Acest site s-a nascut din dorinta si dor; dorinta de a fi de folos si dorul dupa oamenii cu care impartasim comuniunea de limba si credinta. Va invit sa treceti dincolo de aceasta prima pagina introductiva si sa descoperiti pe site o seama de materiale pe care vi le punem la dispozitie.

Samstag, 6. November 2010

Yolanda Be Cool - Biography; Photos, Pictures, Videos, NEWS, Articles

Yolanda Be Cool - Biography; Photos, Pictures, Videos, NEWS, Articles

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Yolanda Be Cool
Yolanda Be Cool is an Australian band, consisting of the duo Sylvester Martinez and Johnson Peterson. Together with fellow from Australia coming producers DCUP (Duncan MacLennan) in 2010, they
released the international dance hit We No Speak Americano.

The play is based on the Neapolitan song fà l'americano vuò Tu (You want to be American) by Renato Carosone from the year 1956. It became internationally known through the film It Started in Naples (1960), in which it is sung by Sophia Loren. Later it was used again in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley.

We No Speak Americano was a time number one Danish, Dutch and Swedish charts [2] and reached the Top 5 in Australia, Spain and Norway. In Italy, Belgium and New Zealand was also represented in the charts

The duo consists Yolanda Be Cool from the Australians Sylvester Martinez and Johnson Peterson. The band name is based on a scene from the movie "Pulp Fiction" in which Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield a robber named Yolanda orders to stay cool.
The first two singles "Afro Nuts" and "Holy Cow" found the two little attention. That changed with the single "We No Speak Americano!" in 2010, massive. The song is based on the title "fà l'americano Tu vuò" of 1956, which took place in the films "It Started in Naples", and "The Talented Mr. Ripley" use. Together with the Australian producers revised Yolanda Be Cool the song and it ended up an absolute chart hit. In Australia, the title came on the fourth, the third in Italy, New Zealand and Belgium in the second and in Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK respectively to first place in the singles chart.

"Yolanda, be cool!" With these words, trying Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction," the irritated Yolanda aka to calm honey bunny. The opposite is possible the Australian DJ duo that has this quote written on the flag: the European folk dance freaks out. read more
Sylvester Martinez and Johnson Peterson, both halves of Yolanda Be Cool rapture, disco-goers with its breezy summer-house and samples from samba to Italo-pop. The latter stuffed Martinez and Peterson together with producer DCUP the summer hit of the year.
"We No Speak Americano" is based on the Renato Carosone hit "fà l'americano Tu vuò in 1956. Equipped with such a Mediterranean flair, storming the Austral-house duo the singles charts in Europe.
Be influenced Yolanda Be Cool claims to the quality bratz Ed Banger sound à la Justice and their ilk. They are also open in the direction of minimal techno, which has been particularly noticeable in the remixes of various tracks.
Behind
Yolanda Be Cool sliding the two DJs Sylvester Martinez (a Spaniard) and Johnson Peterson (an Englishman) who recorded with the Australian producers DCUP (Duncan MacLennan) the song "Tu l'americano vuò fà" by Renato Carosone (1956) new have.

The track is now called "We Speak No Americano" and published by a small Australian indie label. It stands high on the international popularity of the summer hits 2010

