Shakira to Be Honored as Billboard’s ‘Woman of the Year’ at First-Ever Mujeres Latinas en la Música Gala

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

t’s a career-recognizing first for Shakira…

The 46-year-old Colombian global superstar will be honored as Billboard’s Woman of the Year at the first-ever Mujeres Latinas en la Música gala.

The two-hour music special, hosted by Ivy Queen and Jacqueline Bracamontes and honoring Latin women in music, will be taped at the Watsco Center in Miami on May 6 and will air exclusively on Telemundo on May 7 at 9:00 pm ET/8:00 pm CT.

A first of its kind for Latin music, Mujeres Latinas en la Música celebrates Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry.

Superstars Ana Gabriel, Emilia, Evaluna, Goyo and Thalia will also receive special awards at the inaugural event presented by Billboard with Telemundo.

Shakira’s honor comes in the wake of an extraordinary year that has seen the superstar break records with the biggest Spanish-language debut of 2022 (“Monotonía” featuring Ozuna). Then, in January 2023, her “Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53” debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her the first woman to reach the top 10 on the chart with a song in Spanish.

“Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53” also made history as the most-streamed Latin track in 24 hours in Spotify history and the most-viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours with over 63 million views, and it broke 14 Guinness World Records.

“Shakira is the ultimate Woman in Music. Thanks to her, Latin women all over the world have been empowered to write and perform deeply personal music. She created a movement all on her own, and continues to be more relevant than ever today, with grace, a deep tradition of giving back, and enormous talent. She is the definition of a Woman in Music,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español.

“Shakira has been pivotal in shaping the vibrant and diverse landscape of Latin music and music in general throughout her career. Her passion, talent and creativity have broken barriers and empowered generations to embrace our identity through music, and we are incredibly proud to recognize her as Woman of the Year in the industry,” said Ronald Day, president of entertainment and content strategy for Telemundo.

Shakira has sold more than 95 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the top-selling female Latin artist of all time. Her global success as a crossover artist opened doors for other Latin artists to enter international markets. She is the most-viewed Latin female artist, and one of the top 10 artists overall of all time on YouTube with over 20 billion cumulative views, and the most-streamed female Latin artist of all time on Spotify.

Aside from her stellar industry accolades, at the age of 18, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which has built and adapted nine public schools in Cartagena, Barranquilla, Guajira and Quibdó, with six in construction. The foundation has raised over 40 million dollars since inception and impacted more than 150,000 children and nearly 900,000 families.

Shakira to Open New School, Institución Nuevo Bosque, in Barranquilla

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

School’s in session for Shakira…

The 40-year-old Colombian superstar is opening a new school in her native hometown of Barranquilla.

Shakira’s Pies Descalzos Foundation is joining forces with FC Barcelona Foundation and La Caixa, a banking foundation, to open the Institución Nuevo Bosque — Pies Descalzos’ seventh school in Colombia.

The institute will be built in one of Barranquilla’s most conflict-ridden districts, which is where most of Shakira’s institutions have been built throughout Colombia.

“When we started to build schools in Colombia 20 years ago, we chose remote areas where there was absolutely nothing at all — no infrastructure, roads or even potable water,” the “Chantaje” singer said in a statement.

“We built schools where the government was absent and thousands of children didn’t have access to quality education. The transformation was immediate – jobs were generated, malnutrition plummeted and the students responded well academically.”

In a video shared by FC Barcelona, Shak further expands on the importance of investing in education.

“We live in a globalized world and we need to invest in children if we want to have a prosperous world. Helping children is the most effective way to eradicate poverty.”

Institución Nuevo Bosque will open its doors in two years.

Back in December, Shakira’s Pies Descalzos’ school in Barranquilla was named the No. 1 public school in all of Colombia, according to a study. The ranking was based on the students’ collective Saber 11 test scores.

Shakira Receives Humanitarian Award at the World Economic Forum

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira has a crystal heart…

The 39-year-old Colombian superstar, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which provides education for children in Colombia, received a humanitarian award at the World Economic Forum as it kicked off in Davos, Switzerland.

“We should be devastated that, in 2017, there are still 250 million kids under 5 who are still at risk, who will likely be stunted physically and intellectually,” Shakira said in a speech while accepting the WEF’s Crystal Award.

“Now take that in for a second. We’re talking about nearly the population of an entire country the size of the U.S. This is a tragedy for those children and an epic, epic failure for all of us.”

Shakira urged global government, business and academic leaders to advocate for the world’s children.

“We need to apply the brains and strategies of business and the assets and human resources and talents of your companies to do social good and to solve social problems,” she said, speaking passionately in English.

“Today’s babies will drive tomorrow’s business. Their capacity to contribute will shape tomorrow’s societies, will solve tomorrow’s problems.”

