Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( shə-KEER-ə, Spanish: [ʃaˈkiɾa isaˈβel meβaˈɾak riˈpol]; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. Referred to as the "Queen of Latin Music", she has had a significant impact on the musical landscape of Latin America and has been credited with popularizing Hispanophone music globally, contributing to increased learning and use of the Spanish language worldwide. She is also credited with opening the doors of the international market for other Latin artists. Her accolades include four Grammy Awards and fifteen Latin Grammy Awards.
Shakira made her recording debut with Sony Music Colombia at the age of 14. She rose to prominence with the albums Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). Her first English release, Laundry Service (2001), sold over 13 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female Latin artist. Her success was further solidified with the Spanish-language albums Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), Sale el Sol (2010), El Dorado (2017), and Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024), all of which topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, making her the first woman with number-one albums across four different decades. Her English albums Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), She Wolf (2009), and Shakira (2014) achieved platinum status worldwide.
Shakira is among the world's best-selling musicians with numerous number-one singles, including "Estoy Aquí", "Ciega, Sordomuda", "Whenever, Wherever / Suerte", "Underneath Your Clothes", "Objection (Tango)", "La Tortura", "Hips Don't Lie", "Beautiful Liar", "She Wolf", "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", "Loca", "Rabiosa", "Can't Remember to Forget You", "Dare (La La La)", "La Bicicleta", "Chantaje", "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53", "TQG", and "Dai Dai". Shakira served as a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice (2013–2014), had a voice role in the animated films Zootopia (2016) and Zootopia 2 (2025), and executive produced and judged the dance competition series Dancing with Myself (2022). Billboard named her the Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade twice (2000s and 2010s), and she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026. Involved with the FIFA World Cup at various points since 2006, Shakira has been described as the tournament's artistic, publicity, and humanitarian icon.
Shakira has written or co-written a vast majority of music and lyrics she performed during her career and is regarded as an "international phenomenon", known for blending Western and Middle Eastern influences. She received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year awards in 2011, for her philanthropic and humanitarian work, such as the Barefoot Foundation, and was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Additionally, she was granted the honor of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012, and advocates for equitable development of the Global South, the rights and interests of children, the Latino minority in the U.S. and Canada, women, and other under-represented groups.
