Shakira (born February 2, 1977) is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and producer who has spent more than three decades doing something most pop stars never manage: she became a global phenomenon without ever fully leaving home. Born in Barranquilla on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, she fused Latin pop, rock, Andean folk, and the Arabic rhythms of her Lebanese heritage into a sound that was unmistakably hers, then carried it across language barriers without sanding off the edges. She writes her own songs, choreographs her own dancing, and built a career on the belief that a Spanish-language artist did not have to pick between authenticity and the entire planet.
Her crossover is one of the defining commercial stories in modern pop. The 2001 English-language album Laundry Service turned “Whenever, Wherever” into an inescapable hit and made her a worldwide name, but she refused to abandon Spanish-language work, alternating between markets and treating each as a full creative effort rather than a side project. “Hips Don’t Lie” became the best-selling single of the 2000s, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” soundtracked the 2010 World Cup, and her 2020 Super Bowl halftime turn alongside Jennifer Lopez drew more than 100 million viewers. Along the way she picked up four Grammy Awards and fifteen Latin Grammys, and was the first Colombian artist to win a Grammy at all.
The most recent chapter is also the most personal. After her 2022 separation from footballer Gerard Piqué, Shakira channeled the wreckage into Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024), her first album in seven years and a record that turned heartbreak into something defiant. It won Best Latin Pop Album at the 2025 Grammys, and the tour built around it became the highest-grossing tour ever staged by a Latin artist. At an age when many of her peers coast on nostalgia, she is selling out stadiums, drawing 400,000 people to a free show in Mexico City, and writing the official anthem for the 2026 World Cup. The reinvention engine has not slowed down.
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Quick Facts
| Real Name: | Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll |
| Stage Name: | Shakira (performs mononymously) |
| Profession: | Singer, songwriter, producer, dancer |
| Born: | February 2, 1977 |
| Age: | 49 (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace: | Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia |
| Nationality: | Colombian |
| Genre(s): | Latin pop, pop rock, reggaeton, dance-pop, Latin alternative |
| Known For: | “Whenever, Wherever,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Waka Waka,” her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, and a Spanish-to-global crossover few artists have matched |
| Notable Albums: | Pies Descalzos; Dónde Están los Ladrones?; Laundry Service; Fijación Oral, Vol. 1; El Dorado; Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran |
| Awards: | 4 Grammy Awards, 15 Latin Grammy Awards, record holder for most Billboard Latin Music Awards by a female artist |
| Record Label(s): | Sony Music Latin (current); formerly Epic Records |
| Zodiac Sign: | Aquarius |
| Relationship: | Single; previously partnered with Gerard Piqué (2011–2022), with whom she has two sons, Milan and Sasha |
| Years Active: | 1990 to present |
Featured Video
Video courtesy of Shakira’s official YouTube channel.
Early Life & Education
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, the Caribbean port city that shaped her rhythmic instincts long before she had a record deal. She is the only child of William Mebarak Chadid, the son of Lebanese immigrants who was born in New York before the family settled in Colombia, and Nidia Ripoll Torrado, of Spanish and Italian descent. From her father’s first marriage she has a large set of half-siblings, and that blended, multicultural household is audible in her catalog: the belly-dancing cadences, the Arabic-inflected melodies of “Ojos Así,” the Andean textures, the Caribbean pulse. She began belly dancing at four, reportedly inspired by watching her father, and was choreographing her own routines almost immediately.
Her path was not frictionless. In one of the more quoted anecdotes of her childhood, she was turned away from her Catholic school choir because a teacher judged her vibrato too strong, comparing it to a goat. Undeterred, she kept performing locally and writing songs as a teenager. A theater producer in Barranquilla connected her to Sony Music Colombia, and she signed her first contract at 13. Her debut album Magia (1991) and its follow-up Peligro (1993) sold poorly and are largely treated as juvenilia, but they bought her time to develop. Rather than chase college or formal conservatory training, she committed fully to music, teaching herself guitar and learning the studio from the inside.
The turning point was Pies Descalzos (1995), the album where the artist arrived. Built around the hit “Estoy Aquí” and a more rock-leaning, confessional songwriting voice, it sold millions across Latin America and Spain and established her as a regional star in her late teens. By the time Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998) followed, she was a fixture of Latin pop and, crucially, a writer with a point of view. The global stage was the next obvious move.
