For decades, Shakira has been reshaping the world of Latin pop, and her efforts were recognized by Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast.
In 2003, the music magazine published its definitive countdown of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the most popular and most argued-over list in the magazine’s history. In 2020, they completely remade the list, adding more than 150 new titles.
With the Amazon Original podcast Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums, they arre delving further into the making and meaning of many of the records that made the cut, with exclusive insights from the artists who created them — and those who know them and their music best. Shakira’s Dónde Están los Ladrones? placed at number 496 in the latest ranking.
With more than 80 million records sold worldwide, Shakira is the best-selling female Latin artist ever. She’s been nominated for six Grammys and has won 11 Latin Grammys, and there’s one album that set her up for massive global fame: 1998’s Dónde Están los Ladrones?
The latest episode of the Amazon Original podcast unpacks the story of Dónde Están los Ladrones? Staff Writer Julyssa Lopez tracks down many of Shakira’s collaborators, including producer Emilio Estefan, and outlines the intensive, nine-month creative process that unfolded at Miami’s Crescent Moon Studios.
In this episode, Lopez talks to composer Dillon O’Brian, songwriters Pablo Flores and Javier Garza, and the LP’s engineer Sebastian Krys, who share their experiences working on songs such as “Tu” and “Ojos Asi” and describe how committed Shakira was to making the music sound exactly how she heard it in her head. In interviews with Jessie Reyez and Francisca Valenzuela, we also hear how the album’s frank, witty lyrics about love and heartbreak inspired a generation of women to write unapologetic songs of their own.
Hosted by RS Senior Writer Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums appears exclusively on Amazon Music, with a new episode debuting each week.