Shakira started singing early in the 1990s but at the time, she was unsuccessful.
She went on to have some success in 1996 and 1998 in Latin America with two albums released there.
However, it wasn't until she released her album 'Laundry Service' which was her fifth album. The single 'Whenever, Wherever' released in 2002, was the best selling single of that year.
- Shakira is said to be the highest-selling Colombian singer ever and has sold 50 and 60 million albums.
- "Hips Don't Lie" was played 9,637 times in one week in America and became the most played song in a single week in the American history of radio.
Shakira is married to FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique who she met when filming the video for her song 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) which was the official Fifa World Cup Song of 2010). The video for this is below.
The couple have a son, Milan (aged two) together. Shakira is expecting their second baby, also a boy, around February 2015.