Career Highlights and Milestones
Shakira’s breakthrough beyond the Spanish-speaking world came with calculated nerve. After the acclaimed MTV Unplugged (2000) won her a first Grammy and the inaugural Latin Grammys handed her early trophies, she gambled on an English-language pivot. Laundry Service (2001) could have flopped; instead, propelled by “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes,” it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and made her a worldwide name. What separated her from other crossover acts was the refusal to stay crossed over. She returned to Spanish for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), led by the Alejandro Sanz duet “La Tortura,” which spent seventeen weeks atop Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
Then came the song that defined the decade. “Hips Don’t Lie,” the Wyclef Jean collaboration tacked onto the reissue of the English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), became the best-selling single of the 2000s and a global No. 1. From there she kept moving the sound forward: She Wolf (2009) pushed into electropop and dancehall, and Sale el Sol (2010) produced “Loca” and the planet-conquering “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” the official 2010 FIFA World Cup song that introduced her to audiences who had never heard her speak Spanish. The 2014 self-titled Shakira leaned into pop with the Rihanna duet “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” and El Dorado (2017), anchored by the Maluma hit “Chantaje,” won another Grammy and rode the streaming-era reggaeton wave to become one of the most-streamed albums by a female artist.
The quietest stretch of her career was not actually quiet. Between 2017 and 2024 she raised her sons, weathered her separation from Piqué, and faced a years-long tax dispute in Spain, all while releasing scattered singles. One of them detonated: the January 2023 “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” with Argentine producer Bizarrap, a barbed breakup anthem that shattered streaming records and became the first Spanish-language solo Top 10 debut by a woman on the Billboard Hot 100. The reaction convinced her there was a full album in the wreckage. Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024), her first in seven years, gathered “Te Felicito,” “Monotonía,” “TQG” with Karol G, and “Puntería” with Cardi B into a concept record about turning pain into power. It won Best Latin Pop Album at the 2025 Grammys, her fourth.
What followed was a victory lap on a scale rarely seen in Latin music. The Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour launched in early 2025, upgraded from arenas to stadiums on demand, and by 2026 had become the highest-grossing tour ever by a Latin artist. She has continued releasing music at a clip: the Afrobeats single “Soltera” (2024), “Zoo” for Zootopia 2 (2025) reprising her voice role as the pop star Gazelle, the Beéle duet “Algo Tú” (2026), and “Dai Dai,” the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup recorded with Burna Boy. She is, improbably, in one of the most commercially dominant phases of her entire career.
Selected discography and music highlights
- Magia (1991)
- Peligro (1993)
- Pies Descalzos (1995)
- Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998)
- MTV Unplugged (2000)
- Laundry Service (2001)
- Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005)
- Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005)
- She Wolf (2009)
- Sale el Sol (2010)
- Shakira (2014)
- El Dorado (2017)
- “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” (2023)
- Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024)
- “Dai Dai” (2026)
Major recognition
- Four Grammy Awards, including three wins for Best Latin Pop Album (MTV Unplugged, El Dorado, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran) and one for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album (Fijación Oral, Vol. 1)
- First Colombian artist to win a Grammy Award
- Fifteen Latin Grammy Awards, including three Song of the Year wins
- Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year (2011)
- Record holder for the most Billboard Latin Music Awards won by a female artist
- Highest-grossing tour ever by a Latin artist (Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, recognized by Guinness World Records)
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the first Colombian to receive one
- Performed the official songs of two FIFA World Cups (“Waka Waka,” 2010; “Dai Dai,” 2026)
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Awards and Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Grammy Awards | Best Latin Pop Album | MTV Unplugged | Won |
| 2006 | Grammy Awards | Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album | Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 | Won |
| 2018 | Grammy Awards | Best Latin Pop Album | El Dorado | Won |
| 2025 | Grammy Awards | Best Latin Pop Album | Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran | Won |
| 2006 | Latin Grammy Awards | Record of the Year & Song of the Year | “La Tortura” | Won |
| 2017 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album | El Dorado | Won |
| 2023 | Latin Grammy Awards | Song of the Year & Best Pop Song | “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” | Won |
| 2023 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Urban/Fusion Performance | “TQG” (with Karol G) | Won |
| 2024 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Latin Electronic Music Performance | “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” | Won |
