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Pop
Shakira
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Hire Shakira for Your Event
We Help You Hire, Book and Produce a Shakira Performance
Celebrity Direct Inc. will help you select, book and hire Shakira to perform at your corporate event, nonprofit event or private performance.
We are always uniquely positioned as your advocate throughout the hiring process and we won’t let you overpay.
Contact us for availability, price and other production details at:
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Shakira Songs
- “Hips Don’t Lie”
- “Whenever, Wherever”
- “She Wolf”
- “Underneath Your Clothes”
- “Loca”
- “Illegal “
- “Don’t Bother”
- “Gypsy”
- “Eyes Like Yours”
- “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)“
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Shakira Bio
The talented Latin pop singer Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977, as Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. Being the youngest daughter in the family, she inherits an exotic look with the mixture of Lebanese-Colombian blood from her parents, William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado. At her early age, she listened to the music of her parents’ culture as well as English-language songs, preferably those came from Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, The Police, and The Cure.
“I was so in love with that rock sound” she said, “But at the same time because my father is of Lebanese descent, I am devoted to Arabic tastes and sounds. Somehow I am fusion of all of those passions and my music is a fusion of elements that I can make coexist in the same place in one song.”
Shakira began writing her own song when she was merely 8 years old, and then at age 10 went to compete in either local or national talent contests in which she always won. Within the year of 1990, this 13-years-old girl, whose name in Arabic means “woman full of grace,” moved to Bogota, hoping to establish a career in modeling. Instead of becoming a model, she was noticed by Miguel E. Cubillos and Pablo Tedeschi of Sony Colombia which later offered her a record deal.
In the following year, she released her first album entitled “Magia” (Magic) which was quite successful. It contained the songs she had written on her own between the age of 8 and 13. The second album, “Peligro” (Danger), came to public in 1993 and had the same response with the previous one. Being a perfectionist, Shakira felt dissatisfied with the album’s result, thus she turned her attention to acting in 1994, taking the role of Luisa Maria in the Colombian soap opera, “El Oasis.”
Apparently, music took roots in Shakira’s heart for she returned to the business by coming up with her third album, “Pies Descalzos” (Barefeet), in 1995. In this album, she composed her songs with more rock and roll rhythms blended with the Arabic tinges. This particular album surprisingly became number one in eight different countries with its hit single “Esto Aqui” getting platinum in U.S.
Focusing her thoughts on music, she finally left “El Oasis” in 1997. In order to develop her career as a singer, Shakira decided to take Emilio Estefan, Jr as her manager and producer. This alliance with Gloria Estefan’s husband proved a brilliant movement since her next album, “D onde Estan los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?)” became a phenomenal album when it was launched in 1998, even outnumbered its predecessor.
With the hit single “Ojos Asi”, this album reached number one spot on U.S Billboard’s Latin Chart for 11 weeks and was sold over 4 million copies, making Multi Platinum in America and Platinum in Spain. As a result of the album’s success, Shakira rapidly became a well-known singer worldwide and was noticed for her uniqueness in involving belly dancing and Arabic rhythms which unbelievably match with her athletic yet intense performance.
In the same year, she received World Music Awards as Latin Female Artist of The Year, which led her to be one of the top Latin artists in the end of ’90s era. Following the success of the single “Ojos Asi,” Gloria Estefan offered to translate the song into English. That was when Shakira realized that she had to master English to keep her control over her materials and be able to translate or write her songs by herself.
While starting to learn …
English, Shakira had a performance on MTV Channel’s MTV Unplugged, which is the first Spanish language broadcast. In early 2000, she released “MTV Unplugged”, a live version album of “D onde Estan los Ladrones?” which granted her a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album and two Latin Grammy Awards as Best Female Pop Vocal for the song “Ojos Asi” and as Best Female Rock Vocal for “Octavo Dia”.
After mastering English, Shakira began working her goal to international market. By the year of 2002, “Laundry Service” was released with its remarkable singles, “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes”. The album soon became one of the top albums of the year, being sold for over 10 million copies and subsequently went Triple Platinum no more than a year. Furthermore, the album has also led Shakira to achieve another Latin Grammy Awards and 5 MTV Video Music Awards of Latin America.
Concerning the title of the album, the singer explained, “Now I am feeling unguarded, and it feels great. I feel washed clean of the way I looked at things in the past, which is why I am calling the album ‘Laundry Service’.” Afterwards, she went around the world to hold a
tour called “The Tour of the Mongoose”. Entitled “Grandes Exitos”, the DVD version of the tour was launched on March 30, 2004, together with a CD consisting of 10 songs taken from the same tour.
In 2005, Shakira prepped her latest Spanish album entitled “Fijaci on Oral, Vol. 1” for June release, followed by her English album entitled “Oral Fixation, Vol. 2” released November of the same year. In these upcoming albums, she works with Luis Fernando Ochoa and Lester Mendez. Her latest Spanish single, “La Tortura” featuring Alejandro Sanz, became number one hit on Billboard’s Hot Latin Track.
Shakira’s talent was so unique, unusual and impressive that the Nobel Prize winning author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, praised her, “Shakira’s music has a personal stamp that doesn’t look like anyone else’s and no one can sing or dance like her, at whatever age, with such an innocent sensuality, one that seems to be of her own invention.”
Beyond her activities in music, Shakira was also deeply involved in her Pies Descalzos Foundation aimed at promoting education and to providing basic needs among displaced children who suffer from the violence in Colombia. She served as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF as well.
