understand the recording process and working of the music industry.[11]

Her second album, Peligro (Danger), was released on 25 March 1993 in Colombia.[13] The record was not approved of by Shakira, who felt it was a product designed by the label and refused to promote it.[14] The promotional performances were subsequently cancelled and Peligro flopped, receiving criticism for its poor production.[10][14] She was later informed by Sony Music that they were not interested in releasing a third album with her.[15] Shakira was invited to compete in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival at Viña del Mar, Chile, where she performed "Eres", a song from Peligro. She won third place and was declared "Queen of the Festival". Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin was one of the judges and voted Shakira as his favourite.[16] Determined to complete her studies and obtain a diploma, she took a break from her musical career.[17] After completing high school, Shakira and her mother moved to Bogotá in hopes of getting more exposure and improve her chances at a promising musical career. She auditioned for the soap opera El Oasis and won the lead role of Luisa Maria, a "rich girl hopelessly in love with the wrong man."[15][18] In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2002, Shakira confessed that she was a "really bad" actress, but acknowledged acting as a "waking experience."[4] However, she was still adamant to pursue a career as a singer and kept writing songs during her stint as an actress. El Oasis helped her gain popularity across Colombia such that when she approached Sony Music again they decided to give her another chance.[10] In 2003, San Antonio Express-News reported that Shakira had prohibited the re-release of Magia and Peligro as she felt "embarrassed" by their "immaturity."[19]

1995–1999: Breakthrough, Pies Descalzos, and Dónde Están los Ladrones?

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In 1995, Sony Music selected Shakira to record a song for the Colombian compilation album Nuestro Roch (Our Rock). She wrote the lyrics of the song while she was returning from the shooting of El Oasis in a bus. Sony Music paired music producer Luis Fernando Ochoa with Shakira to add music to those lyrics. The two shared great chemistry in the studio and their collaboration gave birth to the song "Dónde Estás Corazón?" ("Where Are You, Honey?"). Ochoa became a frequent collaborator of Shakira and has worked with her on numerous songs.[20] "Dónde Estás Corazón?" received heavy airplay across Colombia, becoming the only hit from Nuestro Roch.[21] It revitalised Shakira's career, who was later contacted by Sony Music and informed that they wanted to make a third album with her.[10] Wanting creative control over her album, Shakira demanded Sony Music to give her more command of the arrangements, lyrics, and to provide film-quality to the music videos. The contract was modified accordingly and Shakira assumed a prominent position in the development of the album.[22]

The album's recording started in February 1995, with each track being written and produced by Shakira and Ochoa. Entitled Pies Descalzos (Barefeet), it was released on 6 October 1995 in Colombia.[23] Sales of the album were low at first, but greatly increased following the success of its lead single "Estoy Aquí" ("I'm Here").[24] The song spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number 1 in Colombia and became a hit across Latin America, motivating Sony Music to release Pies Descalzos outside of Colombia.[25] The album became Shakira's breakthrough record, being certified platinum across numerous South American countries, such as Argentina,[26] Brazil,[27] Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.[28] The album sold more than 1 million copies in Colombia alone, where it received the Diamond Prism award.[28] In the United States, "Estoy Aqui" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart[29] while Pies Descalzos reached number 5 on the Top Latin Albums chart.[30] The album spawned five more singles, including "Dónde Estás Corazón?" and "Se Quiere, Se Mata", both of which peaked inside the top ten of the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.[29] At the 1997 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Shakira won three awards (the most wins for the night), including "Pop Album of the Year" and "Best New Artist".[31]

Shakira embarked on the Pies Descalzos Tour in early-1996 to promote the album. Multiple shows were organised in countries like the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela. The singer spent one month touring Brasil alone, where she gave 23 sold-out concerts in 15 cities. A huge concert was planned in Barranquilla, where people were eagerly anticipating to see Shakira. More than 45,000 people waited in line to see the show. When the gates to the stadium opened, a stampede occurred and two teenagers were trampled to death. Shakira was not informed about the tragedy and was told about it only after the show ended. Greatly upset, she spent a lot of time crying in her hotel room. A day after the concert, another tragedy befell as a 15-year old commited suicide as her mother did not allow her to attend the concert. Shakira was immensely troubled by these events and considered quitting, before being convinced by her family that it was not her fault.[32][33] For her next record, Shakira began working with Emilio Estefan, who became her manager and executive producer. Estefan was renowned for launching the careers of various Hispanic singers, such as Enrique Iglesias, Thalía, and his wife Gloria Estefan. He decided to work with Shakira as he identified her potential to strongly break into the US Latin market and expand her commercial presence there.[10][34]

In late 1997, Shakira finished the Pies Descalzos Tour in Bogotá and was waiting for a flight at the city's International Airport. There, the briefcase which contained every single song she had written for the record was stolen. The singer was unable to remember the lyrics of any song as she suffered a mental block and kept thinking about the identity of the thief. The incident served as the main inspiration behind the album, which was released as Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?) on 22 September 1998.[10][35] The album went quadruple-platinum in Argentina,[26] double-platinum in Mexico,[36] and platinum in Spain.[37] In the United States, Dónde Están los Ladrones? became a bigger success than Pies Descalzos and spent 11 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart.[30][24] It became Shakira's first album to receive a platinum certification in the country.[38] It also spawned two Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart toppers—the lead single "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Tú"—and the global hit "Ojos Así".[24] Dónde Están los Ladrones? was nominated for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999.[39]

