Belly dancing diva Shakira turns 35

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Belly dancing diva Shakira turns 35

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Famous singer, dancer, song writer and producer Shakira is celebrating her 35th birthday today.

02 February,2012 11:36 am

Shakira was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia to a Lebanese father and Colombian mother.Shakira emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. She began performing in school, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Arabic influences with her own original twist on belly dancing.Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese as well as some Italian, French, Catalan and Arabic.After her first two albums flopped, Shakira took the reins of her third album, becoming involved in every aspect of its production. Released in 1996, Pies Descalzos, meaning bare feet, sold more than three million copies.Based on the success of her albums, Shakira became a music superstar in the Spanish-language markets, known for her strong vocals and incredible hip-shaking belly dance moves.While hugely popular in much of the rest of the world, Shakira had not yet achieved a major record on the US pop charts. She moved to Miami with her family to further her goal, and taught herself to write songs in English. She enlisted Emilio Estefan, of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine fame, to act as her manager and producer.Her first English-language album, Laundry Service (2001), provided Shakira with the success in the United States that she longed for—the album was No. 3 on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week. The songs Whenever, Wherever and Underneath Your Clothes were both big hits.Shakira returned to the top 10 of the albums chart in 2005 twice. She received the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album for Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, her second time winning such an honor. Previously, she had won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for 2000s Shakira: MTV Unplugged.Touring extensively, Shakira released two concert albums: 2007s Live and 2008s Oral Fixation Tour. In July 2009, Shakira released the new single, She Wolf, from her studio album of the same name. The album went platinum in 2010, and hit No. 15 on the Billboard charts in 2009. Her hit Waka Waka from her 2010 album Sale el Sol became the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The global superstar headed on tour shortly after to promote her album.In addition to her busy career, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) Foundation to help children in her native Colombia. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and was awarded a UN International Labor Organization medal in 2010 for her philanthrophic efforts.Shakira was also honored as the 2011 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in November 2011.