Shakira has reason to celebrate today, Monday, February 2. It happens to be the music industry superstar’s 49th birthday.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977. It wasn’t long before she was preparing to take her home country — and then the world — by storm.
See Shakira During Her Earlier Days
Shakira seemed to be destined for stardom when she was still young.
“She first stepped into the music industry at 13 years old when she signed to Sony Music Colombia after an impressive audition for an executive,” according to Rolling Stone. After her major label debut didn’t exactly see the kind of success she surely hoped for, she “took a break from recording to try her hand at acting, starring in Colombian telenovela El Oasis.”
Eventually, “the young star tapped back into her deepest passion with 1995’s Pies Descalzos, a pop rock album that introduced Colombia to the eclectic singer. Three years later, Shakira cemented herself as Latin music’s favorite rockera with Dónde Están los Ladrones?, snagging two Latin Grammys along the way.”
At the same time, “she had her eyes set for global domination,” per Rolling Stone, and soon brought the world her English-language debut, Laundry Service. “The album sold 13 million copies worldwide and gave the singer her first top 10 hits in the U.S.: ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and ‘Underneath Your Clothes.’ Once the world heard Shakira’s unique timbre, it was ready for more.”
Shakira Has Reflected on Her Career & Life Lessons
Getty“I find it amazing that after 30 years, my work still resonates so strongly with those who follow me,” Shakira said while talking to Vanity Fair Italia in December 2025.” Just knowing that has given me a new awareness of my career: I finally understand what it really means. I realize that every night, when I take the stage and see the audience’s faces smiling, having fun, getting emotional, and connecting with me and everyone there, it gives meaning and purpose to what I do.”
She went on to say, “Like any human being, I have experienced loss, disappointment, sadness, betrayal, and truly bitter situations. But I have learned to be grateful for what I have, instead of longing for what I don’t have. I am quite ambitious and always want more. That’s human nature. We all want more. We have a car, but we want a better one; we own a house, and we want a bigger one. We are never satisfied.”
GettyNoting that she already has “so much,” she explained what that is, saying, “[T]he love of my children, the love of my fans, and the fact that I am on tour every night doing what I love on stage. I want to enjoy this moment to the fullest, because I have learned.”
“I think I was very spoiled. I used to say things like, ‘I want this, I want that,'” she continued. “But life has taught me some lessons. Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but you might get what you need. How did the Rolling Stones put it in that song? You can’t always get what you want. A very wise man wrote that. And that’s exactly what I’m getting: what I need.”
Shakira is an amazing talent!