Today, Shakira might be in the news for her Super Bowl halftime performances and her recognizable hip swivel. Fans don’t know a lot about Shakira, though.
Many turns and turns lead the singer to where she is today—a musical icon with a résumé lengthier than nearly any other professional in the field—from the beginning of her career to her background and musical inspiration.
Here Are 10 Little-Known Facts Regarding Shakira’s Career and Legacy as An Artist that Every Fan Should Be Aware Of.
1. Shakira Began Song Recording at The Age of 13.
Shakira Actually Started Recording Songs at The Age of 13, but American Listeners, for Example, Didn’t Hear from Her until Much Later (and Considerably More Mature, as Proven by “hips Don’t Lie”).
Shakira, Meanwhile, Had Already Started Writing Poems Before She Started Producing Music. She Revealed to The Guardian in An Interview that Her Father Had Already Purchased a Typewriter for Her Before She Turned Five. Shakira, Who Has Been Creative Since a Young Age, Started Recording in 1990 with Sony Colombia.
Who Would Have Imagined that The Rising Artist, Who Had Almost Fallen Off Sony’s Radar, Would Go on To Tour the Globe, Join J. Lo Onstage at The Super Bowl, and Dominate the Charts?
2. There Are 8 Siblings She Has.
Shakira, Whose Name in Arabic Means “grateful,” Has Talked About Her Upbringing in Interviews, but She Hasn’t Always Brought up Her Large Family. According to Hola, While Shakira’s Mother only Had One Child, the Star’s Father Had Nine Children with His Previous Wife Before the Birth of Shakira.
But when Shakira Became Well-Known, Her Siblings Continued to Be in The Spotlight. Her Road Manager Is Toni Mebarack, Who Is Her Brother. However, Her Other Siblings Work in A Variety of Fields Other than Music, Including Law, Medicine, Business, and Education.
Naturally, the Majority of Them Are Occupied with Their Own Life (though One Sibling Passed Away when Shakira Was Two).
3. A Song by Shakira for Ricky Martin
Currently, the Two Are More Like Coworkers, but When Shakira Was First Breaking Out, Ricky Martin Had Already Achieved Some Level of Success with The Band Menudo. at Least Big Enough to Act as A Judge at A Music Festival in Chile.
According to Shakira’s Bio, She Had a Performance at The Festival, Took Third Place, and The Rest Is History. Meeting Ricky Martin May Have Simply Been a Foreshadowing of The Future for The Now-Famous International Celebrity.
4. Shakira’s Music Is Influenced by Her Arabian Heritage
Shakira Has a Diverse Background and Is Frequently Referred to Be a Crossover, Which Accounts for The Variety in Her Songs. Shakira, Whose Father Is Lebanese, Attributes a Lot of Her Artistic Influence to Her Arabian Ancestry.
Her Musical Taste and Hip-Shaking Belly Dancing Performances Are Also Products of Her Heritage. Shakira First Encountered the Lebanese Custom of Belly Dance when She Was a Youngster. She Has Also Developed Dance Competitions Based on Traditional Dances, Such as The Champeta Challenge.
5. But The Rock She Was Raised Listening To
Every Type of Influence May Is Heard when Listening to Shakira’s Music, Notably in Her World Cup Anthems. Although Her Music Now Has a Wider Global Perspective, when She Was a Young Musician, Her Inspirations Were Much More Traditional.
Shakira Cites International Rock Icons as Her Main Influences. Her Childhood Loves Included Nirvana, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, U2, and The Cure. However, Hola Also out That Shakira Also Drew Inspiration from Her Own Experiences. at The Age of Nine, She Wrote Her Debut Song About the Death of Her Older Half-Brother.
6. Gloria Estefan Taught Her English
Shakira Didn’t Speak English when Her Spectacular Journey to Popularity Initially Started. but Listeners of “whenever, Wherever”—who Also Adored It—know that Shakira Does Speak the Language—at Least at The Moment.
Shakira Didn’t Speak English when “Whenever, Wherever” Was Recorded, but Gloria Estefan Helped Her Pick up The Language. Critics Weren’t Impressed, Even if Fans Adored the New Song and The English-Language Tunes that Came After It.
Shakira’s Spanish Songs’ Wordplay Literally Didn’t Translate, but That Didn’t Stop Her from Continuing; Today, She Even Speaks Four Languages.
7. However, She Gave Mtv’s First-Ever Spanish Song Performance.
Despite Being Incredibly Intelligent and Fluent in Several Languages, Shakira’s Greatest Love Is Still Spanish. It Wasn’t Shocking that She Performed in Spanish on Mtv Because the Majority of Her Songs Are in That Language.
But the fact that Shakira Was the First Performer to Ever Perform a Spanish-Language Song at The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards Was Unexpected. but The Legendary Act Was Just the Beginning of The Singer’s Numerous Ground-Breaking Business Moves. Shakira Has Now Established Herself as A Pioneer for Female Artists and Musicians Around the World.
8. She Has Outsold J. Lo and Ricky Martin Thanks to Her Prolific Record Sales
Shakira May Have Dance Moves that Are Virtually on Par with Jennifer Lopez’s, but In Practically Every Other Respect, Shakira Is Superior. in Actuality, She Has Outsold Both Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. Thankfully, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez Have Kept up A Connection that Has Endured Throughout Both of Their Public Personas.
In Addition to Her 11 Studio Albums, Shakira Has Also Produced 68 Singles, Two Compilations, and Five Live Albums. to Put It Mildly, She Is Prolific, and Her Sales Are Impressive.
Read More: James Cameron’s Top Ten Fascinating Facts..!
9. Colombia Has a Statue of Her
Shakira Had Previously Performed on Stages All Over the World and was Gone on World Tours by 2006. She, however, and Her Supporters Never Lost Sight of Their Origins. in Barranquilla, the Colombian City Where Shakira Was Born, There Is a Massive 16-Foot-Tall Statue of The Singer. It Was Made by A German Artist.
Shakira Discussed Visiting a Park in Her Birthplace and Meeting Orphans There Who Were Living in Poverty in An Interview with The Guardian. the Singer Said That’s Where She Got Her Motivation to Make a Difference in The World and Her Parents Proud.
According to Colombia Travel, the Steel Monument Now Serves as A Reminder to Children in Barranquilla that They, Too, May Fulfil Their Ambitions.
Read More: 40 Facts About Tracy Morgan You Didn’t Know..!
10. Shakira Has Won Numerous Awards for Her Crossover Abilities
Shakira May Have Been the First Performer to Sing a Spanish Song on The MTV Video Music Awards Stage, but She Also Rose to Fame Through Fusing Almost All Musical Genres. Her Work History Is Still Dotted with Illustrious Collaborations and Global Influences.
There Seems to Be Nothing Shakira Can’t Achieve, from Her Generosity to Her Capacity to Influence World Leaders.