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Shakira: Albums
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Shakira, the Colombian-born rockera, has had a professional recording contract since she was a teenager. She has sold millions of albums throughout the world, had No. 1 songs on the charts in more than a dozen countries, performed for an MTV album, and won numerous awards. She probably has been as big of a success as is possible — for someone who doesn't perform in English.
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When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music, and worked more rock & roll rhythms -- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which was initially released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit all over Latin America, as well as Spain. After that breakthrough, Pies Descalzos just kept spinning off singles: "Dónde Estás Corazón?," "AntologÃa," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," "Se Quiere, Se Mata." The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S. as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).
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While hugely popular in much of the rest of the world, Shakira had not yet achieved a major record on the U.S. pop charts. She moved to Miami with her family to further her goal and taught herself to write songs in English. She enlisted Emilio Estefan—of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame—to act as her manager and producer. Her first English-language album, Laundry Service (2001), provided Shakira with the success in the United States that she longed for—the album was number three on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week. The songs "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes" were both big hits.
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Shakira was born in Barranquilla to a Lebanese father and a Spanish-Italian mother, and moved to Bogotá at the age of thirteen. She released her first album, Magia (Magic), one year later, on the Sony label. The album was only moderately successful, and Peligro (Danger), her second album, was no better received.
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Shakira was catapulted to international fame with the phenomenal success of Laundry Service, "Whenever, Wherever," and "Hips Don't Lie." Her Oral Fixation album earned her a Grammy and three Latin Grammys. Among the top five most successful artists since 2000, this award-winning singer has the attention of audiences across the globe.
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With a taste of success in the U.S., Shakira set her sights firmly on the American market. She performed on MTV's Unplugged television series and her performance was released as an album in 2000. She concentrated on learning English well enough to write her own lyrics in English, and in 2001 she recorded the mostly English album Laundry Service. The album's first single "Whenever, Wherever" turned into a smash hit and landed in the top 10 of the pop singles chart. Laundry Service debuted at #3 on the album chart and eventually sold 13 million copies worldwide.
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