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Shakira is 45! The Aquarius is celebrating her birthday today February 2nd and, Carlos Vives presented her with a song and music video honoring her homeland. Set in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia, the video features landmark spots, people in the city, and young women and little girls dancing Folklorico. There is also a special cameo from her 90-year-old father William Meberek Chadid. Vives shared a video presenting the gift to Shakira where she called it the best gift she has ever gotten. The singer was already fighting back tears but couldn’t help but cry when she saw her Papi looking awesome on a typewriter with sunglasses.
Shakira opened up in the clip about how seeing the young woman made her feel emotional and represented. She shared the video on her Instagram and wrote a sweet letter to Vives to show her appreciation, “how nice to celebrate another year with you and receive this gift that is one of the greatest honors of my life. A song of yours that will last forever paying homage to my land, my roots, the Barranquillera woman, and all Colombian women who have a ‘currambera’ in their souls,” the singer wrote.
The artist went on to praise Vives, “You are an unrepeatable artist, a poet, and a singer of our customs and the land we love. Your voice will never be extinguished because it is our legacy. Thank you for everything you give us, my friend, and for your heart that is bigger than the entire Magdalena swamp!”
Shakira was raised in Barranquilla and recorded under Sony Music Colombia at just 13. The “Whenever Wherever” singer has always talked about her dreams as a little girl in the city. Before her Super Bowl performance, she told 60 minutes, “I think the message [of my performance] is gonna be, ‘Listen, I‘m a woman. I’m a Latina. It wasn‘t easy for me to get to where I am.” “Being at the Super Bowl is proof that everything is possible. That the dreams of a little girl from Barranquilla, Colombia, were made of something. I’m gonna be there, giving it all,” she added.
There is no stopping Shakira when it comes to making music and, if fans get lucky there will be a studio album released this year. In June of last year, she told Vogue Mexico, “Songs will continue to come out throughout this year that will end up on an album that I think will be available next year.”
Aside from being arguably the most successful cross-over singer with seven Spanish-language albums, and four English-language records, Shakira is succesful business woman, amazing mom and partner to her longtime boo and baby daddy Gerard Pique. They share two children, Milan, 9, and Sasha, 6, and she is more than encouraging in all of their ventures.