Shakira turns motivational speaker

 International celebrity singer, Shakira, is not only good on the stage; she has also taken it upon herself to be an inspiration to young people who aspire to become successful in their endeavours. In her message to youths recently, she said education and bilingualism were important keys to success.

The singer, who is married to footballer, Gerard Pique, and pregnant with their second child, said education could level the playing field of success because it has an incredible return on investment.

She said, “Human potential is limitless, but not if it remains untapped. The earlier in a child’s life that they understand the value of education and how it can change their lives, the earlier they form habits that end up yielding exponential benefits. Continue..

“But Latinos have an advantage that they should be aware of. Being bilingual is a competitive business advantage. Particularly for Hispanic students – which make up the majority of the English learner population – limited English proficiency in the early years is associated with low achievement and other poor school outcomes.”

Shakira practises what she preaches. As a native Colombian who speaks Spanish, she also speaks fluent English and Portuguese, as well as some French, Italian, Arabic and Catalan.

The official 2014 Brazil World Cup songstress said languages could open doors to other cultures in a way that nothing else could.

Based on her childhood experience, Shakira said she realised how important both aspects were by observing her environment.

As a child, she said she had a moment of realisation where her life came into perspective.

She said her family experienced a level of financial loss and hardship that was difficult to process, but that she was able to see the potential benefits in education.

“I saw that just past my door, there were children suffering extreme poverty who didn’t even have an education to count on to improve their situation. Even at a young age, seeing that gave me a profound sense of the injustice that something as arbitrary as the place you were born could determine your fate for the rest of your life,” she said.

More about Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, born on February 2, 1977, is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, she began her music career right from college.

In the early 1990s, she released her first studio albums, Magia and Peligro, which failed to attain commercial success. However, she rose to prominence in Latin America with her major label debut, Pies Descalzos (translated Bare Feet), in 1996 and her fourth album, Dónde Están los Ladrones? (translated Where are the thieves?), in 1998.

She is a Roman Catholic, and met Pope John Paul II in 1998. She is interested in world history, and she frequently studies the history and languages of the countries she visits.

After her Oral Fixation tour ended in the summer of 2007, Shakira attended a summer school class in Los Angeles, USA, where she took courses in the ‘History of Western Civilisation.’ To avoid being recognised as a celebrity, she used her middle names, Isabel Mebarak, and told the professor she was visiting from Colombia.

She is also reputed to have an Intelligence Quotient of 140, meaning she is very superior in intelligence classification.

Apart from music

Shakira is an entrepreneur; she started her own beauty line, ‘S by Shakira,’ with parent company Puig, in 2010. The brand has released three perfumes, along with lotions and body sprays.

The Hips Don’t Lie hit maker is part of the United States President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence of Hispanics, a team which aims to reduce or eliminate disparities in education, health and wealth among the Latino population in America.

On the social media scene, she officially hit the record books as one of the new inductees to the 2015 version of the famed record book after overtaking Rihanna as the most ‘liked’ person on Facebook in April, 2014. She hit the 100 million likes on her page.

Shakira is a multimillion dollar ‘baby’

She has an estimated net worth of $220m (N36bn) and the facts are clear. She is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time and also the second most successful female Latin singer behind Gloria Estefan, having sold over 60 million albums worldwide.

Her US album sales alone stand at about 10 million and she is also an ambassador for Pepsi Cola and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

She has won many awards, including five MTV Video Music Awards, two Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, 28 Billboard Latin Music Awards and was a Golden Globe nominee.

As of 2014, she is listed as the 58th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

Homes and cars

Shakira owns a Mediterranean-style home in Florida, USA which she bought for $3.4m (N554m) in 2001; the plush home is currently worth about $5.9m (N962m).

The pricey property is located in Star Island in the exclusive area of Miami Beach, USA.

The 6,500 square-foot mansion boasts of five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gorgeous swimming pool and a personal dock. It also features a brilliant architecture and offers captivating views of Biscayne Bay. Shakira also owns property in other parts of the US and in Barcelona, Spain.

The Mercedes Benz S600 is an ultimate executive commuter car offering the perfect luxury, style and refinement to the celebrated star.

Equipped with a 5.8-litre 36-valve V-12 engine delivering 362-hp and an exclusive Distronic intelligent cruise control, the Benz S600 offers incredible performance. It provides a smooth, silent, and swift acceleration, reaching 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds. Built for extreme comfort, the big beast is equipped with four adjustable heated seats, an Alcantara headliner, extra leather and quad-zone climate control system.

She seems to have a great taste for the German automaker as she also has an SL550, SLK250 and a GLK.

She has also been often spotted driving a BMW X6. This luxury car is a beauty to drive and Shakira has taken a fancy for the same. The sharp dynamics and serene interiors make the BMW X6 a dream machine.

Pumping out 962 mph in 7.5 seconds, the bi-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 engine is a specialty in the BMW X6. The interiors are elegantly done, a perfect reason for Shakira to like the SUV.