One of Those Women That Help Change This World For Better
Birth name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Date of Birth: February 2, 1977
Place of Birth: Barranquilla, Colombia
Nationality: Columbian
Origin: Spanish/Italian/Lebanese/Macedonian
Occupation: Singer, musician, record producer, philanthropist
Height: 5 ft 1.5 in; 1.56 m
Measurements: 32B-24-37 (US); (70-60-82 (EU)
Famous for: She is the world famous singer and the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time.
Quotes:
My brain, I believe, is the most beautiful part of my body.
The worst mistake of a woman is to go to the kitchen, because then she never gets out of there.
We need to do everything we can to protect and educate our children around the world.
Interesting Facts:
Shakira is Arabic for “grateful” or “full of grace”.
Her Lebanese grandmother taught her the art of Arabian Belly Dancing which is one of her personal trademarks.
She was only eight years old when she wrote her first song Your Dark Glasses. The song was inspired by her father, who for years wore dark glasses, to hide his grief over loss of his son (Shakira’s older half-brother who was killed in a motorcycle accident).
In the second grade she was rejected for the school choir because her vibrato was too strong (the music teacher told her that she sounded “like a goat”).
During the period between 1996 and 2010 she released 7 albums and she has sold over 70 million albums worldwide as of 2011.
She won numerous national and international music awards including twelve Billboard Latin Music Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, etc.
She is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and English.
Her cousin is Valerie Dominguez Tarud, a fashion designer and Miss Colombia 2006.
She is a big fan of Bollywood movies and music from India.
She is named as one of the most attractive women in the world by numerous men magazines around the world including Maxim, FHM, etc.
In 1995, she founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation (a charity organization with special schools for poor children all around Colombia).
On April 3, 2006, she was honored at a UN ceremony for creating the Pies Descalzos Foundation. However, during her speech at the event she said: “Let’s not forget that at the end of this day when we all go home, 960 children will have died in Latin America.”
Ever since she became a famous singer she has performed at a large number of benefit concerts and helped raise millions of dollars for charity causes.
She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
In December 2009 she was chosen by the Oxford Union and joined the ranks of Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, several US Presidents, and the Dalai Lama XIV, as a chosen speaker.
In 2010 she was invited to the Oval Office by President Barack Obama to discuss early childhood development.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 8, 2011.
Shakira in one sentence – She is a remarkable, beautiful, intelligent, strong, and multi-talented woman with a big heart and gentle soul.
Go to Shakira Gallery or to Beautiful Colombian Women
Always remember that true beauty comes from within.