Shakira Pictures
Shakira:
Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia to a Roman Catholic family, to a mother of Spanish and Italian descent and an American-born father of Lebanese background. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker, and has sung in English, Portuguese, Arabic, and French, with varying success.
Herself a devout Roman Catholic, she was received by Pope John Paul II who nominated her a Goodwill ambassador in 1998.
Shakira began writing and composing music at the age of eight. One of the first songs she wrote was “Tus Gafas Oscuras”, whose lyrical message revolved around her father and his grief over a son who had passed away due to a car accident. At the age of ten, Shakira applied for her school choir, but she was rejected because her voice had been noted as “too strong.” Friends teased her by saying she sounded like a goat. Shakira was deeply hurt and considered giving up on singing, but instead of that she started looking for other singing opportunities. She decided to compete in a weekly television singing competition for children, Vivan Los Ninos. Shakira won the contest.
Between the ages of ten to thirteen, Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla, and became a local celebrity. At that time she met local theatre producer Monica Ariza, who was impressed with Shakira and helped to make her known outside Barranquilla. During a flight from Barranquilla to Bogota, Ariza happened to be sitting next to Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas. Vargas agreed to hold an audition for Shakira, which took place a few weeks later in a hotel lobby. Vargas was impressed and returned to the Sony office and gave Shakira’s cassette to the song and artist director, but he was not excited at all, and thought Shakira was “a lost cause.”
Vargas was convinced that Shakira had talent, and set up a surprise audition in Bogota. He tricked the Sony Colombia executives to this bar, and around midnight he announced he had a surprise: Shakira. She sang three songs, and her performance was a hit. Shakira was subsequently signed to write and record three albums.
Shakira’s latest single, “Hips Don’t Lie” (featuring Wyclef Jean), which samples the song “Amores Como El Nuestro,” by Jerry Rivera. This single has a mix of Colombian, Haitian, Oriental and Caribbean rhythms. Airplay for the song debuted via L.A. radio station (KIIS-FM on the Ryan Seacrest Morning Show) on February 14, 2006. The entire song can be heard at Shakira’s official website. The original, entitled “Dance Like This” (featuring Claudette Ortiz), is featured in the movie Dirty Dancing Havana Nights. On March 28, 2006, she re-released Oral Fixation Vol. 2, including “Hips Don’t Lie” and an alternative version of her smash hit La Tortura or a remix for Don’t Bother, depending on the country.
Pictures from: 2hot4blog.com