Shakira at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards held at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)© GettyImages

Shakira says goodbye to 2023 with excellent news

The singer is closing the year on a high note


DECEMBER 29, 2023 7:31 PM EST

Only a few days away from bidding farewell to 2023, Shakira concludes a year filled with professional successes with great news. Excited about the achievements she has made in the last 12 months with her music, the Colombian artist is proud to learn that her name is the most searched Latin artist on Google globally of all time .

Shakira© @shakira

“‘Wow,’ she wrote about the post that crowns her as the favorite among Spanish and Portuguese performers. Behind her, but with a significant difference in searches, are Enrique Iglesias, Daddy Yankee, and RBD.

To make the year-end even more exciting, Barack Obama shared his annual list of favorite music, where Shakira stands out with her song ‘TQG,’ alongside Karol G. The Colombians are not the only Latinos in the former president’s playlist, as Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma are also featured.

© @shakira

The Colombian not only reposted Obama’s list but sent him a message to let him know they share a common musical taste. ‘Mr. President, I also love ’Sprinter,‘’ she said, referring to the song by Dave & Central Cee. 

A statue in her native Barranquilla

Adding to these musical achievements is a significant tribute to the artist with over 25 years of success. In her native Barranquilla, Colombia, they unveiled a 21-foot-tall bronze statue in honor of her global success. Although Shakira was not present at the ceremony where the statue was revealed, her parents, William Mebarak and Nidia Ripoll, proudly witnessed this affectionate tribute.

The singer’s mom had a special moment with the sculptor Yino Márquez. “She touched my hands and said: ‘May God bless those hands, you are great,’” he shared in an interview with Hoy Día. Fans, dancers, and onlookers have approached the Malecón de Barranquilla to admire the figure that immortalizes Shakira performing the belly dance with her arms above her head.