It was December 31, 1995, when I was introduced to Shakira. I was 11 years old and I was spending New Year’s Eve with the family; well what else could I do at 11? We were watching one of the few Spanish-language channels when they released the video to “Estoy Aquí.” This is when I fell in love.
Since then Shakira has sold an estimated more than 70 million albums worldwide. She has appeared as a judge on NBC’s The Voice and released the official 2010 FIFA World Cup song. Most recently, Shakira won best Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album at the Latin GRAMMYs, and El Dorado just scored a Grammys nomination for Best Latin Pop Album!
And I absolutely love her humanitarian work. According to her website:
Shakira’s humanitarian and advocacy work is focused on universal education and early childhood development, particularly the health, nutrition and stimulation of children who are not yet in school. Shakira has a three-part strategy which includes foundations dedicated to development advocacy in Colombia, Latin America and the World. In October 2011, President Obama appointed Shakira to the President¹s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, a commission dedicated to advising Obama and Secretary Arne Duncan on issues of educational success related to Hispanic students.
The list just goes on. Sure there are critics and other opinions about her crossover into mainstream music; but that’s everyone. Fun Fact: It was Gloria and Emilio Estefan who helped bring her into this mainstream music world.
So what do you love about Shakira? Will you be attending her El Dorado tour? I know I will!
Update: On Wednesday, December 27 Shakira announced that her concert will be postponed until June 2018. See you DC fans then! Read the news by clicking here.
The Professional Latino 