After the commercial failure of her first two albums, "Magia" (Magic) in 1991 and "Peligro" (Danger) in 1993, she rose to the top in Spanish-speaking countries with her albums "Pies Descalzos" (Barefoot) in 1995 and "Dónde Están los Ladrones" (Where Are the Thieves?) in 1998. She released her first English-language album in 2001 titled "Laundry Service," which sold over 13 million copies worldwide, solidifying her as the leading crossover artist, in addition to two singles she released independently: "Whenever, Wherever," which reached number one worldwide, and "Underneath Your Clothes."
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the largest music rights organization in the United States, described Shakira as a music pioneer who brought Latin voices to global fame. Shakira has released albums featuring 145 songs and has sold over 95 million records, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time, according to a 2023 Billboard report. She is also credited with paving the way for other Latin artists to enter the global music market.
Shakira has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards, twelve Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards (including the 2023 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), seven Billboard Music Awards, and thirty-nine Billboard Latin Music Awards. She holds twenty-one Guinness World Records and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Shakira was named Billboard's Latin Artist of the Decade twice (in 2000 and 2010).
In recognition of her charitable efforts through the Barefoot Foundation and her significant contributions to the music industry, Shakira received the Person of the Year award from the Latin Recording Academy in the same year, and the Artist of the Year award from the Harvard Foundation in 2011. She was also appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the United States in 2011 and was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012. Furthermore, on December 27, 2023, the city of Barranquilla honored her by unveiling a 6.5-meter bronze and ammonium statue in one of the city's squares, attended by her parents, William Mebarak and Nidia Ripoll.
