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Happy Birthday Shakira: Remembering some of the amazing things she did before turning 46
The Barranquilla native is arguably the most successful cross-over singer
Shakira is 46! The Aquarius Latina Powerhouse is celebrating her birthday on February 2nd, surrounded by the people she loves the most. The Barranquilla native is arguably the most successful cross-over singer, with seven Spanish-language albums and four English-language records. In addition to being a successful businesswoman, she is also a fantastic mom.
But before breaking records and becoming a global phenomenon, her career can be tracked down to when she was just 13 years old and recorded under Sony Music Colombia. Fast forward to today, our little she-wolf pup transformed into a “Loba”; therefore, we decided to honor her by enlisting some fantastic things she did before turning 46.
Making a name
After becoming a renowned artist in Hispanic countries with her third and fourth albums, Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998), Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth project, Laundry Service (2001), which sold over 13 million copies worldwide.
The album singles “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes” solidified the Colombian star as a leading crossover artist that continued opening the path for Latino singers.
Topping the charts
Shakira’s Spanish-language albums Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), Sale el Sol (2010), and El Dorado (2017) topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. They were certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Her English-language albums Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), She Wolf (2009), and Shakira (2014) were all certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum.
“La Tortura,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Beautiful Liar,” “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” “Loca,” “Chantaje,” and “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” are among the songs that reached the number one position.
Her impressive musical catalog
Shakira has a catalog of over 145 songs. She has sold over 80 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Her music has helped her secure numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards, twelve Latin Grammy Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, thirty-nine Billboard Latin Music Awards, six Guinness World Records, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Breaking records
The Colombian global sensation is the most-viewed Latin female artist, one of the top-10 artists of all time on YouTube with over 20 billion cumulative views, and the most-streamed female Latin artist on Spotify.
In 2018, Shakira became Spotify’s highest-streamed Latin artist. In 2020, she became the first female artist to have four songs from different decades to have over 100 million streams on the same platform, and in 2023 her song featuring Bizarrap, “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” skyrocketed to the top of Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart.
In addition to reaching the top, the viral collaboration is the Latin song with the most streams in a single day, breaking the record for most streams by a track on a given day in Spain and Colombia.
Musical coach
Wanting to pass down her knowledge in the industry, Shakira became a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice.
Shakira’s philanthropic work
Through her Pies Descalzos Foundation (Barefoot Foundation), Shakira has improved the education and social development of children in Colombia. Committed to the U.N’s Sustainable Development Goals, the singer and philanthropist has worked effectively for nearly two decades to bring quality public education to thousands of children in her native country living in vulnerable communities.
Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez made headlines for weeks after their showstopping, culture-filled, and energetic performance at the 2020 Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Latina powerhouses brought the house down; therefore, their halftime show is by far the most viewed Super Bowl video, amassing over 260 million views to date, over a quarter of all 971 million combined views of the top 10.
An exhibit in her honor
The Grammy Museum will honor the singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, visual artist, philanthropist, and global icon, with the Shakira, Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum Experience. Opening on Saturday, March 4, the exhibit will showcase Shakira’s enduring creative legacy while exploring the artist’s musical evolution, from her origins as a Latin rock-loving singer-songwriter in Barranquilla, Colombia, to a global superstar whose catalog spans multiple genres, from bhangra and bachata to rock and reggaetón.
Visitors of the Shakira, Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum Experience would be able to appreciate and understand how she used these cultural elements to shape every aspect of her songs, music videos, performances, and world tours.
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