| Revision as of 01:35, 30 July 2002 view sourceBrooke Vibber (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users10,086 editsm lang links: +eo← Previous edit | Revision as of 11:42, 3 November 2002 view source 62.78.161.66 (talk) More information, fix to a discographyNext edit → | ||
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| Shakira turned to acting and played a role in a Colombian ], but returned to music business in ] with the album ''Pies Descalzos'', which was quite successful, with the hit ''Estoy Aquí'' becoming a number one hit in Colombia, and she became known internationally. | Shakira turned to acting and played a role in a Colombian ], but returned to music business in ] with the album ''Pies Descalzos'', which was quite successful, with the hit ''Estoy Aquí'' becoming a number one hit in Colombia, and she became known internationally. | ||
| Shakira is perhaps the most recognizable and certainly, the most intriguing voice in Latin pop/rock today. | |||
| The 23-year-old singer/songwriter, who catapulted to international fame with the multi-million selling "Pies Descalzos," effectively broke the formulaic mold of Latin pop with an authentic sound that hadn't been heard before. | |||
| Her tunes, like her hit single "Estoy Aquí", are melodic, musically surprising and gritty, with intellectual lyrics and an electronic/acoustic blend. | |||
| Now, her gutsy, rock-infused album, "Donde Están los Ladrones," with Emilio Estefan's Executive Production, and Shakira's Artistic Production assures her position as a pioneer who has redefined the scope of Latin American singers. | |||
| Born Shakira Mebarak Ripoll in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia, 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-really) 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. | |||
| "It is totally refreshing for me to work with an artist who knows exactly what she wants, both at a musical and a personal level," said Emilio Estefan. "Her music is Shakira. It's real music." | |||
| No wonder, then, that it was Shakira who was chosen among dozens of female Latin singers to grace the cover of Time Magazine in a recent article titled "Era of the Rockera". | |||
| Last year, the Colombian government designated Shakira as an official goodwill ambassador, the Pope granted her an audience in the Vatican, and she was named Latin Female Artist of the Year at the World Music Awards in Monaco in May. The next logical step is crossover to the English market, a goal that is now closer than ever. | |||
| Critics are already hailing "Donde Estan los Ladrones" as a breakthrough album whose thought-provoking songs (the title track skewers thieves) that leave her standing a notch taller than a slew of female singer/songwriters, heard on radio today. Shakira's first single, translated by Gloria Estefan, is already in the works. | |||
| For the most exciting singer/songwriter to come out of Latin America in years, the possibilities are endless. For the millions that already buy her albums, she is already the voice of a new generation. | |||
| Discography: | Discography: | ||
| *''Pies Descalzos'' (1995) | *''Pies Descalzos'' (1995) | ||
| *'' |
*''Dónde Están Los Ladrones'' (1998) | ||
| *''Shakira MTV Unplugged'' (2000) | |||
| *''Laundry Service'' (2001) | *''Laundry Service'' (2001) | ||
Revision as of 11:42, 3 November 2002
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, artist name Shakira, Colombian pop singer, born February 9, 1977, Barranquilla, Colombia.
She moved to Bogota at the age of thirteen, and released her first album, Magia (Magic), one year later, on the Sony label. The album was merely moderately successful, and Peligro (Danger), her second album, was no better received.
Shakira turned to acting and played a role in a Colombian soap opera, but returned to music business in 1995 with the album Pies Descalzos, which was quite successful, with the hit Estoy Aquí becoming a number one hit in Colombia, and she became known internationally.
Shakira is perhaps the most recognizable and certainly, the most intriguing voice in Latin pop/rock today. The 23-year-old singer/songwriter, who catapulted to international fame with the multi-million selling "Pies Descalzos," effectively broke the formulaic mold of Latin pop with an authentic sound that hadn't been heard before.
Her tunes, like her hit single "Estoy Aquí", are melodic, musically surprising and gritty, with intellectual lyrics and an electronic/acoustic blend.
Now, her gutsy, rock-infused album, "Donde Están los Ladrones," with Emilio Estefan's Executive Production, and Shakira's Artistic Production assures her position as a pioneer who has redefined the scope of Latin American singers.
Born Shakira Mebarak Ripoll in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia, 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-really) 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. "It is totally refreshing for me to work with an artist who knows exactly what she wants, both at a musical and a personal level," said Emilio Estefan. "Her music is Shakira. It's real music."
No wonder, then, that it was Shakira who was chosen among dozens of female Latin singers to grace the cover of Time Magazine in a recent article titled "Era of the Rockera".
Last year, the Colombian government designated Shakira as an official goodwill ambassador, the Pope granted her an audience in the Vatican, and she was named Latin Female Artist of the Year at the World Music Awards in Monaco in May. The next logical step is crossover to the English market, a goal that is now closer than ever.
Critics are already hailing "Donde Estan los Ladrones" as a breakthrough album whose thought-provoking songs (the title track skewers thieves) that leave her standing a notch taller than a slew of female singer/songwriters, heard on radio today. Shakira's first single, translated by Gloria Estefan, is already in the works.
For the most exciting singer/songwriter to come out of Latin America in years, the possibilities are endless. For the millions that already buy her albums, she is already the voice of a new generation.
Discography:
- Pies Descalzos (1995)
- Dónde Están Los Ladrones (1998)
- Shakira MTV Unplugged (2000)
- Laundry Service (2001)
External links:
- official homepage: http://www.shakira.com/