Grammy-winning Latina pop singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll or Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977.
Shakira is an arabic name derived from the word "Shukram which means "Grace" the most literal translation is "woman full of Grace" , even though Shakira has said she identifies more with its second meaning, "Grateful."
Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s.
In 1995, Shakira founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation. It is a Colombian charity with special schools for poor children all around Colombia. During her career, Shakira has performed at a large number of benefit concerts. Among the most famous are the Live 8 benefit concert in July 2005, the Live Earth concert, Hamburg where she headlined the show, as well as the "Clinton Global Initiative" created by former US President Bill Clinton. She was also invited to the Oval Office by President Barack Obama in February 2010 to discuss early childhood development.
While promoting "Pies descalzos", she returned to Barranquilla in 1997 for a huge homecoming concert, the first one since becoming a star. Tragedy struck that night when the venue failed to control the 50,000 fans rushing in to see their star. Two people ended up being trampled to death, and this deeply affected her.
While hugely popular in much of the rest of the world, Shakira had not yet achieved a major record on the U.S. pop charts. She moved to Miami with her family to further her goal, and taught herself to write songs in English. She enlisted Emilio Estefan, of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame, to act as her manager and producer. Her first English-language album, Laundry Service in 2001, provided Shakira with the success in the United States that she longed for the album was number 3 on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week. The songs "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes" were both big hits.
In 2002 she ranked 9th in stuff magazine's as "102 Sexiest Women in the World", and in 2006 she ranked 20th in FHM magazine's as "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006".
When the production of 'Laundry Service' was near completion, Shakira purchased a home in Miami Beach, Florida.
Shakira's house in Miami sits on 6,500 square foot of pure land and it cost her for $3.38 million last 2001, the Mediterranean-style real estate has 5 bedrooms, 6 1/2 bathrooms, a pool and a dock.
The house is located in an exclusive area of Miami Beach and presents enchanting views of Biscayne Bay.
Miami Beach is home of numerous celebrities, such as Lenny Kravitz, Ricky Martin, Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Rosie O’Donnell, Matt Damon, and Gloria Estefan.