| 2011 | Latin Recording Academy | Person of the Year | Career | Honored |
| 2025 | Billboard Latin Music Awards | Tour of the Year | Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour | Won |
Discography / Notable Works
| Year | Title | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pies Descalzos | Studio Album | The breakthrough. “Estoy Aquí” and a confessional rock-pop voice made her a Latin American star. |
| 1998 | Dónde Están los Ladrones? | Studio Album | Cemented her as a serious Spanish-language songwriter. Home to “Ojos Así.” |
| 2000 | MTV Unplugged | Live Album | Won her first Grammy and set up the global pivot. |
| 2001 | Laundry Service | Studio Album | The English-language gamble that paid off. “Whenever, Wherever” went worldwide. |
| 2005 | Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 | Studio Album | Spanish-language return led by “La Tortura.” Grammy winner, seventeen weeks atop the Latin chart. |
| 2005 | Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 | Studio Album | Its reissue carried “Hips Don’t Lie,” the best-selling single of the 2000s. |
| 2009 | She Wolf | Studio Album | A bold detour into electropop and dancehall. |
| 2010 | Sale el Sol | Studio Album | Produced “Loca” and the 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka.” |
| 2014 | Shakira | Studio Album | Pop-forward and confident, with the Rihanna duet “Can’t Remember to Forget You.” |
| 2017 | El Dorado | Studio Album | Reggaeton-era reinvention led by “Chantaje.” Grammy winner and a streaming juggernaut. |
| 2024 | Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran | Studio Album | First album in seven years. A breakup concept record that won Best Latin Pop Album at the 2025 Grammys. |
| 2026 | “Dai Dai” (with Burna Boy) | Single | The official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, her second World Cup anthem. |
Touring History / Major Tours
| Year(s) | Tour Name | Scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2003 | Tour of the Mongoose | Global arena tour | Supported Laundry Service across the Americas and Europe. |
| 2006–2007 | Oral Fixation Tour | Global arena tour | At the time, the highest-grossing concert series ever staged by a Latina artist. |
| 2010–2011 | The Sun Comes Out World Tour | Global arena tour | Backed She Wolf and Sale el Sol during her dance-pop era. |
| 2018 | El Dorado World Tour | Global arena tour | Her first tour in years, visiting Europe, North America, and Latin America. |
| 2025–2026 | Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour | Global stadium tour | Highest-grossing tour ever by a Latin artist. Upgraded from arenas to stadiums on demand. Over $421 million grossed and 3.3 million tickets sold across the run so far. Drew 400,000 to a free Mexico City show. |
Net Worth, Income, & Lifestyle
| Net Worth (2026) | Public estimates vary widely. Shakira has not disclosed a verified net worth figure. Treat numbers found online as unconfirmed. |
| Income Sources | Recorded music sales and streaming royalties, touring and live performance revenue (her current tour is the highest-grossing ever by a Latin artist), songwriting and publishing income, brand partnerships and endorsements, merchandise, and film and television work. |
| Business & Ventures | The Pies Descalzos Foundation (Barefoot Foundation), her education-focused charity for vulnerable children in Colombia, founded in 1997. Voice and music work for Disney’s Zootopia franchise, World Cup anthem commissions, and a long history of global brand partnerships. |
| Properties & Assets | Now based in Miami, where she relocated with her two sons in 2023. Most detailed financial and property information is kept private, and reliable public documentation is limited. |
| Lifestyle | Famous for performing barefoot, with minimal makeup and few backup dancers, putting voice, choreography, and stage presence first. Intensely focused on her children and on philanthropy, and increasingly outspoken on immigrant and women’s rights. |
Social Media & Online Presence
| Official account: @shakira (verified). One of the most-followed musicians on the platform; used for tour, release, and personal announcements. | |
| X (Twitter) | Official account: @shakira (verified). Used for major announcements and album-cycle promotion. |
| TikTok | Official account: @shakira (verified). Dance clips, single teasers, and fan engagement. |
| Official page: @shakira (verified). Historically one of the largest musician pages in the world. | |
| YouTube / Vevo | Official channel: Shakira. The most-viewed female Latin artist on YouTube, with billions of cumulative views; “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka” each rank among her most-watched videos. |
| Spotify | Artist profile: Shakira. One of the most-streamed female Latin artists of all time, with tens of millions of monthly listeners. |
| Apple Music | Artist profile: Shakira. |
| Official Website | shakira.com, for tour dates, music, and official news. |
Fan communities on social media (unofficial)
NOTE: In addition to any official accounts listed above, many fan-run pages, update accounts, and clip accounts exist across all platforms. These are not confirmed to be affiliated with Shakira. Links and usernames can change at any time.
Trivia & Lesser-Known Facts
- She began belly dancing at age four and has woven the Arabic rhythms of her Lebanese heritage into her music ever since, most famously on “Ojos Así.”
- As a child she was rejected from her school choir because a teacher thought her strong vibrato sounded like a goat.
