Photo of Shakira
Photo: Shakira_at_Obama_Inaugural.JPG: Yeoman 1st Class Donna Lou Morgan Derivative work: Tabercil (talk) · Public domain

Solo Artist · The Queen of Latin Music

Shakira

Active1990-present
OriginBarranquilla, Colombia
Albums12
Tracks143

Most frequent collaborator: Luis Fernando Ochoa  ·  38 tracks

Latin PopPopRockDance
91%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 130 of 143 tracks

Does Shakira write her own songs?

Yes. Shakira is credited on about 91% of her catalogue and has written her own lyrics since she was a teenager, in both Spanish and English. Songs like 'Estoy Aquí,' 'Whenever, Wherever,' and 'La Tortura' are hers, usually co-written with collaborators such as Luis Fernando Ochoa rather than handed to her.

By the Numbers

12
Studio Albums
143
Tracks Credited
91%
Self-Written
36
Years Active
190
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 130 / 143 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 143 tracks: how many Shakira wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Shakira has a writing credit91%
15%
76%
9%
Sole author21tracks15%
Co-written109tracks76%
Outside writers13tracks9%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Shakira's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 143 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)91%
Composer (music)91%
Producer76%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Shakira's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 91%
56%
50%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
92%
83%
92%
100%
1991Magia
1993Peligro
1995Pies Descalzos
1998¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?
2001Laundry Service
2005Fijación Oral Vol. 1
2005Oral Fixation Vol. 2
2009She Wolf
2010Sale el Sol
2014Shakira.
2017El Dorado
2024Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Early · 78% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 92% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

78%
1990s
Magia, Peligro +2 more
100%
2000s
Laundry Service, Fijación Oral Vol. 1 +2 more
89%
2010s
Sale el Sol, Shakira. +1 more
100%
2020s
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Shakira sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Shakira
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Tina Turner0%
Cher8%
Ricky Martin25%
Jennifer Lopez46%
Cyndi Lauper60%
Enrique Iglesias82%
Pearl Jam100%
91%Shakira
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Ciega, Sordomuda
¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?
Written by Shakira, Estefano Salgado, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Inevitable
¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?
Written by Shakira, Luis Fernando Ochoa, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Whenever, Wherever
Laundry Service
Written by Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Underneath Your Clothes
Laundry Service
Written by Shakira, Lester Mendez, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Objection (Tango)
Laundry Service
Written by Shakira, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Wrote it
La Tortura
Fijación Oral Vol. 1
Written by Shakira, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Luis Fernando Ochoa
Co-wrote
Hips Don't Lie
Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Written by Shakira, Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Omar Alfano, LaTravia Parker
Co-wrote
Don't Bother
Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Written by Shakira, Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, Graham Edwards, Heather Reid, Leisha Hailey, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
She Wolf
She Wolf
Written by Shakira, John Hill, Sam Endicott, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Gypsy
She Wolf
Written by Amanda Ghost, Shakira, Ian Dench, Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Loca
Sale el Sol
Written by Shakira, El Cata, Pitbull, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Juan Camilo Caballero, Armando Christian Pérez
Co-wrote
Rabiosa
Sale el Sol
Written by Shakira, Pitbull, El Cata, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Armando Christian Pérez, Juan Camilo Caballero
Co-wrote
Addicted to You
Sale el Sol
Written by Shakira, El Cata, Luis Fernando Ochoa, John Hill, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Juan Camilo Caballero
Co-wrote
Can't Remember to Forget You
Shakira.
Written by Shakira, John Hill, Tom Hull, Daniel Alexander, Erik Hassle, Robyn Fenty, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Chantaje
El Dorado
Written by Shakira, Maluma, Kenai, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Juan Luis Londoño Arias
Co-wrote
Perro Fiel
El Dorado
Written by Nicky Jam, Shakira, Nick Caminero, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Written by Shakira, Kevyn Cruz, Bizarrap, Santiago Alvarado, Francisco Zecca, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Gonzalo Conde
Co-wrote
TQG
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Written by Karol G, Shakira, Kevyn Cruz, Daniel Echavarría, Carolina Giraldo Navarro, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote
Te Felicito
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Written by Santiago Múnera, Lenin Palacios, Kevyn Cruz, Andrés Uribe, Andrés Acosta, Rauw Alejandro, Shakira, Alberto Meléndez, Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Co-wrote

Discography 12 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Shakira143 tracks
LF38 LM32 JH11 KC11 EP10 ME9

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. LF Luis Fernando Ochoa · LM Lester Mendez · JH John Hill · KC Kevyn Cruz · EP Eduardo Paz · ME Miguel E. Cubillos

