Shakira Biography | Shakira Pictures

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll born 2 February 1977, known professionally as Shakira pronounced, Spanish: or, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, producer, dancer and philanthropist who emerged in the music scene in Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s.

Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese , and is proficient in Italian. She has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, and twelve Billboard Latin Music Awards and has been Golden Globe-nominated. Shakira's "Waka Waka", was chosen as the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup along with its Spanish version, titled "Waka Waka Esto es-Africa".

Shakira means "grateful" in Arabic. It is the feminine form of the name Shakir. Her second name, Isabel, is also her paternal grandmother, meaning "my God is my oath", "house of my God" or "my God is abundance", and her name is a Spanish name for Elizabeth. Shakira wrote her first poem entitled "La Rosa de Cristal", when she was only four years old.

Shakira originally recorded the song "¿Donda estas Corazon?" To prepare albumNuestro Rock in 1995, published exclusively in Colombia. Shakira returned to recording music under Sony Music with Columbia in 1995 with Luis F. Ochoa, with musical performances from a number of countries and an Alanis Morissette-oriented persona which affected two of her next album.