she won her first national talent contest,and she went on winning other talent shows singing and playing the guitar. In 1990,she signed a deal with Sony music in Columbia
and recorded her first album Magia(Magic) with songs she wrote between the age of 8 and 13. As a result,she was chosen to represent her country at the International OTI Song Festival in Spain. However,because she was under the minimum age of 16, she was allowed to participate. So instead, Shkira recorded a second album of original material,Peligro(Danger) back in Columbia. Then she took a break from music and went back to school.