Who Is Shakira?

Shakira was bestowed with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, and when looking at her resume, it’s easy to see why. Her longtime friend and collaborator Wyclef Jean introduced her at the show with a powerful statement:  “Latin music would not be the global force that it is without Shakira,” She’s proven this throughout her three-decade career that’s built on a foundation of massive hits like “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Whenever, Wherever,” along with her stunning choreography that helps bring the songs to life. So who is Shakira?

Latin Roots

If you listen to “Hips Don’t Lie,” you’ll know that Shakira is a native of Colombia. She was born on February 2, 1977, in the city of Barranquilla to parents of Spanish and Lebanese descent. “Colombia is not how people think it is,” she told Rolling Stone in 2002. “We used to eat fish every Sunday at the beach. In the town where I grew up, people did not tell lies.” Before she was a songwriter, Shakira was a poet, later turning her poems into songs. She also learned to belly dance in elementary school, a talent that would become a prominent part of her image when she rose to fame.

[RELATED: The 30 Best Shakira Quotes]

Early Days

By the time Shakira graduated high school she had released two albums. She got her musical start in her native country when she signed with Sony Music Colombia and released her debut album, Magia, at the age of 13. She wrote more than half of the songs by herself. She also wrote for her sophomore album, Peligro, but both albums failed to make an impression on the charts. She started to find her voice in 1995 with her third album, Pies Descalzos, which spawned several hits, including “Estoy Aqui” and “Dónde Estás, Corazón?” both of which reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. The album itself, which was produced solely by Shakira, also hit the Top 5 on both the Billboard Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts.

Rise to superstardom

Shakira’s career really started picking up steam in 1998 with her fourth album, the Emilio Estefan-executive produced Dónde Están los Ladrones? It marked her breakthrough in the U.S., as the album reached the Billboard 200 and was a No. 1 hit on the Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts. But she experienced a massive breakthrough with Laundry Service in 2001, her first English-speaking album. It was led by the single “Whenever, Wherever,” which she co-wrote with Gloria Estefan and was a hit around the globe, becoming her first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her 2005 effort, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, took her to even greater heights with the arrival of “Hips Don’t Lie.” The song became her first to top the Hot 100 and has since become one of the best-selling singles of all time. “Beautiful Liar” featuring Beyonce, “She Wolf” and “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” are among Shakira’s many other hits.

In addition to the Video Vanguard Award, Shakira has been bestowed with several other honors, including two Grammy Awards, 12 Latin Grammy Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic