Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (Arabic: ?????? ?????? ???? ?????) (born: February 2, 1977), known simply as Shakira, , is a Colombian contralto singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who has been a major figure in the pop music scene of Latin America since the mid-1990s. She speaks fluent English, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, some Arabic, French and Italian. In 2001, she broke through into the English-speaking world with the release of Laundry Service, which sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, according to BMI. She has also won numerous awards worldwide, including two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, fifteen Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, a People's Choice Award and receiving a Golden Globe nomination. She is also the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, the United World Chart and the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, she is one of the only artists to have 10 Spanish singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100.   Wikipedia