The WEF also gave humanitarian awards to violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, whose educational foundation provides scholarships and finances instruments for young musicians, and actor Forest Whitaker, who has worked as an advocate for youth empowerment in violent and impoverished communities.

Shakira Calls for Global Education Reform

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira is calling for educational reform globally…

The 39-year-old Colombian superstar and activist appears in a new video calling for action on education.

“Our future generations will surpass our greatest expectations if we give them the tools to do so,” Shakira says in a video for The International Commission on Financing Global Education (also known as The Education Commission), that coincides with its new report on financing global education.

“They have the talent the potential and the power to change the world for the better. But we know that their future will be written by how we act today… Education is their birthright, not a luxury.”

Shakira, whose Pies Descalzos Foundation has built schools in Colombia, is a member of the United Nations commission, alongside current and former heads of state, Nobel laureates and education experts who include Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, former Mexican president Felipe Calderón, and Anthony Lake, the Executive Director of UNICEF.

The Commission’s report calls for national governments to “reform their education systems to maximize learning and efficiency and to ensure that every child has access to quality education, free from pre-primary to secondary levels, through the progressive and sustained increase of domestic financing.”

That amounts to a tripling of the to over three trillion dollars a year by 2030.

Shakira to Host Virtual Baby Shower for Charity

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

You’re cordially invited to Shakira and Gerard Piqué’s baby shower…

The 35-year-old Colombian singer and the 25-year-old Spanish soccer star, expectant parents of their first child early this year, are inviting fans to join an online baby shower to benefit underprivileged children.

A UNICEF-hosted website invites those attending the virtual baby shower to buy gifts costing as little as $5, which can buy a mosquito net to ensure a sleeping baby stays safe from malaria — a leading cause of child deaths worldwide. Guests can spend $10 for polio vaccines to protect 17 children, or $37 for a baby scale, and many accessories to be ready to when do boys start to talk.

“To celebrate the arrival of our first child, we hope that, in his name, other less privileged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations,” reads a message from Shakira, a goodwill ambassador for the UN children’s agency, and Pique. “Thank you for sharing this unforgettable moment with us.”

The site also features never-before-seen photos of the couple, which were taken in December.

In a black-and-white image, a shirtless, Piqué poses with his right arm around a pregnant Shakira, who wears a bikini top and hip-hugging skirt that shows off her exposed belly.

A second photograph shows her in a white full-length gown that accentuates her expanding torso.

Shakira is well-known for her philanthropic work in organizations that work for children and education. She founded Pies Descalzos Foundation, which builds schools and education centers in Colombia. She’s also served as a member of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, as well as an advocate for Latino children in the U.S. to help children who become part of undocumented families.

Shakira Getting a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Shakira’s star power, especially now that she’s getting her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will honor the 34-year-old Colombian singer with her own star on this month in front of the W Hollywood Hotel on the renowned corner of Hollywood and Vine.

It’s a much-deserved honor. After all, Shakira has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards and has received a Golden Globe nomination. The Latin Recording Academy named her the 2011 Person of the Year, an award she’ll receive later this month.

Having sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time and the second most successful female Latin singer of all time after Gloria Estefan.

But Shakira is also a humanitarian… At the age of 18, she launched her Pies Descalzos Foundation, which provides education and nutrition to more than six thousand impoverished children in Colombia. The organization is expanding its work to other countries, including Haiti and South Africa.

Shakira has also become a leading advocate for universal education, speaking to world leaders on the topic and advocating policy change to governments around the world. Last month, she was named to a White House education commission.

Shakira’s special star ceremony will be held next Tuesday, November 8 in Hollywood.

Shakira Named Person of the Year…

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

International singing sensation and philanthropist Shakira has been named this year’s “person of the year” by The Latin Recording Academy.

The 34-year-old seven-time Latin Grammy winner—nominated for three Latin Grammy Awards this year, including the top Album Of The Year prize for her most recent work, “Sale el Sol”—has received the special recognition for her renowned artistic talent and selfless philanthropic contributions.

“We are honored to pay homage to this dynamic, socially conscious woman whose illustrious career has touched so many people around the world, both musically and personally,” says Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy.

Shakira becomes the youngest artist to receive the honor. Previous recipients include Placido Domingo, Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias and Ricky Martin.

“It is truly an honor to be in the company of some of the greatest artists and legends of Latin Music,” says Shakira of this special distinction.

During the special star-studded tribute, Shakira’s friends and fellow artists will salute her with their own versions of her music. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Shakira’s Pies Descalzos Foundation as well as The Latin Recording Academy’s Latin Grammy in the Schools educational efforts.

The tribute gala will take place on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

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