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Shakira Biography

    * Real Name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
    * Nick Name: Shaki
    * Date of Birth: 2/2/1977
    * Birth Place: Barranquilla, Colombia
    * Gender: F
    * Occupation: Singer
    * Horoscope: Aquarius


Biography:

Grammy-winning Latina pop singer Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977. Her father is a Lebanese-American immigrant and her mother a native of Colombia of Italian and Spanish decent. Shakira began her musical career at age 12 and quickly captured fans throughout Latin America. She won the 2001 Best Latin pop Grammy for her "MTV Unplugged" album.


Shakira Trivia:

Announced engagement to Antonio de la Rua, son of the present President of Argentina. [March 2001] Is the youngest of eight siblings. Shakira is Arabic for "grateful" or "full of grace." Named her album "Laundry Service" because when she is in love she feels "clean and fresh" Fluent in Portuguese, Italian, and English, in addition to Spanish. Hates to wear jewelry. Her Lebanese grandmother taught her the art of Arabian Belly Dancing so she can stay true to her middle eastern roots Has perfect pitch (the ability to recognize any note upon hearing it or sing any note without prior to hearing it) Her manager for Latin America, Patricia Tellez, the woman who helped her go from being local artist to Grammy-winning global artist, died of a heart attack in Bogota on 17 August 2004. Ranked #9 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002). She likes chocolate. Father's name is William Mebarak Chadid and mother's name is Nidia del Carmen Ripolli Torrado. Her mother is Colombian half Catalan Spanish and half Italian and her father is American of Lebanese ancestry. Steven Spielberg offered her the role of Elena Montero in The Mask of Zorro (1998) back when he was originally in talks to direct it. But, she turned the offer down because she felt that not only was she a bad actress, but her English wasn't good enough. When she was two years old her oldest half-brother died in an accident while he was riding a motorcycle and a drunk man hit him with his car. Her oldest half-sister Lucy is a surgeon, Alberto, her half-brother, is a lawyer, Moises is the third child, Tonino is the fourth child and the closest to Shakira, having worked many years as her road manager. Then is Patricia who lives in Spain, she is a special education teacher, and finally there is Antonio and Edward, the youngest who lives in Miami.