Born Shakira Mebarak Ripoll in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia on February 2, 1977, Shakira -- who goes by her first name only -- is that blend of raw talent, brains and charisma that only rarely comes along in any field. Her name, which in Arabic means "woman full of grace," belies her ancestry. She is the daughter of a Colombian mother and a Lebanese father -- a jeweler and writer whose Arabic background greatly influenced his daughter. Shakira's fondness for music was apparent early on, and she started winning local and national talent contests at age 10. By 13, she had signed a record deal with Sony in Colombia, which resulted in her first album, "Magia (Magic)," a compilation of songs she wrote between the ages of 8 and 13. It was an effort that put Shakira in Colombia's musical map, and led to her being chosen to represent her country at the Fesival OTI in Spain. Because she was under the minimum age of 16, she wasn't allowed to participate. So instead, Shakira recorded a second album of original material, "Peligro (Danger)." At that point, Shakira took a break from music, graduated from high school (at age 15) and came back with a vengeance. The result was the phenomenally successful "Pies Descalzos," a hit-laden smash, which has sold close to four million copies worldwide. Shakira became an international sensation touring for an almost solid two years, playing her songs to sold-out audiences throughout the world. In Brazil alone, "Pies Descalzos" sold in excess of 900,000 copies, leading Shakira to record remixes in Portuguese for her Brazilian fans. She abandoned the light pop format she had been doing and declined her label's suggestion to explore more commercial avenues. Instead, she insisted on recording her very own brand of music: a blend of pop and rock that was unprecedented for a Colombian musician, much less a woman. Such a smashing hit seems impossible to surpass. But Shakira has done it with "Donde Estan los Ladrones," a collection of potential hits that further explores the realms of rock 'n' roll without losing Shakira's authenticity. No wonder, then, that it was Shakira who was chosen among dozens of female Latin singers to grace the cover of Time Magazine in an article titled "Era of the Rockera".
BIOGRAPHY: Name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll Born: 02/02/1977 in Barranquilla (Colombia) Astrological sign: Aquarius Civil Status: Single Parents: William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia del Carmen Ripolli Torrado Height: 1.65 m Weight: 50 kilos Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2 1977 in Barranquilla (Colombia). The Lebanese woman by origin, Colombian by birth, made a successful appearance in the all-round pop from the age of 13 years by recording her the first album. She played in the series "El Oasis", under contract with the "Televisi�n de Colombia". The success of her next album "Pies Descalzos" transformed her life, hotels had since then became her home. 1999 is the year of release of "Laundry Service", the album of the revelation with the world hit "Whenever Wherever." Her voice features, rich in nuances, style that's full of freshness and full of vitality - it all made the young singer currently the greatest artist in Colombia. The tigress Shakira, with several albums to her credit and gold records in many countries has to share her success with songs that are easy to understand and allow the audience to identify with themselves. The texts speak of her experiences of daily life or those of others. In 2005, she came out with two albums including one that marks her return to her native language "Fijacion Oral" and "Oral Fixation Volume 2" in English.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Columbian singer known better as just Shakira. She was born February 2nd, 1977 in Barranquilla, Columbia. Her parents have Lebanese, Spanish, and Italian decent and she is their only child, though Shakira does have eight half siblings from her father who was married to a different woman before Shakira's mother.
She began to write poems at the age of four and continued throughout adolescence. She wrote her first song at eight. While in a Catholic school, Shakira would perform belly dances for her peers. Shakira's father was forced to declare bankruptcy and to sell much of what they owned. To show his daughter that things could always be worse, he took Shakira to an orphanage and the young girl made a pledge to help these kids. She was true to her promise later on in her life. Through a string of connections, Shakira got an audition with Sony Columbia and was signed to do three albums.
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