Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born: February 2, 1977) known simply as Shakira, ?????? in Arabic (English pronunciation: /???k??r?/, Spanish: [t?a?ki?a] or [?a?ki?a],? Portuguese: [?a?ki??]) is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who emerged as a musical prodigy in the music scene of Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira revealed many of her talents in school as a live performer, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Middle Eastern influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English, Portuguese and Italian.