Shakira: Queen of Latin Music

SHAKIRA

Queen of Latin Music

Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira is one of the world’s best-selling music artists. Shakira began writing poetry at the age of four, later transforming her words into songs. Beginning her career at age 13 by signing with Sony Colombia, Shakira’s breakthrough into international markets was not linear. Struggling with the initial release of her first two albums, it wasn’t until her fourth release that she gained popularity within the Latin American region. Honing her English skills soon after provided Shakira control over writing as she crossed over leading to her success as an international sensation. Shakira is hands on in her career, fostering co-writing and co-production on the majority of songs in her catalog. She is acclaimed for her versatility in music, experimenting between styles of folk, rock, electropop, and dancehall.

After the success of Pies Descalzos, Shakira was introduced to one of the most important producers in the Hispanic market, Emilio Estefan. Estefan is credited with launching crossover careers into the United States market with stars such as Enrique Iglesias. With Estefan as her manager and executive producer, Dónde Están Los Ladrones continued to elevate Shakira’s prominence. The creation of the album, however, begins with tragedy. At the time Shakira was preparing for the album, she had filled a briefcase full of song lyrics. The briefcase was stolen at Colombia’s El Dorado airport, leading her to name the album after the thieves who had stolen her music.

Pies Descalzos (1995) Dónde Están Los Ladrones (1998)

Before Pies Descalzos, Shaira had released two albums – Peligro (1991) and Magia (1993). At her request, they were removed from music markets. The single “Magia” survived as a promotional single in 1991. Pies Descalzos was a revival for Shakira’s career, serving as her breakthrough record. She co-wrote and co-produced the entirety of the album, which is driven by guitar centric songs and pop ballads. Her single “Estoy AquÍ” became the first track by Shakira to peak on Billboard’s Latin Pop charts.

Laundry Service (2001)

Encouraged by star Gloria Estefan to record songs in English, the initially hesitant Shakira soon shifted her focus to mastering the language in order to write proficiently in both tongues. The title encompassed themes of what Shakira called her two passions: love and music. Laundry Service incorporated a blend of styles including Middle Eastern, rap, and 70s rock. It was met with mixed reviews and claims of genericism and playing things too safe. The album was re-released a year later in Latin American countries as Servicio de Lavandería in January of 2002.

Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 & Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005)

Following her 2001 international success, Shakira planned to release a follow up album in Spanish. Co-writing nearly 60 songs for the record, she divided them into two volumes, carefully selecting her favorites. Tracks were written completely in Spanish, with crossovers onto the following volume Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. Launching Shakira into the mainstream with “Hips Don’t Lie,” Oral Fixation opened the star to an even broader audience. The artwork for both albums were inspired by the biblical story of Eve, as Shakira noted she wanted “to attribute to Eve one more reason to bite the forbidden fruit, and that would be her oral fixation.”

Leading with international hit, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” Shakira began work on Sale el Sol. Dubbed as a return to her roots after electropop exploration on She Wolf, Sale el Sol fused together rock and pop elements of her earlier work. Shakira split the album into three “directions”: a romantic side, a “rock and roll” side, and a “Latino, tropical” side. Shakira noted her desire to experiment with meringue for the album, as it was foundational throughout much of her childhood. As a contrast to the former She Wolf, Shakira noted Sale el Sol as her most genuine and personal albums.

She Wolf (2009) Sale el Sol (2010)

Noted as Shakira’s least personal and most sexual album to date. She Wolf was written based on fantasy, taking the perspective of outsiders looking into her life. For She Wolf, Shakira wanted to make a dance-oriented album that empowered women. It is the only album on her discography without a feature, ballad or sad song. The album shifted Shakira from her usual Latin and rock influences to the world of electropop.

Shakira. (2014)

The self titled Shakira incorporates the artists diverse music style with genres ranging from reggae to rock, as well as elements of dance and country. Lyrics explore Shakira’s newfound motherhood, romantic relationships and personal happiness. Shakira explained the album’s title came from the project’s lack of concept, but instead its production helped her pave a path for rediscovery. Many criticized the album, dubbing it as a sell out to the American sound, rather than a true authentic Shakira sound.