Shakira released “She Wolf” in 2009 and followed it with Spanish version “Sale el Sol” in the next year. After her latest English album that couldn’t crack the top 10 on Hot 200, she made a major comeback with an addictive track, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”, which she recorded for 2010 World Cup soundtrack. It became No. 1 in the charts around the world.
During the video shoot, she met soccer player Gerard Pique, centre back for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team. They dated ever since and welcomed a son, Milan Pique Mebarak, on January 22, 2013. While embracing motherhood, she was hard at work to finish her next album.
Finally, a self-titled album is set for March 25, 2014. The first single from her eponymous CD, “Cant’ Remember to Forget You”, features Rihanna.
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How do I hire Shakira for a private event, corporate event, nonprofit gala or convention?
To hire Shakira for a private or corporate performance, the event buyer must first determine whether the artist is available and interested in the proposed engagement and then submit an offer through the appropriate authorized representative. The offer typically includes the event date and location, type of event, proposed performance format and fee.
Celebrity Direct represents event buyers throughout this process, including availability inquiries, offer strategy, negotiation, contracting, rider review and production coordination.
How much does it cost to hire Shakira for a private or corporate event?
There is no single published fee to hire Shakira for a private or corporate event. The performance fee is negotiated for the specific engagement and can vary based on the date, location, event type, performance format, travel requirements, current touring activity and other circumstances surrounding the event.
Celebrity Direct can obtain current availability and pricing from the appropriate artist representative for a specific event.
What total budget should I expect when hiring Shakira?
The total cost of presenting Shakira can be higher than the negotiated artist performance fee. Depending on the engagement, additional expenses can include airfare or private aviation, hotels, local transportation, sound, lighting, staging, backline, labor, hospitality and other requirements contained in the artist’s rider.
For this reason, event buyers should evaluate the all-in cost of the performance, not simply the artist fee, before making an offer.
How can I find out if Shakira is available for my event date?
Shakira’s availability for a private or corporate event must be confirmed through the appropriate authorized representative. Availability can depend on touring and recording commitments, personal scheduling, event location, travel requirements and whether the artist is interested in the particular engagement.
Celebrity Direct can submit the event details, check availability and determine whether an offer is appropriate.
How do I contact Shakira’s booking agent about a private performance?
A corporate, nonprofit or private-event buyer generally does not need to locate Shakira’s booking agent personally. An experienced talent buyer can identify the appropriate authorized representative, present the event professionally and manage the inquiry and offer process on the buyer’s behalf.
Celebrity Direct handles this process for its clients and represents the event buyer rather than the artist.
How do I contact Shakira’s manager about hiring them for an event?
Artist management is not necessarily the appropriate first contact for negotiating a private performance. Celebrity engagements are generally handled through the artist’s authorized booking representation, management or another designated representative depending on the circumstances.
Celebrity Direct determines the appropriate contact for the proposed engagement and handles the communication and negotiation for the event buyer.
Will Shakira perform at a corporate event, convention, nonprofit gala or private party?
Whether Shakira will consider a particular private or corporate performance depends on their availability, the nature and location of the event, the proposed performance, the financial offer and artist approval. Celebrity artists are not simply available for every event at a published price.
A legitimate inquiry should therefore include enough information about the event for the artist’s representatives to evaluate the opportunity.
What information do I need before asking about hiring Shakira?
Before requesting availability or pricing for Shakira, an event buyer should ideally know the event date, city and venue, type of event, expected attendance, desired performance format and approximate entertainment budget.
Providing these details allows the artist’s representatives to evaluate the engagement and allows an experienced talent buyer to recommend the most effective offer strategy.
Does the quoted artist fee include travel and production?
Usually, the artist’s performance fee should not be assumed to represent the complete cost of the engagement. Travel, hotels, ground transportation, production, equipment, labor and hospitality requirements may be additional obligations of the buyer depending on the negotiated contract and rider.
The contract and rider should be reviewed before the event buyer determines the final entertainment budget.
Can Celebrity Direct handle the complete Shakira booking and production process?
Celebrity Direct can represent the event buyer throughout a celebrity entertainment engagement, including determining availability, developing the offer, negotiating with the artist’s authorized representative, reviewing contracts and riders, coordinating production requirements and assisting with the performance through event day.
Unlike an artist’s agent or manager, Celebrity Direct works on the buyer’s side of the transaction, helping the event planner understand the financial, contractual and production obligations involved in presenting celebrity talent.
The Celebrity Booking Process
How Do I Hire a Celebrity for a Corporate or Private Event?
Submit a request
Submit our website form. We’ll ask you to provide a few key event details and budget goals
Consultation call
We’ll schedule a call to discuss your event goals, offering our expert guidance on expectations
Talent Curation
We Identify a shortlist of available talent, factoring in tour schedules, to ensure accurate recommendations
Narrow it Down
We’ll help you rank and narrow down your top 3 priority picks
The Firm Offer
We craft a formal offer and present it to the Artist
Contract + Deposit
If the offer is accepted, we issue your agreement. If declined, we move to your next preferred choice.
Why Work With Us
Not Just a Booking. A Full-Scale Production.
Booking a celebrity is only part of the equation. We build the entire experience around it.
We handle:
- Artist negotiation and contracting
- All production: staging, lighting, sound, technical riders
- Event logistics and show advancement
- VIP coordinators, security, and confidentiality
You get:
- A seasoned producer and booking advisor in one
- A direct line to the decision-makers behind the artist
- A one-stop solution from inquiry to showtime
- Peace of mind knowing every detail is managed