The two Australians Sylvester Martinez and Yolanda Johnson Peterson Be Cool, with producer Duncan MacLennan, who calls himself DCUP, they form in 2010 Yolanda edit & DCUP Be Cool, the old Italian hit "fà l'americano Tu vuò" by Renato Carosone New rig up a simple, catchy, kind of crazy coming so danceable track and first hit in Australia like a bomb, and then in Europe.
As the House will swing the song made famous by Yolanda & Be Cool DCUP "We No Speak Americano" is, eingegenret of referrals, and so we can live with. Also, funny thing, that there were three young people from Australia, whose name you can assign rough, but very good very different regions of Europe, edit music emanating from a fourth part of Europe and is musically and operated by topic U.S. motives . Lou Bega is the song that was Carosone 1956 one of his biggest hits ever, just fall already covered and the Neapolitans Carosone, died in Rome in 2001, will remain unsure of the last Italian entertainer, whose resources we encounter in the coming years in a new form .
Italian hits have at least in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, almost always falls on potential and now that it was suspiciously quiet recently about her. Now, however, Mike Patton "Mondo Cane" was recorded and processed in order of Italian hits of the 60s, Yolanda put to Be Cool & DCUP, and that should please be just the beginning. Where we are back to where: the previously released two singles, "Holy Cow" and "Afro Nuts" are called, hears a look. Is funny.
I always find it great if you just zusammenschnipselt old movies to a music video. Sorry can not embed the video, so visit me in Youtube.
The whole thing is actually in the original by Renato Carosone and is called Tu Vuò Fa 'L'Americano.
Yolanda Be Cool, perhaps the currently hottest DJ team of Australia, is on the whole of Europe by storm. To their remake of the classic Renato Carosone "Tu Vuò Fa 'L'Americano" is celebrated in all tourist destinations. The chart successes speak for themselves: # 1 in Romania, Holland and Sweden, 2nd in Spain, 3rd in Belgium, # 4 in Australia (platinum award), 5th place in the UK, 7th in Italy. Even in Germany, making it the number to storm the charts throne!
Facts:
Media Control / special weekend Trend # 09!
Current Airplay Trend # 27!

Official Charts positions:
# 01 Romania
# 01 Netherlands
# 01 Sweden
# 02 Spain (and rising)
Belgium # 03 (and growing)
# 04 Australia (platinum award)
# 04 Norway (and growing)
# 04 Switzerland (rising)
# 05 UK (and rising)
# 07 Italy (and growing)
# 13 Austria (and growing)
# 20 Russia (and growing)

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP - We No Speak Americano
Sascha Baur Dance Permit: summer. In much of Europe, "We No Speak Americano" is already at the top of the charts. Now roll the Italo-Dance Hit to include Germany. The Australian band Yolanda has teamed up with Be Cool "fà l'americano Tu vuò" snapped a classic from the 50's and have him put in a summery DCUP producer of groovy clothes.
There are probably no other song that is played in the resorts as often as "We No Speak Americano". No wonder, because the mix of South American rhythms and Italo-song works really well. One wonders at first still, with what strange sound you are dealing with here, one of the retro charm conjures gone on to put a smile on his lips. The singing is lively and amusing - the intoxicating melody and also left. Always decorate again small instrumental parts and the sound use of the latest insane saxophone beats - the actual flagship of the track - will be torn from the deck chair. The piano line in the middle part does the rest. Whether chilling out in the sun or dancing in clubs, Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP managed, with its "fà l'americano Tu vuò" sample, which was denied Lou Bega with his cover version of the '50s classic. An entertaining (Radio Edit), dashing and extremely danceable summer including frenetic lyrics, and more economical. Lou Bega green with envy.

