Born in Barranquilla, Columbia on 2nd February, 1977, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is one of the world’s most prolific singer and songwriter. Shakira means “thankful” in Arabic.

FAMILY

Her father was an American of Lebanese Italian descent and her mother was Colombian of Spanish-Italian descent. She was multilingual. In other words, she spoke Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian and Arabic with relative ease.

THE START OF HER CAREER

At a tender age of four years, she wrote her first poem and since then never looked back. ‘Tus gafas oscuras’ (Your dark glasses) was the first song written by her in memory of her brother who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. The song title was inspired from her father who used to hide his grief over his son’s death by wearing dark glasses. At that time she was 8 years old. Also, during that time she started to learn belly dancing.

When Shakira turned 14 years, she made her first studio album. One thousand copies were sold off the album and she went back to the studio for a second attempt. Even though the second album got better reviews, it didn’t do much to her career.

After graduating from high school, Shakira made her third studio album, Pies Descalzos. This album gave her overwhelming recognition and fame in Latin America. Over 5 million copies were sold off this album. After releasing two more albums, she became a global star.

SHAKIRA GAINS MOMENTUM

Shakira teamed up with Wyclef Jean for her song ‘Hips Don’t Lie’. Needless to say, this song was a tremendous hit in the year 2006. Her fourth cross-over English album, Laundry Service sold over 13 million copies all over the world in the year 2001. Since then, Shakira has become an international icon.

In the year 2005, the Oral Fixation was announced releasing Volumes 1 and 2. These albums were a big hit. Shakira has won 2 Grammy Awards, 8 Latin Grammy Awards, 15 Billboard Music Awards, 3 MTV Music Awards, People’s Choice Award and has also received a Golden Globe nomination.

According to , Shakira is one of the top 10 highest earning “hotties”. Shakira, 31, certainly surprised me with the amount of money she earned last year. But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. She's dominating the Spanish-speaking world with endorsements, and tours all over South America. And now she's a household name in the United States. Plus she's super short and wears skimpy clothing. Therefore, she probably saves a lot of money on wardrobe.

OTHER SHAKIRA DETAILS TO KNOW

Shakira was named #20 in FHM’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006” in the year 2006.She started dating Argentinean President’s son, Antonio De La Rua in the year 2000. In the year 2001, they got engaged and have made plans to marry in future.

Shakira has done a lot of charity work. Based on reports, Shakira has contributed about $55,000 annually to charity. Also, Shakira is voted #38 in the AskMen. com’s Top 99 Women 2008 Edition. Based on BMI reports, Shakira is the highest selling Columbian artist of all times having sold a whopping 50 million albums globally.

Shakira will be awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She will be the first Columbian to receive such an honor.

So as you can see, she’s a celebrity worthy of the title “celebrity”. She’s a born singer and performer, and has made great strides gaining international recognition. If you don’t know who Shakira was before you read this, you definitely know who she is now.