Shakira was born in Colombia to Colombian and Lebanese parents. She began her singing career in Colombia at age 13 and crossed over to the US pop music scene in 2001 at age 24. To appeal to US audiences, she dyed her hair blonde and sang primarily in English, adapting to mainstream US pop styles. While this helped her commercial success, some criticized her for abandoning her Latin roots and folk/rock influences. Shakira believes she remains true to her Latin identity while gaining new international fans.

1. • Born in Columbia
• Columbian-Lebanese
decent
• Started singing when
she was 13 in Columbia
• Crossed over to the U.S.
Pop music scene in
2001, at age 24.

2. Her Cross Over Age 16 in Columbia
• Latin-Pop to U.S. Pop Star
• Before- Her Brown hair-
people compared her to
Alanis Morissette
• Inevitable (1998)
• After her cross over:
Blonde hair, people
compared her to Christina
Aguilera, Britney
Spears, Beyonce
• Whenever, Wherever
(2001)

3. Her transformation
• She remade herself to cross over from Latin
and South American to U.S. Stardom by dying
her hair,singing inEnglish, and adapting to
more mainstream U.S. Pop.
• Do you think this has impacted her
relationship with her fan base back in
Columbia or elsewhere?

4. What made her famous in the US
• Underneath Your
Clothes (2001)
• Her first album in the
U.S. was titled Laundry
Service because she felt
it was a new beginning
• People described her as
“The Latin Britney” or
“the next Madonna”

5. Problems with cross-over?
• Rolling Stone-
– “Her music is lost in
translation”
– “Sounds downright silly”
• Shakira criticized by Latin fans
for abandoning her folk and
rock roots for American Pop
• Do you agree?

6. Shakira Doll
•Hyped to be a multi-cultural
doll
•Looks more like a daughter
to the Ken and Barbie family
•Tiny waist, white skin
complexion, blonde
hair, placement of
microphone

7. Album Covers
Before Cross over:

8. After cross
over:

9. Adapting to the US Pop Culture
• La Tortura (2005)
• In the article She says
“working since the age of
thirteen, famously
resists attempts to label
her as “the Latin
Britney” or “the next
Madonna”
• What makes her
different?

10. • Shakira became known in
the US in 2001, Christina
Aguilera came out with
her Dirrty video in 2002.
• Looking at Britney Spears Beginning of career
transformation
or Christina Aguilera’s
careers, do you think
that Shakira felt the need
to become more
sexualized in her music
videos to become more
popular? Beginning of career transformation

11. Is she a clone of pop culture or is she
unique?
• She Wolf (2009)
• The article mentions:
• “Her exotic rock star
energy and her exotic
sexiness is what makes
her different than
otherpop stars”
• she “reframes
conventional
representations of Latina
“otherness”
• Do you agree?

12. Her View
• “I’m not pretending to be American. How
could I? I am Columbian. Everyone knows and
nothing could change that. I would never
abandon the Latin community. The Latin fans
know me and tolerate me, and forgive my
mistakes. That’s the type of relationship I want
to build with my Anglo fans now.”
• Do you agree with her statement?