Shakira Music Videos Photos Biography
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Oral Fixation, Vol. 2
Laundry Service
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1
Laundry Service
MTV Icons - Tribute to Aerosmith
Pies Descalzos
Shakira Mebarak was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures. Along with that, she listened heavily to English-language rock & roll and alternative music, Led Zeppelin, The Police, and Nirvana being among her favorites. She composed her first song when she was eight years old, and signed her first recording contract with Sony at thirteen. Writing and co-writing all her own material, Shakira has been able to express herself in whatever way she wants through her music and dance, and enjoys the artistic freedom that “pop” gives her. She can use and mix as many sounds as she wants with no boundaries to style or genre.
Shakira began her fame in Columbia and quickly moved into the entire Spanish-speaking world. In the new millennium, she wanted to overcome the language barrier and move into the English-language music mainstream without giving up control over her own expression through having others translate her lyrics. So she learned English well enough to write lyrics in the language herself, bringing us creative and unique poetic images in both English and Spanish.
Along with her superstar status, Shakira feels a sense of responsibility to contribute what she can to bettering the world, especially in her native country of Columbia where crime and poverty run so rampant. She began La Fundación Pies Descalzos (The Barefeet Foundation). It’s goal is to improve the education, nutrition, and the lives of the thousands of displaced children who are living in perilous conditions because of the violent internal conflict in Colombia. They are building schools and creating programs that give victimized children realistic hope for a better future.
In addition to the work she does through her Pies Descalzos Foundation, Shakira has been the goodwill ambassador for UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund) since 2003. The first goodwill ambassador for UNICEF was Danny Kaye in 1953, and the responsibility has since been met over the years by many celebrities who are dedicated to bringing hope and opportunity to the children of the world. The youngest ambassador to be appointed (age 26 at the time), Shakira was chosen based on her compassion, her involvement in global issues, her deep commitment to helping children, and her appeal to young people around the world.