There is no one else like superstar Shakira. With a career that spans decades and a global crossover that paved the road for many more boundary-breaking artists, Shakira is truly unparalleled.

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira was a natural performer. 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. Her major label debut and its follow-up saw minimal success. Subsequently, Shakira took a break from recording to try her hand at acting, starring in Colombian telenovela El Oasis. But 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.

While Shakira was taking over Latin America, she had her eyes set for global domination. In 2002, Shakira told Rolling Stone, "I come to seduce" after releasing 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. Both Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2  elevated her star and released the single that would become synonymous with her career: "Hips Don't Lie (featuring Wyclef Jean)." As Shakira crossed over into the U.S. market with her music, the Colombian singer made sure to highlight her culture throughout her rise. In the video for "Hips Don't Lie," she is seen belly-dancing at Carnival and even shouts out her Caribbean hometown.

In 2009, Shakira mythologized herself as a "She Wolf" for her eighth album and dived into the elecro-pop of the era. That year, she told Rolling Stone, " “This is my chance to consolidate a career and my dreams as an artist in the U.S., so that I can continue making music for a long time and traveling the world.” Her prophecy came to fruition, and for her next three albums, she vacillated between English and Spanish and collaborated with major artists in both U.S. and Latin music markets like Rihanna and Carlos Vives.

More than thirty years into her career, Shakira is still reinventing herself and expanding her horizons. Her 2023 diss track — “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” with Argentine Bizarrap — went viral and reminded the world just how fiery Shakira's music can get. On 2024's Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, the singer experimented with cumbias and corridos in tandem with her new signature pop reggaeton, proving she "taught Latin music’s new wave everything they need to know about maintaining star power." — Maya Georgi