We listen to Shakira “whenever! wherever!” we want to—especially now that she's gearing up to headline the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show alongside Jennifer Lopez. The sultry mononymous Colombian singer-songwriter born as Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll has been producing music since she was just 13 years old. In fact, she wrote her first album, Magia, as an 8-year-old chica. It was during the '90s, however, that she really popped onto the scene, unleashing Latin hits inspired by reggaeton and the sounds of South America and the Caribbean. And then she began working toward her goal of total world domination in the 2000s, as she broadened her reach with a crossover career that kicked off with the song everyone knows by just two words: “Whenever, Wherever.” Now in her 40s—with her shelves full of American and Latin Grammys, and a discography that spans more than two decades—she shows no signs of giving up the gig.
The headliner released her eleventh studio album, El Dorado, and like all superstars do, she hit the globe for a massive world tour. Lucky for us, she brought along a film crew. And the reels of their labor, the aptly titled Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour concert film, will roll into theaters next month, on November 13. Until then, we suggest you become reacquainted with your love for Shakira and her best songs. Though incredibly succinct, highly subjective, and all relative, our list is an undeniably fierce compilation of music that defines the indefatigable 42-year-old mother-of-two (check out her cutest family moments here) in as many as 13 songs.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
1“Whenever, Wherever”
You gotta love this global chart topper from Shakira for its lyrics alone. Sure, the Latin beats and instrumentals courtesy of the charango and panpipes add flavor and originality to the song, but it doesn’t get more authentic than her line about her bosom’s fortune: “Lucky that my breasts are small and humble / So you don’t confuse them with mountains.”
Shakira welcomes Puerto Rican singer Nicky Jam to help her with her 11th studio album, El Dorado, which the songstress declares is “a tribute to Colombia.” With “Perro Fiel” (rough translation: “Faithful Dog”), she and Nicky trade verses, each one affirming their undying love for one another. In the sultry video, there are wolves, gold body paint, and torque racing—because of course there are.
Admittedly, high school Spanish doesn’t help too much with deciphering the song-and-dance between Shakira and her feature man, Colombian singer Maluma—not that it matters much though. The two are dripping with enough sex appeal and seduction to transcend language barriers. If you’re curious though, “Chantaje,” a 2016 reggae tune that hit number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, translates to “Blackmail.”
Another genre-blending tune coupled with eccentric lyrics, “Hips Don’t Lie” mixes hip-hop, Latin, and reggae beats, while Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean each do their thing. The song sat at the top of the BillboardHot 100 chart for weeks in 2006, not to mention it came with a video of Shakira showing off her moves and giving the entire world ab envy.
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup dominates the sports world. And every four years, the quadrennial tournament’s official anthem takes over the musical sphere. One of the best of those songs is “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” Not only listed as “the most successful World Cup anthem ever” by Billboard, the publication also solidified her as “the queen of the World Cup.”
Shakira and frequent collaborator Maluma team for the third time with “Clandestino,” a stimulating track about two lovers’ forbidden secret affair: “Ours is illegal and I will not deny you / That I pay the sentence because I kissed you.” According to Shakira, the pair have “absolute chemistry,” and not even a verse into "Clandestino," we believe her.
Shakira gives her trademark belly-dancing moves a serious workout in the video for “La Tortura,” her colossal international hit that translates to “Torture.” Featuring Spanish musician Alejandro Sanz, the song gives off major cumbia vibes—cumbia, NPR explains, is the “musical backbone" of Latin America.
Now, Shakira is known for her bust-thrusts and malleable midsection, but never has the artist shown off how bendy she can be than in her video for “She Wolf.” But just as impressive as her caged contortions is her sound: In a diversion from her Latin roots, the singer goes electro-pop and sounds really beautiful doing it. Close your eyes and you can almost hear elements of Céline Dion.
A tender departure from the up-tempo, multicultural tracks that catapulted Shakira to global recognition, “Underneath Your Clothes” does just that: It strips away the reggae beats and the guitar flourishes and just lets the Colombian megastar’s vocals shine. Not to mention, the song is one of Shakira’s most successful singles worldwide.
10“Can’t Remember to Forget You” featuring Rihanna
We know we’re talking songs here and not necessarily the best Shakira videos, but this short film directed by Joseph Kahn that features the Colombian singer with the hottest artist out of Barbados cannot be ignored. As for the song, its explosion of vocals and Latin/reggae beats is another reason “Can’t Remember to Forget You” can’t be … forgotten.
Can we all just pause and again appreciate the lyrical maestro Shakira is; somehow she works Communism, Tai Chi, and thoughts about football into one top 10 chart-frequenting song. Though the song’s message is a little old-fashioned—it’s about a woman going to just about any length, including moving to a Communist country, to keep her beau—“Don’t Bother” can’t help but achieve earworm status.
A song off her first entirely English-language album, Laundry Service, “Objection (Tango)” is the dance song that ignited the international hit maker’s crossover into American pop. It’s a thrilling mix of samba drums and surf guitar (it’s a thing). And those lyrics? Shakira actually credits learning English with the help of one very famous artist: Gloria Estefan.
Though we know Shakira as one of pop’s most legendary princesses, she actually started out with the intention of becoming a rock star. But she achieved something even cooler: international pop-rock stardom. With “Empire,” the singer uses a power rock ballad to tick off impressive chunks of the vocal spectrum. She goes from soft to hard to vulnerable to completely unfettered, all in one glorious tune.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
