Shakira

Shakira

Birth Date: February 02, 1977
Birth Place: Barranquilla, Colombia

Her 2005 album could've been called Aural Fixation, because Shakira's unique version of sexy, heartfelt Latin pop has turned her into a mass-market obsession. The hip-shaking singer released her first Spanish-language album as a teenager, and by the late '90s, her albums – and a role on the soap opera El Oasis – had made Shakira a huge star throughout Latin America and Spain.

To conquer America, she headlined MTV's Unplugged, and the recording of her acoustic performance won a Latin Grammy in 2000. Shakira began taking English lessons, and the following year, her English-language debut, Laundry Service, entered the charts at No. 3.

However, Shakira considers her work battling childhood poverty just as important as her music career. The other love in her life, fiancé Antonio de la Rua, is the son of Argentina's controversial former president.