Shakira lsabel mebarak ripoll was born in barranquilla,Colombia, on february 2, 1977.She is the daughter of a colombian mother and a lebanese father. Shakira's love for music was evident early on, and she wrote her first song at the age of 8. She learned belly-dancing from her lebanese grandmother, and she used to love to perform dancing and singing. According to one story, Shakira was kicked out of a choir because her strong voice drowned out the other singers.