SHAKIRA BIOGRAPHY - AGE, CAREER, SONGS & FACTS

Shakira — the Colombian global superstar known as the Queen of Latin Music: 95+ million records sold, four Grammy Awards, two FIFA World Cup anthems, and a 2026 pop renaissance capped by the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour finale in Madrid and the Burna Boy collab "Dai Dai".

Image: Shakira / FIFA (official "Dai Dai" music video still)

Shakira Early Life

Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira was writing poetry and songs by the age of four. Spotted at a local talent contest, she signed with Sony Music Colombia at just 13 in 1990 and recorded her first album, Magia, a year later. Her third album, Pies Descalzos (1995), and its follow-up Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998) turned her into a Latin American star before she crossed over into English. In 1997, she founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation to give underprivileged Colombian children access to education.

Shakira Career Highlights

Shakira's English-language crossover arrived with Laundry Service (2001) and its global smash "Whenever, Wherever". She hit an even bigger peak with "Hips Don't Lie" featuring Wyclef Jean (2006), which topped the charts in 55 countries and ranks among the best-selling singles of all time. She Wolf followed in 2009, and in 2010 she recorded "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which became a worldwide phenomenon.

Her trophy shelf grew steadily: El Dorado (2017) won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in January 2018, and she also spent two seasons as a coach on The Voice (2013–2014). In 2023 she teamed with Bizarrap on "Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53", a record-breaking collaboration that claimed 14 Guinness World Records, and joined Karol G on "TQG". Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024) earned her a fourth Grammy — Best Latin Pop Album at the 67th Grammy Awards in February 2025. With four Grammy Awards, fifteen Latin Grammy Awards and more than 95 million records sold by 2023 (AFP), Shakira remains one of the best-selling and most-streamed artists of all time; in 2020 she became the first female artist with four songs from different decades to each pass 100 million streams on Spotify.

Shakira in 2026

2026 has been Shakira's victory lap. Her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour — 127 dates since February 2025 — is the highest-grossing Latin tour of all time and the fifth most lucrative tour by a female artist in history. It closes with a twelve-concert Madrid run from September 26 to October 11, 2026, at a temporary 50,000-seat stadium, according to AFP and Live Nation — her first performances in Spain since 2018.

The year's biggest chapter is "Dai Dai", her collaboration with Burna Boy, which was named the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The song has racked up more than a billion YouTube views since May 2026, and Shakira performed it at both the World Cup opening ceremony and the final, according to AFP — her second World Cup anthem after "Waka Waka" (2010). In May 2026 she also played Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro before more than two million people in a single night, one of the highest-attended concerts ever staged.

The year has not been without older shadows: in 2023 Shakira entered a guilty plea in Spain's long-running tax case and paid a €7.3 million fine, as reported by AFP. But the singer sounds unbothered. "I feel more secure and more confident than ever; so much more than when I was in my 20s," she said, according to The Sun's September 2026 interview.

For more artist deep-dives, read our Lady Gaga biography.

Quick Facts

Full Name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll

Born: February 2, 1977 (Barranquilla, Colombia)

Nationality: Colombian

Genre: Latin Pop

Records Sold: 95+ million

Grammy Awards: 4

Nicknames: Queen of Latin Music

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Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Shakira?
Shakira was born on February 2, 1977, which makes her 49 years old as of 2026.

What is Shakira's biggest song?
"Hips Don't Lie" (2006) is one of the best-selling singles of all time. Other defining hits include "Whenever, Wherever", "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" and "Dai Dai".

What is Shakira doing in 2026?
She is closing her record-breaking Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour with a twelve-concert Madrid run (September–October), after "Dai Dai" with Burna Boy became the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

How many records has Shakira sold?
Shakira has sold more than 95 million records worldwide, according to AFP.