My videos represent the artist in me very well, but not the kind of woman I am.
— Shakira
Providing all Latin-American children with the education and early childhood development that they need is in the best interest of all, so it has to be a priority for all of us, not only the government and civil society, but also the business sector.
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.
Success happened little by little for me. I tasted the flavor of fame in small doses: I started at 10 years old when I won a music contest; I was performing at birthday parties, company meetings.
Songwriting is such an intricate part of me as an artist and as a person; I couldn't just let someone else do it.
I know what I'm doing even when I'm wearing a pencil skirt.
I'm more afraid of marriage than death.
I love reading about history. Sometimes, I feel I was born in the wrong era. There was more creativity in the air when people were still discovering new worlds.
It's not easy to work with me, I recognize that. It's not easy if those people aren't as perfectionistic as I am.
My brain, I believe, is the most beautiful part of my body.
You want to be skinny and have a good body? You have to work out every day and say no to certain foods.
I was unaware of the dispute in Brooklyn. I would never knowingly wear any clothes or support any company who produced clothing with alleged wage and labor violations.
In this life, to earn your place you have to fight for it.
I always believed that women have rights and that there are some women that are intelligent enough to claim those rights. There are some others that are stupid enough not to.
I am trying to make my accent so it won't bother anyone, but I am not going to drive myself crazy trying to pretend I am an American girl when I am from Colombia.
I'm Colombian and nothing will change that.
My songs are the reflection of how I think and how I feel in that moment. But I'm conscious of the fact that artists have a responsibility before the masses and they have to take care with their words.
I did not want to spend the rest of my life not being able to ride in a nice car.
The Summit of the Americas is an excellent platform to raise awareness and secure commitments from heads of state and different sector leaders regarding Early Childhood Development.
I feel a real sense of duty to use the voice and the platform I've been afforded by my fame to speak out for those whose voices don't get a chance to be heard.
The music industry is dominated by guys. I work with men 98 percent of the time - producers, arrangers, musicians, engineers.
At the age of eight, I discovered that I could write songs. My dad used to take them to the notary and register them so that nobody could steal them from me.
I just think that it's very helpful to have a map of your psyche, because when you have a map, you know where to go.
I think my dad is the only Arabic descendent who is an unsuccessful businessman.
People think I like to expose my body. But I don't. It's just because the dance moves require it.
I remember the first time I saw the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video. I will never forget that day. I just wanted to see Kurt Cobain's face. I had a feeling he was very cute. But, I couldn't see his face. When I finally did see him, he was even cuter than I imagined!
The worst mistake of a woman is to go to the kitchen, because then she never gets out of there.
I'm like a mosquito, I love humidity. I don't sweat.
Because of you, I'm running out of reasons to cry.
I admire a person who, for the love of art, is able to take off their clothes in front of a camera. But I'm not capable, I'm too cowardly for that.
I want some day to be able to love with the same intensity and unselfishness that parents love their children with.
Writing in English was a major challenge. I didn't want other songwriters to write for me. I wanted to preserve the spirit of my songs in Spanish. I am the same Shakira in English as I am in Spanish.
Writing songs has a therapeutic effect, and it either kills off love or wins the heart of the lover.
I pefer an ugly truth to a pretty lie. If someone is telling me the truth that is when I will give my heart.
I always had the intuition, even as a little child, that I was called for a big project.
We need to provide higher quality and innovative early childhood development programs all throughout Latin America.
In Colombia, education is sometimes considered a luxury, not a human right. And it's not a priority in the agendas of many leaders.
I wanna stay an eternal girlfriend. I want to have my boyfriend's children, but I don't think we need a piece of paper to regulate the game, and we don't have to go through the whole stress of a wedding and suffering to throw a good party.
I was five years old; I got addicted to being on stage. I felt like it was the most wonderful place on Earth, performing in front of an audience, who in this case were a bunch of classmates, kids my age.
Videos come definitely after the music has been created, but I have always felt, and especially today, that videos are vital in the album process. I think that we live in a very visual era, and if you make a mistake with a video, those images will accompany the song forever.
I'm lucky to have family around me. Otherwise, I'll be taking the risk of falling in love with myself.
The worst frustration for a singer is choosing a career in making music and then not being able to make music because you're always giving interviews.
Fame isolates people from reality. That happens to many artists, and I don't want it to happen to me.
You can't achieve anything in life without a small amount of sacrifice.
My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with difficulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you and when they respect you they don't love you.
It doesn't bother me to talk about my private life, it doesn't bother me to talk about anything. My life is like a glass of water, transparent.
Everyone can know what is in my heart because I find it hard to conceal myself.
I admire Madonna because she always did whatever she felt like doing. She went through some controversial periods when people rejected her, but she kept on reinventing herself.
I don't go out without make up. I'm a woman, you know.
You're a song written by the hands of God.
