CHARACTERS

Shakira turns 46 today: 5 interesting facts about the Colombian singer-songwriter

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born in Barranquilla, a port city in northern Colombia, on February 2, 1977 to William Mebarak Chadid, an American jeweler native of New York and Lebanese descent, and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian of Spanish and Italian descent. 

During her long career, Shakira has sold more than 125 million copies of singles and albums: in addition, she has won 3 Grammy Award, 12 Latin Grammy Awards, 33 Billboard Latin Music Awards and 5 MTV Video Music Awards.

Yet, when she was young, some said that she could never have a future as a singer because of her voice: here are 5 interesting facts (that you may not have known) about Shakira!

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Happy birthday to Shakira!
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born in Barranquilla, a port city in northern Colombia, on February 2, 1977 to William Mebarak Chadid, an American jeweler native of New York and Lebanese descent, and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian of Spanish and Italian descent. During his long career, Shakira has sold more than 125 million copies of singles and albums: in addition, he has won 3 Grammy Award, 12 Latin Grammy Awards, 33 Billboard Latin Music Awards and 5 MTV Video Music Awards. Yet, when she was young, some said that she could never have a future as a singer because of her voice: here are 5 interesting facts (that you may not have known) about Shakira!
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When she was a child, she was discarded from the school choir because of her voice
Unbelievable but true. Shakira was a precocious talent, so much so that by the time she was 11 years old she had already learned to play the guitar: at that time, however, she was discarded from the school choir because her voice was considered similar to the cry of a goat.
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She is a huge fan of rock and hard rock music
Shakira began to be passionate about music thanks to rock. As she has stated in many interviews, the singer-songwriter as a child loved listening to Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Beatles, The Police, The Cure and Nirvana. In her career, the Colombian artist has also performed covers of famous songs by AC/DC and Aerosmith. During The Sun Comes Out Tour Shakira she also performed a reinterpretation folk of Nothing Else Matters, a song originally composed by Metallica.
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Her first passion was writing
Before she started singing, Shakira loved to write: in fact, she composed her first song when she was eight years old, called Tus gafas oscuras and dedicated to her father. The first gift the singer received from her father was indeed a typewriter, with which Shakira began to write her songs, but also some poems.
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She began to love to dance while eating at an Arab restaurant
Shakira 's father loved Arabic cuisine. One day, when she was a child, she was with her family at a Middle Eastern restaurant: here she heard for the first time darabouka, the typical drum that characterizes Arab melodies. At that moment, the future singer-songwriter climbed onto a table and began to dance, taking by surprise the owners of the restaurant and other customers who appreciated her performance.
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The incredible records of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)
Shakira has written and sung many hit songs, but Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) is a unique song. Written by Shakira herself with John Hill, this song was used as the theme song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and reached the top of the charts in 19 countries, becoming the fastest-selling World Cup single in the digital music era. In total, Waka Waka achieved 39 platinum records and 2 diamond records.The accompanying dance to this song also became one of the most famous in the world.
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