"In this life, to earn your place you have to fight for it."

• Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripol on Feb. 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia

• Shakira's first breakthrough was her English-language crossover album, 2001's Laundry Service, which yielded her first Top 10 hit with "Whenever, Wherever" (No. 6).  

• Shakira won her first career GRAMMY for 2000 for Best Latin Pop Album for MTV Unplugged. She performed her No. 1 hit "Hips Don't Lie" with Wyclef Jean at the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2007. 

• Did you know? In 2014 Shakira was named the 58th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.

• Shakira was named Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in 2011. A major portion of the net proceeds from the gala benefited Shakira's Pies Descalzos Foundation, which aims to help poor and impoverished children in Colombia.