- She signed her first record deal with Sony Music Colombia at just 13 years old.
- The name Shakira comes from Arabic and is often translated as “grateful” or “thankful.”
- She has recorded the official song for two different FIFA World Cups: “Waka Waka” for 2010 in South Africa, and “Dai Dai” for the 2026 tournament in North America.
- She voices the pop-star character Gazelle in Disney’s Zootopia films and earned an awards-season nomination for her music work on Zootopia 2.
Quotes
“I’ve been through so much in these past few years that I had to literally pick up the pieces of myself and put them back together. And during that process, I think that music was the glue.”
– Shakira, Associated Press (2024)
“Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran represents the transformation of pain into creativity, frustration into productivity, anger into passion, vulnerability into resilience.”
– Shakira, The Sunday Times (2024)
“We’re in a society that’s used to seeing women confront pain in a submissive way, and I think that’s changed.”
– Shakira, Rolling Stone (2024)
“I want to dedicate this award to all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country. You’re loved, you’re worth it, and I will always fight with you.”
– Shakira, Best Latin Pop Album acceptance speech, 67th Grammy Awards (2025)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is Shakira’s age?
A: Shakira was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, making her 49 years old as of 2026.
Q: What is Shakira best known for?
A: Globally, she is best known for the hits “Whenever, Wherever,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” and “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” her 2020 Super Bowl halftime performance with Jennifer Lopez, and her 2024 comeback album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.
Q: Has Shakira won a Grammy?
A: Yes. She has won four Grammy Awards and was the first Colombian artist to win one. She has also won fifteen Latin Grammy Awards.
Q: Where did Shakira grow up?
A: She grew up in Barranquilla, a Caribbean coastal city in Colombia, in a household of Lebanese, Spanish, and Italian heritage.
Q: What genre is Shakira?
A: Her core is Latin pop and pop rock, but she moves fluidly through reggaeton, dance-pop, Afrobeats, and Latin alternative, often blending them within a single album.
Q: What are Shakira’s official social accounts?
A: Her verified accounts include @shakira on Instagram, X, and TikTok, along with her official website at shakira.com.
Q: Is Shakira currently touring?
A: Yes. Her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour continues through 2026, including a North American arena run, a return to Brazil, and a multi-night residency in Madrid.
Upcoming Projects
- Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, 2026 dates (June–July 2026) – A North American arena leg billed as a more intimate run, beginning June 13 in Los Angeles, overlapping with FIFA World Cup host cities. Treat individual dates as subject to change until officially confirmed.
- Madrid residency (reported for late 2026) – A multi-night engagement at a large-scale temporary venue in Madrid. Details reported in the press; confirm final dates closer to the event.
- “Dai Dai” and the 2026 FIFA World Cup (2026) – Her official World Cup anthem with Burna Boy, with further World Cup-related performances and promotion expected during the tournament window.
- New music from the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran era – Shakira has described “songs lying around” from the album sessions and an ongoing run of singles (“Soltera,” “Algo Tú”). Timing can shift; treat any new release as unconfirmed until announced.
Interviews & Features
- Rolling Stone, “Shakira’s Team Wanted Her to Change the ‘Sharp’ Lyrics to ‘Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53′” (2024), in which she explains why she refused to soften the song’s most pointed lines.
- TODAY, “Shakira opens up about upcoming album ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran'” (2024), covering her Sunday Times interview on turning heartbreak into a concept record.
- Billboard, “Shakira Wins Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album 2025” (2025), with full context on the win and her acceptance speech.
- NPR, “Pop star Shakira is acquitted in a Spanish tax fraud case” (2026), on the court ruling that closed her long-running Spanish tax saga.
Public Appearances, Tours, & Festivals
- Zócalo free concert, Mexico City (March 1, 2026): Drew roughly 400,000 people, reported as the largest crowd ever recorded in the city’s main public square, days after a record-setting stadium run in the capital.
- Copacabana Beach free show, Rio de Janeiro (May 2, 2026): A massive open-air performance on the Brazilian coast during the South American leg of her tour.
- Global Citizen Festival, New York (September 27, 2025): A high-profile festival appearance tied to the campaign’s global advocacy work.
- 67th Grammy Awards, Los Angeles (February 2, 2025): Performed a medley of “Ojos Así” and “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” her first Grammys performance in eighteen years, and won Best Latin Pop Album the same night.
- Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show, Miami (February 2, 2020): Co-headlined with Jennifer Lopez in a celebration of Latin culture watched by more than 100 million viewers.
