A SUCCESSFUL SINGER: SHAKIRA

Shakira Isabel mebarak Ripoll was born on a wednesday, february 2 - 1977 in Barranquilla (Colombia). Daughter of a respected jeweler of lebanese descent, Don William Mebarak Chadid, and his Colombian wife, Nidia Ripoll Torrado. Shakira, an arabic name derived from the word "Shukram which means "Grace".

When Shakira was a child, Nidia discovered that Shakira had a gift for writing. According to Colombian Columnists, Shakira Knew the Alphabet by the age of eighteen months, at three she knew how to read, and by the time she was four, she was ready for school. In school shakira was sensible and disciplined, but also absentminded. In class she just did not pay attention. she immersed herself in writting lyrics on the back of her notebooks. She wrote her first song at the age of 8 and signed her first record deal at 13. After her first two albums flopped, Shakira took the reins of her third album, becoming involved in every aspect of its production, released in 1996, Pies Descalzos, meaning "bare feet," sold more than three million copies. It sold more than three million copies and the follow-up record, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998) which translates as "Where are the thieves?"

Shakira became a music superstar in the Spanish-language markets, known for her strong vocals and incredible hip-shaking belly dance moves. She moved to Miami with her family to further her goal and taught herself to write songs in English. She enlisted Emilio Estefan of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame to act as her manager and producer.Her first English-language album, Laundry Service (2001), provided Shakira with the success in the United States that she longed for the album was number three on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week. The songs "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes" were both big hits.

Previously, she had won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for 2000's Shakira: MTV Unplugged.