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DEUTSCH-GERMAN

Yolanda Be CoolYolanda Be Cool ist eine australische Band,bestehend aus dem Duo Sylvester Martinez und Johnson Peterson. Zusammen mit dem ebenfalls aus Australien stammenden Produzenten DCUP (Duncan MacLennan) veröffentlichten sie 2010 den internationalen Dance-Hit We No Speak Americano.
Das Stück basiert auf dem neapolitanischen Lied Tu vuò fà l'americano (Du willst amerikanisch sein) von Renato Carosone aus dem Jahr 1956. International bekannt wurde es durch den Film Es begann in Neapel (1960), in dem es von Sophia Loren gesungen wird. Später wurde es auch noch einmal im Film Der talentierte Mr. Ripley verwendet.
We No Speak Americano war einige Zeit Nummer eins der dänischen, niederländischen und schwedischen Charts[2] und erreichte die Top 5 in Australien, Spanien und Norwegen. In Italien, Belgien und Neuseeland war es ebenfalls in den Charts vertreten
Das Duo Yolanda Be Cool besteht aus den Australiern Sylvester Martinez und Johnson Peterson. Der Bandname fußt auf einer Szene aus dem Film "Pulp Fiction", in welcher Samuel L. Jackson als Jules Winnfield einem Räuber namens Yolanda befiehlt cool zu bleiben.Mit den ersten beiden Singles "Afro Nuts" und "Holy Cow" fanden die beiden wenig Beachtung. Das änderte sich mit der Single "We No Speak Americano!" im Jahre 2010 massiv. Der Song fußt auf dem Titel "Tu vuò fà l'americano" von 1956, welcher in den Filmen "Es begann in Neapel" und "Der talentierte Mr. Ripley" Verwendung fand. Gemeinsam mit dem australischen Produzenten überarbeiteten Yolanda Be Cool den Song und landeten damit einen absoluten Charthit. In Australien kam der Titel auf den vierten, in Italien auf den dritten, in Neuseeland und Belgien auf den zweiten und in Dänemark, den Niederlanden, Schweden und Großbritannien jeweils auf den ersten Platz der Single-Charts.
"Yolanda, be cool!", mit diesen Worten versucht Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction", die verunsicherte Yolanda a.k.a. honeybunny zu beruhigen. Das Gegenteil gelingt dem australischen DJ-Duo, das sich dieses Zitat auf die Fahne geschrieben hat: das europäische Tanzvolk flippt aus. weiterlesenSylvester Martinez und Johnson Peterson, beide Hälften von Yolanda Be Cool, verzücken Diskogänger mit ihrem luftigen Sommer-House und Samples von Samba bis Italo-Pop. Letzteres verwursten Martinez und Peterson zusammen mit Producer DCUP zum Sommer-Hit des Jahres."We No Speak Americano" basiert auf dem Renato Carosone-Hit "Tu vuò fà l'americano aus dem Jahre 1956. Mit derart mediterranem Flair ausgestattet, stürmt das Australo-House-Duo die Single-Charts Europas.Beeinflusst werden Yolanda Be Cool nach eigenen Angaben vom bratzigen Ed-Banger-Sound à la Justice und Konsorten. Sie sind aber auch in Richtung Minimal-Techno offen, was sich bislang vor allem in den Remixen diverser Tracks bemerkbar macht.Hinter Yolanda Be Cool stecken die beiden DJs Sylvester Martinez (ein Spanier) und Johnson Peterson (ein Engländer), die zusammen mit dem australischen Produzenten DCUP (Duncan MacLennan) den Song "Tu vuò fà l'americano" von Renato Carosone (1956) neu aufgenommen haben.
Der Track heißt jetzt "We Speak No Americano" und ist bei einem kleinen australischen Indie-Label erschienen. Er steht international ganz oben auf der Beliebtheitsskala der Sommerhits 2010
Die beiden Australier Sylvester Martinez und Johnson Peterson sind Yolanda Be Cool, gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten Duncan MacLennan, der sich DCUP nennt, bilden sie 2010 Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP, bearbeiten den alten italienischen Schlager „Tu vuò fà l´americano“ von Renato Carosone neu, basteln einen simplen, eingängigen, irgendwie bekloppt daherkommenden tanzbaren Track und schlagen erst in Australien wie eine Bombe ein, und dann auch in Europa. Als Swing House wird das Lied, das in der Version von Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP „We No Speak Americano“ heißt, von berufener Stelle eingegenret, und damit können wir gut leben. Außerdem ist an der Sache lustig, dass da drei junge Leute aus Australien, deren Namen man grob, aber ganz gut sehr verschiedenen Regionen Europas zuordnen kann, Musik bearbeiten, die aus einem vierten Teil Europas stammt und sich musikalisch und thematisch us-amerikanischen Motiven bedient. Lou Bega hat das Lied, das für Carosone 1956 einer seiner größten Hits überhaupt war, ebenfall schon gecovert und der Neapolitaner Carosone, 2001 in Rom gestorben, wird sicher nicht der letzte italienische Entertainer bleiben, dessen Schätzen wir in den kommenden Jahren in neuer Form begegnen.Italienische Hits haben zumindest in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz eigentlich immer Potential und es fällt jetzt auf, dass es zuletzt verdächtig still um sie war. Jetzt hat aber Mike Patton „Mondo Cane“ eingespielt und sich damit an italienischen Schlagern der 60er Jahre abgearbeitet, Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP legen nach, und das soll bitte erst der Anfang sein. Wo wir zurück bei denen sind: die haben zuvor zwei Singles veröffentlicht, „Holy Cow“ und „Afro Nuts“ heißen die, hört da mal rein. Ist lustig.Ich finde es immer super wenn man einfach alte Filme zu einem Musikvideo zusammenschnipselt. Leider lässt sich das Video nicht einbetten, deswegen schaut doch einfach auf Youtube.Das ganze ist eigentlich im Original von Renato Carosone und heißt Tu Vuò Fa’ L’Americano.Yolanda Be Cool, das vielleicht zur Zeit angesagteste DJ Team Australiens, macht sich auf ganz Europa im Sturm zu erobern. Zu ihrem Remake des Renato Carosone Klassikers “Tu Vuò Fa’ L’Americano“ wird in allen Urlaubsregionen gefeiert. Die Charterfolge sprechen für sich: Platz 1 in Rumänien, Holland und Schweden, Platz 2 in Spanien, Platz 3 in Belgien, Platz 4 in Australien (Platin Auszeichnung), Platz 5 in UK, Platz 7 in Italien. Auch in Deutschland macht sich die Nummer daran, den Charts-Thron zu stürmen!!!Facts:Media Control / Sondertrend Wochenende #09 !Aktueller Airplaytrend # 27 !
Offizielle Charts Positionen:# 01 Rumänien# 01 Niederlande# 01 Schweden# 02 Spanien (Tendenz steigend)# 03 Belgien (Tendenz steigend)# 04 Australien (Platin Auszeichnung)# 04 Norwegen (Tendenz steigend)# 04 Schweiz (Tendenz steigend)# 05 UK (Tendenz steigend)# 07 Italien (Tendenz steigend)# 13 Österreich (Tendenz steigend)# 20 Russland (Tendenz steigend)

