Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known professionally as Shakira, is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Hull, Colombia, Shakira began performing in school, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Arabic influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese as well as some Italian, French, Catalan and Arabic.