El Dorado (2017)

Shakira’s most recent studio album came after the birth of her second child. Suffering from writer’s block, Shakira felt uncertain about the future of her career. After the release of the single “La Bicicleta” with Carlos Vives and support from her partner Gerard Piqué, Shakira began writing El Dorado. The album focuses on her relationship with Piqué, garnering praise from critics for the album’s coherency and fun, yet mature writing. El Dorado is primarily a Spanish album, with only three songs in English.

Maya Lucia (Communication, Media and Screen Studies)

In Defense of Iggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea has always been a contentious figure within hip-hop. Old tweets have plagued the rapper’s career as early as 2012, and a controversial line equating herself to a runaway slave master on her 2011 debut mixtape Ignorant Art initiated her rapping career with overt racism. Cultural appropriation symbolized the public’s perception of Azalea for years, as her background as a white Australian woman makes her use of a Southern U.S. accent, co-opting Southern Blackness, undisguised sonic blackface. Her failure to participate in the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, unlike nearly every other member of the hip-hop community, showed her readiness to capitalize on Black culture without respecting and fighting for those who created it. Her personality is even more disliked, as is apparent in her extensive feud with Azealia Banks and many other artists, even managing to pick a fight with Papa John’s. Amidst constant controversies, Azalea was simultaneously making headlines as a breakout act. Her 2014 single “Fancy” catapulted her into the spotlight, and along with the subsequent “Problem” with Ariana Grande, Azalea became the second artist ever, after The Beatles, to have their first two Billboard Hot 100 entries chart at #1 and #2. Her debut album “The New Classic” was released in April of that year, and was met with commercial success and modest critical acclaim. “Black Widow,” debuting at #3 on the Hot 100, cemented her placement as a top artist of the year. However, her career soon began suffering as a direct result of the controversies she created. Her 2015 “Great Escape” tour was pushed back and eventually canceled, and her 2016 sophomore record Digital Distortion was completely scrapped after countless delays. In 2018, she announced that a new second album would be released in February, but even that was eventually turned into an EP instead. If her racist sentiments had not already tarnished her image enough, the continuous setback of project after project significantly impaired her respectability as a creative.

But is Azalea’s music as callous as her image would suggest? While she would never see the commercial success of the titanic “Fancy” again, her style evolved substantially from her debut record through her eventual 2019 sophomore album In My Defense. “Pretty Girls” with Britney Spears in 2015 and “Team” in 2016 incorporated similar electropop dance synths, attempting to recreate the success of The New Classic to moderate success. Azalea showed impressive breadth with 2017’s “Switch” featuring Brazilian superstar Anitta, incorporating heavy elements from Latin Pop infrequently seen in hip-hop. While her 2018 second-album-turned-EP “Survive the Summer” regressed lyrically to toxic, self-absorbed bars, it still developed Azalea’s artistry into lyrical expression over minimalist baselines. In My Defense showed little self-awareness in its relentless idolization of flex culture, but Azalea’s foray into minimalism fully materialized in the record. Contrasted against tracks on The New Classic like “Fuck Love,” the record’s lead single “Sally Walker” presents a daringly sparse beat, cleverly construing a classic nursery rhyme into a spectacle of her wealth and appearance. “Started” successfully tells the story of her success in a similar manner via a whirring synth overlaid with a simple bassline. Both tracks are infectious in their simplicity, echoing Lorde’s 2013 reinvention of pop music via raw, powerful vocals, even if with less nuance.

Azalea’s discography displays the development of various sonic influences, producing multiple iconic highlights like “Sally Walker,” but her unimpressive songwriting and countless controversies over her racism have extinguished the promising spark that was the beginning of her career. There is certainly a place in hip-hop for a rapper like Azalea, providing she advances lyrically, develops self awareness, and apologizes for her racist past (and genuinely means it). Hopefully she can begin to piece together the shattered remains of her mainstream success and blossom into the creative she once showed the promise of becoming.

• Ethan Matthews (Architecture)