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP – We No Speak AmericanoSascha Baur in Dance Gestatten: Sommerhit. In weiten Teilen Europas steht “We No Speak Americano” bereits ganz oben in den Charts. Nun rollt der Italo-Dance Hit auch auf Deutschland zu. Die australische Band Yolanda Be Cool hat sich mit “Tu vuò fà l’americano” einen Klassiker aus den 50er Jahren geschnappt und ihn von Produzent DCUP in ein sommerlich groovendes Gewand stecken lassen.Es gibt derzeit wohl kaum einen anderen Song, der in den Urlaubsorten so häufig gespielt wird wie “We No Speak Americano”. Kein Wunder, denn die Mischung aus südamerikanischen Klängen und Italo-Gesang funktioniert wirklich gut. Fragt man sich zunächst noch, mit welch eigenartigen Sound man es hier zu tun hat, zaubert einem der retro Charme schon kurz darauf ein Lächeln auf die Lippen. Der Gesang ist lebhaft und erheiternd – die Melodie mitreißend und ebenso abgefahren. Immer wieder schmücken kleine Instrumentalparts den Sound und spätestens mit einsetzen des wahnwitzigen Saxofon-Beats – dem eigentlichen Aushängeschild des Tracks – wird man vom Liegestuhl gerissen. Die Piano-Strecke im Mittelteil tut sein übriges. Egal ob zum Chillen in der Sonne oder zum Tanzen in den Clubs; Yolanda Be Cool und DCUP ist mit ihrem “Tu vuò fà l’americano” Sample gelungen, was Lou Bega mit seiner Cover-Version des 50er Jahre-Klassikers versagt blieb. Ein kurzweiliger (Radio Edit), schmissiger und äußerst tanzbarer Sommerhit inklusive frenetischer und sparsamer Lyrics. Lou Bega wird blass vor Neid

Yolanda Be Cool sprechen kein Amerikanisch.

