Shakira is a global phenomenon, with a catalog of 145 songs and an estimated 80 million records sold worldwide. She has won humanitarian awards for her charity work, building and running schools in her homeland. She is unafraid to be a political activist, using her platform to communicate her message. Most recently, she’s proven ready to throw down with the Spanish authorities in court over allegations of tax fraud.
Before becoming the “Queen of Latin Music,” Shakira was a four-year-old Colombian-Lebanese child writing her first poem. "La Rosa de Cristal" (The Crystal Rose) would lead to a lifetime of writing poetry that would become songs. Her signature style of belly dancing also began at a young age, and by 10 she was taking part in local talent competitions.
In 1990, at only 13 years old, Shakira landed a three-album record deal. Just five years later, she had shot to stardom in Latin America. “Pies Descalzos,” her third album, charted at number five on the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums and spawned six hit singles. International tours and three Billboard Latin Music Awards for Album of the Year followed, with her fourth album – “Dónde Están Los Ladrones?” – becoming an even bigger sensation, selling more than seven million copies worldwide and turning out eight hit singles.
Then, in 2001, Shakira burst onto the American scene with the album “Laundry Service,” securing her success in the English-speaking market with hits including “Whenever, Wherever,” “The One,” and “Underneath Your Clothes.” It became the best-selling album of 2002 and remains one of her most successful to date.
Shakira has gone on to release six more albums with songs that have gone to number one in multiple countries, including "La Tortura," "Hips Don't Lie," "Beautiful Liar," "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," "Loca," and "Chantaje." Her twelfth album is currently in the works.
And those accusations that Shakira owes millions to Spanish tax authorities? Don’t worry, she has receipts.
“I’ve paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit. So as of today, I owe zero to them. And finally, I was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers, so I was confident that I was doing things correctly and transparently from day one,” she said in a September interview with Elle.