Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977), known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, philanthropist, and actress who emerged as a musical prodigy in the music scene of Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira revealed many of her talents in school as a live performer, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Middle Eastern influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English, and Portuguese Shakira is the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, and the UK Singles Chart.. Shakira is to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.