The Writers & Producers Behind Shakira 6 key collaborators

LF
Luis Fernando Ochoa
Songwriter & Producer
Pies Descalzos / ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? / Laundry Service / Fijación Oral Vol. 138 tracks
LM
Lester Mendez
Producer
¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? / Laundry Service / Fijación Oral Vol. 1 / Oral Fixation Vol. 232 tracks
JH
John Hill
Songwriter & Producer
She Wolf / Sale el Sol / Shakira.11 tracks
KC
Kevyn Cruz
Songwriter
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran11 tracks
EP
Eduardo Paz
Producer & Songwriter
Peligro10 tracks
ME
Miguel E. Cubillos
Producer
Magia9 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Shakira's authorship score is exceptionally high across all twelve albums, she is credited as sole or primary writer on the vast majority of her tracks in both Spanish and English. The early albums (Magia, Peligro) show her writing her own material from age 13, an unusually early start. Her score dips slightly on She Wolf (2009) and Sale el Sol (2010), where she brought in more outside co-writers, before climbing back toward near-total ownership on El Dorado and Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. The lyricist/composer split is interesting: on Spanish albums she typically writes both melody and lyric, while on the English-language albums (Laundry Service, Oral Fixation Vol. 2) she collaborated more heavily on melody composition while retaining full lyric control.

Quick Facts

  • GrammysWon 4 Grammy Awards and 15 Latin Grammy Awards
  • Waka WakaHer 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' was the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
  • Super BowlCo-headlined the 2020 Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Jennifer Lopez
  • Laundry ServiceHer 2001 English-language crossover sold over 13 million copies worldwide
  • Bzrp comebackHer 2023 session with Bizarrap broke streaming records and led the 2024 album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

Creative Fingerprint

A true singer-songwriter: Shakira is credited on about 91% of her catalogue, writing her own lyrics and much of the music in both Spanish and English since she was a teenager, with co-writers like Luis Fernando Ochoa filling out the rest.

The Story

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter who began recording at age 13 and wrote her first songs before entering her teens. After two commercially unsuccessful debut albums, she broke through in Latin America with Pies Descalzos (1995) and internationally with ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). Her English-language debut, Laundry Service (2001), became the best-selling album by a female Latin artist at the time, propelled by the global hit 'Whenever, Wherever.' She has consistently written or co-written virtually all of her own material in both Spanish and English, making her one of the most prolific and commercially successful Latin songwriters of all time. Her 2024 album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran and the viral single 'Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53' cemented her continued relevance more than three decades into her career.

Awards & Recognition

Won 4 Grammy Awards and 15 Latin Grammy Awards
'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' was the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Co-headlined the Super Bowl LIV halftime show in 2020
One of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time, with individual albums like Laundry Service selling over 13 million copies

Frequently Asked Questions Shakira

Does Shakira write her own songs?
Yes. Shakira is credited on about 91% of her catalogue and has written her own lyrics since she was a teenager, in both Spanish and English. Songs like 'Estoy Aquí,' 'Whenever, Wherever,' and 'La Tortura' are hers, usually co-written with collaborators such as Luis Fernando Ochoa rather than handed to her.
Who wrote 'Hips Don't Lie'?
'Hips Don't Lie,' from Oral Fixation Vol. 2 (2005) and featuring Wyclef Jean, was co-written by Shakira with Wyclef Jean and several others. It became one of the best-selling singles of the 2000s and her signature English-language hit.
Who is Luis Fernando Ochoa?
Luis Fernando Ochoa is a Colombian musician who was Shakira's principal collaborator on her breakthrough albums in the 1990s, co-writing hits like 'Estoy Aquí.' He helped shape the Latin pop-rock sound of Pies Descalzos and ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?
Did Shakira write 'Whenever, Wherever'?
Yes. Shakira co-wrote 'Whenever, Wherever' (and its Spanish version 'Suerte') for Laundry Service (2001), her first English-language album. It became a worldwide number one and launched her global crossover.
How many Grammys has Shakira won?
Shakira has won four Grammy Awards and fifteen Latin Grammy Awards, making her one of the most decorated Latin artists in either ceremony's history.
How many albums has Shakira released?
This catalogue covers twelve studio albums, from her teenage debut Magia (1991) through Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024), spanning her Spanish-language roots and her English-language crossover.
What was Shakira's Bizarrap session?
'Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53' (2023) with Argentine producer Bizarrap was a candid breakup song that broke Spanish-language streaming records. It anchored her 2024 comeback album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.
Why is Shakira called the Queen of Latin Music?
Shakira earned the title through decades as the best-selling Latin female artist, blending Colombian, rock, and pop influences and crossing over globally while still writing much of her own material. Few Latin artists have matched her combination of sales, songwriting, and longevity.
What genre is Shakira?
Shakira makes Latin pop, pop rock, and dance music, mixing Colombian and Middle Eastern influences with rock and pop on songs like 'Ojos Así,' 'Whenever, Wherever,' and 'Hips Don't Lie.'

Sources

Wikipedia: Shakira