The Colombian singer's full name is Shakira Isabel Mebark Ripoll. The name Shakira comes from the Arabic word meaning "grateful."
She recorded her first album when she was only 13 years old.
Shakira speaks several languages: Spanish, Portuguese and English, and a little Italian, French and Catalan.
Shakira and her husband, Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, share the same birthday. She is 10 years older than the footballer.
Shakira's song Waka Waka (Time for Africa) is the best-selling World Cup song in history.
Shakira's IQ is 140 (the average is 100).
Shakira was invited to the White House by President Obama in 2010 to discuss child development, and in 2011 she was appointed as a member of the White House Initiative on the Educational Experience of Hispanics.
Shakira received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.
Although she only began to achieve great success with the release of her album "Laundry Service" in 2001, Shakira's career started strong in the early 90s. Since then, she has won eight Latin Grammys in the United States.