2000–2004: Crossover and Laundry Service

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The Anfibio Tour (Amphibious Tour) was launched in 2000 to promote the album. It visited numerous Latin American countries and was one of the top 50 highest grossing tours of the year (according to Pollstar).[40]

Artistry

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Musical themes and genres

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Magia: They were predominantly romantic ballads, although a small amount of dance music was also incorporated.[11]

Pies: It was conceptualised as an expression of Shakira's "certain nonconformity" against social conventions, norms, and dogmas.[23] Many of the songs were inspired by Shakira's experiences with love and past romances. Songs like "Se Quiere, Se Mata" tackled social issues like teen pregnancy and abortion. The album was mainly comprised of melodic pop rock ballads, with slight brushes of dancehall and disco.[41][23]

Donde: In addition to Latin pop, the album was defined by a rock en Español sound and contained introspective and "[at times] unapologetically romantic" lyrics.[35][24] Dónde Están los Ladrones? garnered critical acclaim, receiving praise for its lyrics and Shakira's vocal delivery.[35][42][43] Both AllMusic and Sputnikmusic have highlighted it as Shakira's strongest album to date.[35][42]

Vocal style and instruments

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Music videos and performances

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Legacy

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In February 1998, Shakira was decorated with the Orden Nacional al Mérito (National Order of Merit) by Ernesto Samper, the President of Colombia at that time. She was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador at the ceremony.[44]

Activism and philantrophy

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Sources

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http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/speaking-with-shakira-q-a-20020214 - Rolling Stone interview 2002

http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/jul/14/features.magazine37 - Observer interview 2002

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/jun/08/shopping.colombia - Guardian Gabriel García Márquez interview 2002

http://www.faze.ca/issue07/shakira.html - Faze interview

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ETO3VaCXT4IC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=shakira+The+Crystal+Rose&source=bl&ots=TIZvB0lfvC&sig=LRhJtToMyqWLTQWZvoJJ2kB4UTY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qEPaU9OeBM6_uAS2ooCYCg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=shakira%20The%20Crystal%20Rose&f=false - Krohn bio

http://web.archive.org/web/20060721213102/http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/driven/96614/episode_about.jhtml - VH1 History

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F8A257625107022&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM - Magia Peligro immature

References

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  1. ^ M. Silverman, Stephen (16 November 2006). "Fans Unveil 6-Ton Metal Statue of Shakira". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b Diego 2002, p. 20
  3. ^ Diego 2002, p. 17
  4. ^ a b c Udovich, Mim (14 February 2002). "Speaking With Shakira: Q&A". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  5. ^ Diego 2002, p. 22
  6. ^ a b Diego 2002, p. 21
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Kessler, Ted (14 July 2002). "Colombian gold". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  8. ^ Krohn 2007, p. 17
  9. ^ Diego 2002, p. 29
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "Driven: Shakira". VH1. Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on 21 July 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  11. ^ a b c Diego 2002, pp. 35–37 Cite error: The named reference "magiadevelopmentdiego" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  12. ^ Magia (back cover). Shakira. Sony Music Columbia. 1991. 14464663.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Peligro (back cover). Shakira. Sony Columbia. 1993. 51473102.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ a b Diego 2002, pp. 42–43
  15. ^ a b Krohn 2007, p. 31
  16. ^ Diego 2002, p. 44
  17. ^ Diego 2002, p. 45
  18. ^ Diego 2002, pp. 46–48
  19. ^ Burr, Ramiro (17 January 2003). "Shakira on record". San Antonio Express-News. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Luis Fernando Ochoa - Songs". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  21. ^ Diego 2002, pp. 53–55
  22. ^ Diego 2002, pp. 56–58
  23. ^ a b c Diego 2002, pp. 59–64
  24. ^ a b c d Huey, Steve. "Shakira - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  25. ^ Diego 2002, p. 68
  26. ^ a b "Discos de Oro y Platino" (in Spanish). CAPIF. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Certificados" (in Portuguese). ABPD. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  28. ^ a b "Shakira" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. Casa Editorial El Tiempo S.A. 16 August 1996. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  29. ^ a b "Shakira - Chart history (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  30. ^ a b "Shakira – Chart history (Top Latin Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  31. ^ Lannert, John (3 May 1997). "The Winners Are...". Billboard. 109 (18): 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  32. ^ Diego 2002, pp. 71–75
  33. ^ Krohn 2007, p. 34
  34. ^ Diego 2002, pp. 83–84
  35. ^ a b c d Henderson, Alex. "Dónde Están los Ladrones? - Shakira". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  36. ^ "Certificaciones 1999" (in Spanish). AMPROFON. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  37. ^ "Discos de platino y oro 1999". El Mundo (in Spanish). Unidad Editorial. Archived from the original on 12 March 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  38. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (If necessary, enter Shakira in the Search bar and click on the Search button ). RIAA. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  39. ^ "1999 Grammy Nominees". NME. IPC Media. 27 November 1998. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  40. ^ Diego 2002, p. 109
  41. ^ Promis, Jose. "Pies Descalzos - Shakira". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  42. ^ a b Hanson, John (28 June 2006). "Review: Shakira - ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  43. ^ Lannert, John (10 October 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Latin". Billboard. 110 (41): 23. ISSN 0006-2510.
  44. ^ Diego 2002

Bibliography

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