Shakira becomes the first Colombian to have a name on iconic boulvard

LOS ANGELES - Reuters

Shakira. Reuters photo

Singer Shakira became the first Colombian artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, joining Latin stars Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera on the famed street.
“I would like to dedicate this to the Latin community in the U.S., a community that restlessly works and dreams and dreams and works everyday to make this a better country,” said the singer to fans gathered on the iconic Hollywood Blvd. sidewalk to see the singer unveil her star.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known professionally as Shakira, is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira began performing in school, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Arabic influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese as well as some Italian, French, Catalan and Arabic. After commercial flops with local producers on her first two albums, and being little-known outside Colombia, Shakira decided to produce her own brand of music. In 1995 she released Pies Descalzos, which brought her great fame in Latin America and Spain, and her 1998 album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? was a critical success selling over 7 million copies worldwide. In 2001, aided by the worldwide success of her first English single “Whenever, Wherever” that became the best selling single of 2002, she broke into the English-speaking world with the release of Laundry Service.