Nummer 1 in UK, Belgien, Dänemark, Schweden und Holland. Von Null auf Platz acht in Deutschland. Das australische Musikprojekt bestehend aus dem Duo Sylvester Martinez und Johnson Peterson sowie ihrem Freund und DJ-Kollegen Duncan MacLennan alias DCUP bringen uns den Überraschungshit des Sommers: Südamerikanische Klänge gepaart mit einem Dancefloor-Beat, gemixt zu einem erfrischenden Song – „We No Speak Americ











Das Lied basiert auf einem Sample von 1956: „Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano“ von Renato Carosone, dem Klassiker, den Sophia Loren im Filmklassiker „Es begann in Neapel“ (1960) schmetterte.


















Rund 50 Jahre später stürmt seine moderne Interpretation die Charts in vielen Ländern Europas – dabei entstand der Mega-Hit eher zufällig! Nachdem Sylvester Martinez und Johnson Peterson während des DJ-Sets einer Freundin die begeisterten Reaktionen des Club-Publikums auf das Original mitbekommen hatten, entstand in ihren Köpfen die Idee zu IHREM Song: eine perfekte Mischung aus neapolitanischem Liedgut und urbaner Clubkultur. Sie selbst erinnern sich: „Normalerweise sitzen wir ewig an einem Song, aber bei ,We No Speak Americano’ ging das Arbeiten im Studio wie von allein, und nach zwei Tagen war der Track im Kasten.“Das Ergebnis erscheint auf dem Australischen Indielabel Sweat It Out, auf dem auch die Beatmaster Act Yo Age vertreten sind.Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP haben einen fantastischen House, Techno und Funk Mix erschaffen, der mit seinem Old-School-Sample nur darauf wartet, dass man seinen Kopf in pure Freude eintaucht. Etwas anderes als Spaß kann man bei diesem Funky Tune wirklich nicht haben...Mit der ersten Single "Afro Nuts" aus dem letzten Jahr fanden die beiden noch wenig Beachtung.Doch das wird sich 2010 massiv ändern. Der Name Yolanda Be Cool ist übrigens eine Anspielung auf den Dialog zwischen Samuel L. Jackson und der verunsicherten Yolanda a.k.a Honeybunney aus dem Kultfilm „Pulp Fiction“:

Jules: Now Yolanda, we're not gonna do anything stupid, are we?
Yolanda: You don't hurt him.
Jules: Nobody's gonna hurt anybody. We're gonna be like three little Fonzies here. And what's Fonzie like? Come on Yolanda what's Fonzie like?
Yolanda: Cool?
Jules: What?
Yolanda: He's cool.
Jules: Correctamundo. And that's what we're gonna be. We're gonna be cool. Now Ringo, I'm gonna count to three, and when I count three, you let go of your gun, and sit your ass down. But when you do it, you do it cool. Ready? One... two... three.
[Ringo sits down opposite Jules]
Yolanda: All right, now you let him go.
Jules: Yolanda, I thought you said you were gonna be cool. Now when you yell at me, it makes me nervous. And when I get nervous, I get scared. And when motherfuckers get scared, that's when motherfuckers accidentally get shot.
Yolanda: You just know, you touch him, you die.
Jules: Well, that seems to be the situation. But I don't want that. And you don't want that. And Ringo here *definitely* doesn't want that.

Yolanda Be Cool Bring “We No Speak Americano” Stateside

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP’s “We No Speak Americano”, which samples the 1956 song “Tu vuò fà l’americano” by Renato Carosone, is gaining airplay and moving up the Billboard Single Chart. The song recently debuted at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is currently #1 on the iTunes Dance charts.

Without a doubt, “We No Speak Americano” was the song of the Summer around the world. The single topped the charts in Germany, Austria, Ireland, The United Kingdom, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium.

Check out the official music video below.






















Shakira - Biography; Photos, Pictures, Videos, NEWS, Articles










Shakira - Biography; Photos, Pictures, Videos, NEWS, Articles



"This album represents exactly the way I am—my state of mind today, as an artist and as a woman," says Shakira. "Some of the songs remind me of my beginnings, so it’s kind of like going back to where everything started, but from a new perspective, with the way I see things now." On her ninth album, Sale El Sol/The Sun Comes Out, one of the few truly global superstars of our time continues her creative journey by looking both forward and back. The disc comes on the heels of Shakira's worldwide smash "Waka Waka," the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which turned into a global phenomenon. It's also the next chapter after 2009's critically-acclaimed, dance-oriented She Wolf, which was the long-awaited follow-up to 2005's groundbreaking one-two punch comprised of Fijacion Oral, Volume 1 and Oral Fixation, Volume 2—a pair of albums which combined to sell over 12 million copies worldwide and secured the young Colombian-born singer's place among pop music royalty.

