About Shakira
Initially achieving fame through Latin music, the Colombian-born artist Shakira, eventually went on to become the biggest female sensation in the world of Latin pop since Jennifer Lopez. Known for her rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an amazing level of creative control over her music and was involved in writing nearly all of her lyrical content. Upon releasing her first English material in late 2001, Shakira managed to become an instant hit, building a quirky and sexy image around her sensuous belly dance moves.
Lucky for all the fans of the Latin singer, Shakira’s El Dorado World Tour is all set to make waves across the country in August and first week of September, 2018. Talking about her latest series of performances, Shakira showed her excitement and said, “It’s going to be fun! The road to El Dorado starts now!” If you want to catch her live in action on stage, you ought to get your hands on these Shakira tickets! They are not expected to last long, so better get yours early.
Early Life
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoli was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on 2nd February, 1977. She is the only child of her parents. Shakira got involved in music at a young age, writing her first poem “La Rosa De Crystal/The Crystal Rose” at the age of four. She continued to write poems on a typewriter she received as a gift from her father, and these poems eventually ended up becoming songs.
As she began to show her belly dancing skills, Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla, gaining local attention. Soon she met a local theater producer, Monica Ariza. Ariza was impressed with her talent and managed to convince Sony Columbia’s executive director, Ciro Vargas, to audition Shakira. After managing to impress the record label, Shakira landed a contract of three albums.
Career Beginnings
Shakira released her debut album, Magia, in 1991, under Sony Music Columbia, at the mere age of 13. The album fared well on the Colombian radio and managed to give the young Shakira the exposure she needed. Soon after, Shakira started working on her second album, Peligro, though it did not prove to be a commercial success.
Latin Breakthrough
After making several records under the radar, Shakira finally got her Latin breakthrough with the album, Pies Descalzos, released in February 1996. The album debuted at the top in eight countries, though it did not chart well in the US. The album had multiple hit singles and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. Shakira also received three Billboard Latin Music Awards for this album.
Her next album, Donde Estan los Ladrones? produced entirely by Shakira herself, turned out to be a bigger hit than Pies Descalzos. The album topped the US Latin Chart for an impressive 11 weeks, and has since sold more than 10 million copies all over the world.
Shakira received her first Grammy Award nomination in 1999 for the Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. Her first live album, MTV Unplugged was a highly acclaimed album and got rated as one of her best-ever live performances. For this musical masterpiece, she got nominated for five Latin Grammy Awards.
Success with English Music
Once Shakira had set a strong foundation for herself in the Latin music industry, she started working on an English crossover album. The lead single from the album “Whenever, Wherever”, was released and became a massive international success, reaching number one in most countries. She also managed to garner a lot of fame in the US as the song charted at number six on the Hot 100.
Success continued for the artist as she released subsequent English albums. Laundry Service, her fifth studio album, debuted at number three in the US and sold more than 200,000 records in the first week of its sales. It was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA in 2004.
Oral Fixation and Super Stardom
Well on her way to super stardom, Shakira released her album, Oral Fixation in 2005. The album was a big success and got the Latin artist her second Grammy for the Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. Subsequent hits such as “She Wolf” and the super successful FIFA World Cup 2010 soundtrack “Waka Waka” made Shakira a global superstar. By January 2016, the video for “Waka Waka” had been viewed more than a billion times.
By 2012, the Columbian artist’s album sales had reached nearly 10 million, with her worldwide sales going up to more than 70 million, making her the highest selling Colombian artist of all time and the second most successful Latin singer, coming in second only to Gloria Estefan.
Other Ventures and El Dorado
Shakira was confirmed as a judge on the hit singing competition, The Voice, in 2012. The Latin singer, along with the R&B singer-songwriter Usher, replaced Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera to become a part of the judges’ panel alongside Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Shakira quickly became popular with the audiences and reprised her role as a judge for season six as well.
Meanwhile, the singer also continued to work on her music. She released a fresh new single, “Chantaje” from her upcoming and much-awaited album, El Dorado. The album itself was eventually released in May 2017, and had most of the songs sung in Spanish. As was expected, El Dorado quickly rose on the charts and went multi-platinum. A tour was announced for June 2017. However, things did not go as planned. Shakira had to cancel a whole series of shows because of strained vocal chords in November 2017. But lucky for the fans of the Latina singer, she is now back on track with her latest music and brand new tour dates.
Awards and Accolades
With an estimate of 125 million records sold all over the world, Shakira is widely regarded as one of the most successful Latin music acts in the world. She has won 225 awards from an impressive 584 nominations, including 12 Latin Grammy Awards and 2 Grammy Awards. She also holds four Guinness World Records and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the Best Original Song for “Despedida”.
Harvard Foundation in 2011 named Shakira their Artist of the Year. She got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011 as well.
Shakira Tour Tickets 2018
Fans of the Colombian singer would be delighted to know that Shakira tour tickets are back on sale for her performances in the summer of 2018. In a statement talking about her new dates, she said, “I wanted to write one more letter to express my gratitude to all of you for the immeasurable love and support that you have sent me these past few weeks. Thankfully, I am so relieved and happy to share with you that I will be getting back on the road in June 2018 with my El Dorado World Tour in Europe, and the US, with Latin America dates to be announced soon.”
And the dates have been announced! Get your tickets at the earliest for the upcoming shows, starting from 5th June in Cologne, Germany. The US leg of the tour, which was initially scheduled to start in January, will now begin on 5th August 2018, in Chicago, IL, and will see the artist travel to an additional 18 cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, Las Vegas, New York and Miami.
Shakira is as excited for the upcoming shows as you are and she is encouraging fans to show up with the highest level of enthusiasm and energy, “I promise to give you all of me and more from the minute I get on that stage and I am counting the days till showtime!”
