Shakira

Columbian singer and model Shakira was born as Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll on February 02, 1977. She has always loved performing and often sang and danced as a child. She loved belly dancing which she learned from her mother and grandmother. She took part in dance classes and school performances. She is the youngest of 8 children, and they all enjoy music and dancing.
As a child, see would sing at various festivals. She also had quite a few modeling opportunities. She enjoyed the work, but her mother also wanted her to grow up with a childhood that was as normal as possible. She was only 13 when she recorded her very first album.

In the early part of 1990 she released her first album. She did well with it and her second album in 1992. However, it was her third album in 1996 and fourth in 1998 that have put her in the spotlight and helped her to sell out tours. She didn’t release an album in English until 2001. She is fluent in Latin, English, and Portugese. She can also speak some French and Arabic.
In 1998, she was approached by Steven Spielberg to play a role in The Mask of Zorro. She loved the idea but didn’t feel her English was strong enough them to do well and passed. The role went to Catherine Zeta Jones.

She takes very good care of her body. Shakira doesn’t drink or smoke. She doesn’t consume coffee. She eats healthy meals and she works out daily. A big part of her workouts include dancing and choreography so it is fun to her, not work. She doesn’t have any tattoos. Her idol is Gloria Estefan, whom she feels paved the way for women to make a place in the world of Latin music.
There are numerous awards that Shakira has won for her music. She has sold more than 125 million albums around the world. In 2013, Forbes listed her as one of the most powerful women in the world. She often advocates for child related purposes to raise both money and awareness.  The organization called Barefoot is one she founded to help children in Columbia escape from a violent life.

She has never been married. She was with long term boyfriend Antonio de la Rua from 2000 until 2010. Shakira has been with her partner, Gerard Pique, since 2012. The couple have a child together.

photo credits : flickr