Sale El Sol marks a return to the eclectic approach that defined Shakira's music and established her unique sound and style. "This album has three directions," she explains. "There's the romantic direction, which I hadn’t tapped into for the past three years, but it suddenly came to me and I couldn’t hold it back. So it’s got songs that are very intense, very romantic.
Then there are songs that are very rock and roll. I started my career as a rock artist and then I kind of crossed over into pop, so it’s been fun to re-encounter that side of my artistic personality".

"And then there’s the Latino, tropical side of the album," she continues. "I grew up listening to merengue—that was a big part of my life, and I was missing it. I went to the Dominican Republic, the source of merengue, and I started working with El Cata and producing songs like 'Loca' and 'Rabiosa' in this tiny studio in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t planned, I was just following my instincts. So this album is very genuine, and very personal as well."

A similar spontaneity led to the video for Shakira's new single “Loca,” which features UK star Dizzee Rascal and Dominican artist El Cata (on the English and Spanish versions, respectively). At the last minute, she scrapped plans for a studio shoot and took to the streets of Barcelona with a handheld camera. "The spirit of song is all about freedom, being yourself and not holding back," she says.

This sense of artistic exploration is no surprise coming from a woman who began writing songs at the age of eight; learned to speak English by studying the work of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Walt Whitman; and took history classes at UCLA during her break between albums. The compassionate side of Shakira is most obvious in the remarkable work of her Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) Foundation, which she started at the age of 18 and has now opened its sixth school. The foundation currently provides education and nutrition to over six thousand impoverished children in Colombia and is expanding its work to other countries, including newly launched projects in Haiti and South Africa.

"We shouldn’t think of this as charity” she has said. “Every child has talent to be developed and the potential to become a productive member of society. Education is a powerful tool to unlock those talents—and to break the cycle of poverty that too often traps them.” Shakira has also become a leading advocate for universal education, speaking to world leaders on the topic and advocating policy change to governments around the world.

Over the course of her career, Grammy winner Shakira has sold close to fifty million albums. Her collaborations with such stars as Beyonce and Alejandro Sanz have helped keep her audience expanding continually. She is the only artist from South America to have a Number One song in the US, and her performance was a highlight of the 2009 concert celebrating President Obama's inauguration. She has four of the twenty top-selling hits of the decade, more than any other artist—including 2006's unforgettable "Hips Don't Lie," the biggest-selling single of the 21st Century, which reached the Number One spot in an astonishing 55 countries.
“Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” along with its Spanish language version, "Waka Waka (Esto es África)," was yet another worldwide sensation. It sold over two million singles, making it the biggest World Cup song ever released. The official video has seen over 200 million YouTube hits, making it the Number Four most watched video of all time and the Number Three most watched music video. Including unofficial "Waka Waka" videos, the total cumulative views are over 400 million. The track was also the soundtrack to Shakira's 1Goal campaign for universal education.

The response to the song revitalized Shakira, and inspired both the direction of Sale El Sol and the plans for her recently launched world tour. "When I flew to South Africa, I never received so many hugs and kisses," she says. "In the airport, all the immigration officers were dancing the 'Waka Waka' dance! I was already missing the contact with fans, and that showed me the path so I could finish the album with all my energy and joy."

For Shakira, the title of the new album provides the key to her current outlook. "I was a little bit down at the end of last year, but as soon as this year started, the sun started shining for me," she says. "I find myself smiling more often, I feel more free and liberated.

"You go through difficult moments, everybody does, but there’s always the sun inside of us that never extinguishes, and it has come out for me. And, hopefully, it will be a long day in the sun." SOURCE>QUELLE>SURSA http://www.shakira.com/

Full Biography

After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest
female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists. When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly dance moves.



Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures; she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana. Shakira wrote her first song at age eight, began entering (and winning) talent competitions at age ten, and started learning the guitar at age 11 (one story runs that around this age, she was kicked out of her school choir for singing too forcefully). In 1990, at age 13, Shakira moved to Bogotá in hopes of pursuing a modeling career, but wound up signing a record deal with Sony's Colombian division instead. Her 1991 debut album, Magia, was comprised of songs she'd written over the past five or six years, including some of her earliest efforts. Although it didn't break internationally, the record started to make a name for her in her home country. Dissatisfied with the pop inclinations of the follow-up, 1993's Peligro, Shakira changed direction for a time, joining the cast of the Colombian soap opera El Oasis in 1994.

When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music and worked more rock & roll rhythms -- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos, which was initially released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit all over Latin America, as well as Spain. After that breakthrough, Pies Descalzos just kept spinning off singles: "Dónde Estás Corazón?," "Antología," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," "Se Quiere, Se Mata." The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S. as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).

Seeking to build on her success, Shakira signed Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's husband and a highly successful music-biz insider -- as her manager and producer. The move paid off when her follow-up album, 1998's Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), became an even bigger worldwide hit than its predecessor. What was more, it cracked the lucrative U.S. market wide open, spending 11 weeks at number one on Billboard's Latin album chart and producing two U.S. number ones (on the Latin chart) with "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Tu." The album's signature track, however, was the worldwide hit "Ojos Así," her most explicit nod yet to the Arabic music she'd picked up from her father (not to mention its latent belly dancing connotations). Dónde Están los Ladrones? was also the most effective presentation yet of Shakira's strong-willed persona; her self-analysis made her even more popular among female fans, while her anger over love gone wrong drew comparisons to Alanis Morissette.

When Gloria Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English, the prospect of a crossover suddenly seemed tangible, and Shakira decided that the most effective way to maintain control over her material was to learn English well enough to write in it herself. In the meantime, she set the stage for her crossover bid with a performance on MTV Unplugged, the channel's first Spanish-language broadcast. MTV Unplugged was released as an album in early 2000, and topped the Latin charts for two weeks on its way to becoming her third straight platinum album; it also won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of "Ojos Así" and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos Así") and Best Female Rock Vocal ("Octavo Dia").

Mainstream pop stardom beckoned. Shakira dyed her long brown hair blonde, romanced Antonio de la Rua (son of the former president of Argentina), and went to work on her first (mostly) English-language album, Laundry Service. The single/video "Whenever, Wherever" was released in advance of the album in late 2001, and made her a star in the English-speaking world almost overnight. Laundry Service entered the American pop charts at number three, and "Whenever, Wherever" climbed into the Top Ten of the singles chart, peaking at number six. The follow-up, "Underneath Your Clothes," also hit the Top Ten, halting at number nine; less than a year after its release, Laundry Service had gone triple platinum. Reviews of Laundry Service were divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery.

Extensive touring to support Laundry Service led to a long break for the singer, so a remix collection (2002's Laundry Service: Washed and Dried) and a live album (2004's Live & Off the Record) appeared in lieu of a new album. Revitalized, Shakira began the writing process for her next release and soon had 60 songs ready to go, some in English, some in Spanish; 20 of those songs were selected and divided up by language to make two different albums. Both appeared in 2005 and both hit the Top Ten, with the Spanish-language album Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 leading the way in June with a number four placing and the English-language album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, following in November at number five. As sales of Oral Fixation began to slow in early 2006, Epic reissued the album in March with a bonus track, "Hip Don't Lie." The newly recorded song went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June, becoming one of the summer's biggest hits and reviving sales of Oral Fixation, as well as Shakira's entire back catalog.

Shakira signed a ten-year contract with Live Nation in 2008, prompting Forbes to deem her the fourth top-earning female musician in history. She also worked heavily on another album, traveling to multiple cities while collaborating with such producers as RedOne, Wyclef Jean, and Luis F. Ochoa. She Wolf was completed in 2009 and readied for release in October, marking her third English-language album. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi


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