Learn more about Shakira

Birth name :Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll

Nickname :Shaki

Height :4' 11" (1.50 m)

Mini biography:

Grammy-winning Latina rock singer Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977. Her father is a Lebanese immigrant and her mother a native of Colombia. Shakira began her musical career at age 12 and quickly captured fans throughout Latin America. Singing in Spanish and Portuguese, she is often called the "Latin Alanis Morissette" due to her hard sounds. She won the 2001 Best Latin pop Grammy for her "MTV Unplugged" album.

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 the Arabic word for "grateful" or "full of grace."
  
• Is of Colombian and Lebanese and Macedonian heritage.
  
• Named her album "Laundry Service" because when she is in love she feels "clean and fresh"
  
• Has an IQ of 140!
  
• Fluent in Portuguese, Italian, and English, in addition to Spanish and Arabic
  
• Hates to wear jewellery.
  
• Her Lebanese grandmother taught her the art of Arabian Belly Dancing (dança do ventre) so she can stay true to her middle eastern roots
  
• Ranked #9 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).
  
• She likes chocolate balls.
  
• Father's name is William Mebarak Chadid and mother's name is Nidia del Carmen Ripolli Torrado.
  
• Her mother is half Colombian and half Italian and her father is American with Lebanese and Macedonian ancestry.
  
• She has 5 half brothers Alberto, Edward, Moises, Tonino and Robin and 3 half sisters Ana, Lucy and Patricia.
  
• 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.
  
• The first English song she wrote was Objection, from the album Laundry Service.
  
• She loves to eat corozos, a little Colombian fruit that is sweet-sour.
  
• Lost her suitcase with all her songs from Donde Estan Los Ladrones in an airport in Bogota Colombia. This happened a couple of months before she walked into the recording studio to begin on that album.
  
• Mattel put out several Barbie dolls inspired by Shakira and her look.
  
• Has homes in the Bahamas and Miami
  
• "Hips Don't Lie" instantly soared to the top of the charts in many countries and has been at the very top for many months. It has won countless awards and is currently being performed all over the world along with Wyclef Jean.
  
• Named #20 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).