I would sing anywhere they would invite me. That's how I made my first pesos. I used to sing at beauty pageants, local events of every sort.
— Shakira
The ALAS Foundation was born as a consequence and a continuation of what we are doing with Pies Descalzos. I started the Pies Descalzos foundation in Colombia when I was 18, and since then, I have been very involved in the crusade for education.
If the fastest growing population in this country is Latino, that means we are the future of this country. And, we have proven we have talent. Now we need the tools to succeed.
I do take advantage of, you know, feeling sensual and feeling sexy. And I think that is tremendously empowering and is not diminishing in any way. I fell that any woman who is in control, who is in touch with her femininity and sensuality, is a woman that is empowered.
I never made it to the school choir because the music teacher didn't like my voice. I was pretty sad. But he was probably right; I did have a voice a bit like a goat, but my dad told me to never give up and to keep going, and it's paid off.
My body feels like it is asking to reproduce.
I wish that one of my children will be like the Australian guy from the Discovery Channel show. The crocodile hunter.
When we were in the Dark Ages, it was a question of humanity somehow managing to forget about itself. We put God in the centre of society, and people forgot about their own nature and desires. There was a huge deal of repression.
People get jaded in every profession, but for some reason, I feel as passionate as when I was 13 years old and just released my first album. I feel the same amount of adrenaline in my blood, and the same amount of curiosity as well. Curiosity about why I'm different.
A kid cannot learn with an empty stomach.
I've written many love songs for Gerard. But it's never enough. I feel that he deserves a million love songs written for him.
Seeing me in love is a constant state: there are no questions, as the answer is simply there.
If it was up to me, I would just wear jeans and t-shirts, even to red carpets, but then no one would photograph me, so that would make me very sad. So you know, I've gotta keep up with the rest of the female population and sometimes try a little harder.
I'm just a consequence of the great musical momentum and the great changes we are going through in the world.
Gerard and I pretty much share all parenting responsibilities, although I'm definitely the disciplinarian.
I have two kids, a career, and a man that takes a lot of my attention and time.
Life is a soccer field, don't you think?
I believe that every single one of us, celebrity or not, has a responsibility to get involved in trying to make a difference in the world. Our generation faces many challenges, some of which were passed on to us by the past generations, but it's up to us to find solutions today so that we don't keep passing our problems on.
I am a person who has many dreams. But as soon as I accomplish one, I move on to the next. That's my fatal, absurd nature. Human beings are slaves to our dreams, and I am, too. Now I think I just want to share my musical proposal in its entire form.
Dealing with boys at work and being the only girl can be challenging. I have my insecurities, but I've learned I have to be a good sport. I have to be able to take certain jokes and not take them personally. There are jokes made almost every second of the day. I had to develop a tough hide. You know, the music industry is dominated by guys.
President Obama is highly concerned with education. He's a champion on early-childhood development strategies. So I like the work he's doing, and I support it, and I realise that he's one of very few political leaders around the world that actually has early-childhood development strategise at the top of his agenda.
Gerard doesn't tell me what to do. We discuss everything as a couple, as I imagine most partners do. We have a beautiful relationship and one of mutual trust.
I think love is something that you have to work on, and it develops over experience and time. Love is a practice.
People are not depressed in Colombia the same way people are in America.
Every day now, I discover something new. Go through phases in which I feel much more in touch with my feminine side in ways I never thought possible. I'm letting the woman inside of me speak, the desires of this woman, speak as loud as they can.
I enjoy taking part in footballing events that are for social causes because, in my view, inspiring children through sport is a way of keeping their bodies and minds healthy as well as helping nurture their intelligence and ability to relate with others.
I came to understand that I'm never going to be the perfect mother, but I'm going to do the best I can. Same goes for everything in my life.
When you feel complete, you don't need to get married, and you don't think about it.
What I do is I remove my makeup every night, use a little bit of Vitamin C serum, and that's it, pretty much. Of course, I use my 3D White products!
For a while, I could only wear sweat pants because I was that intermediate size that you're not a small, you're not a large.
From a psychoanalytical point of view, we start discovering the world through our mouths in the very first stage of our lives, when we're just born.
I've shaken hands with every radio station, from Honduras to Ryan Seacrest's.
I have no idea where I want to go musically, but I'm fine that way. I don't need to be faithful to any concept, you know.
If I can contribute to people having fun, I would feel very fulfilled as an artist.
Both the IDB and Fundacion ALAS believe that the future of prosperity and equality that we hope for has to start today with higher investment and higher quality in Early Childhood Development programs throughout the region.
I now talk to different cultures, and I hope that I can bridge those gaps and differences between us. It's an adventure, a dream... I feel like I'm on an anthropological mission.
I started my own Pies Descalzos/Barefoot Foundation when I was 18. We provide education to vulnerable children in Colombia and other developing countries. I am an avid believer that education - and especially early childhood development - is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
I actually support President Obama's initiatives on early childhood. He has appointed me as a commissioner to consult his administration on educational excellence for Hispanics in the U.S. We try to find ways to improve the education system for Hispanics in America, to achieve excellence.
Relationships have to have a give and take if they're going to work in the long term.
You feel that there is an avalanche coming when you meet the right person.
Colombia is not how people think it is. We used to eat fish every Sunday at the beach. In the town where I grew up, people did not tell lies.
I adore my dad. He's a 78-year-old man and my inspiration.
Brazil is a country I hold very dearly. I've got followers there who I've been interacting with for years, as well as fellow artists like Ivete Sangalo, and it also has huge figures like Pele. I'd love to go to that World Cup - I'm not sure in what capacity, but I'll definitely be there. I know that nobody wants to miss it, least of all me.
I just don't find marriage a necessary step in a couple's life.
I didn't expect babies to need so many diapers. Nobody told me they needed to be changed so often.
With pregnancy and nursing, the hormones mean your skin tends to be more sensitive to the light, so it's very important to use sun block every day.
A man's car is like an extension of their ego and their manhood.
Becoming a mom forced me to re-prioritize and make room for the things that are most important, while recognizing that there are things I can let go of, and the world won't crumble around me.
My man, Gerard, prefers meat over bone. That takes the pressure off. I already have a lot to worry about.
I think, that if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love.
