Shakira’s ‘Hips’ shake the music industry

Call it the “Hips Don’t Lie” effect.

Last year, Epic Records held a contest offering fans a chance to help create a video for Colombian pop diva Shakira’s yodel-tastic single of the same name featuring Wyclef Jean. Label executives’ expectations were low — they were spending only $5,000 to create and promote a quickie clip, after all.

But the impact of that effort sent shock waves through the music industry.

The contest yielded some 500 submissions of fans lip-syncing and booty-shaking in extremis that were spliced together by a professional editor to create a single video. Posted at Yahoo.com’s music portal in March 2006, it quickly became the site’s most popular clip. When it did drop out of the No. 1 slot several weeks later, it was second only to Shakira’s own video for the same song. The pair of “Hips” were eventually streamed more than 50 million times, making “Hips Don’t Lie” easily the Nielsen BDS most-streamed video of the year, just about tripling the number generated by second-place finisher Beyoncé’s “Check on It.” Shakira’s song went on to become a No. 1 hit in 20 countries, selling 1.7 million copies. And as an unintended result, “Hips Don’t Lie (Fans-Only Version)” seems to have sparked a brave new era of fan-artist interconnectivity.

Shakira goes on Indian shopping spree

Colombian mega-star Shakira went on a shopping spree after performing in India, buying cotton saris, books on Indian spirituality and a good luck charm meant to ward off the evil eye, a newspaper reported Thursday.

Shakira performed to a packed house in Mumbai, the country’s entertainment and financial center, on Sunday. Before heading out a day later, her staff tore through the city’s shopping districts, the Times of India reported, and also had hotel staff download hundreds of Indian songs for her.

“Shakira was very curious about desi (Indian) books and music,” Illan Weill, the manager of the Grand Hyatt hotel where she stayed, was quoted as saying by the Times. “She ensured that we packed her books and music CDs, among other things.”

Shakira Shakes it Up in The Middle East

On March 23rd, 2007 Dubai came to a stand still - literally - as more than 25,000 fans made their way towards Dubai Autodrome for a sold out mega concert!

In a city with more construction cranes than anywhere else in the world, and a road system struggling to cope with everyday traffic, the biggest concert ever certainly challenged the infrastructure. But the many “Shakira Shakira” cries were drowned out by a gigantic roar from the capacity crowd when Shakira kicked off her concert with a rendition of a song made famous by Lebanese diva, Fairuz.

Several hits and many a belly and hip shake later, Shakira had achieved what no other western artist has ever done in this region.

Shakira’s finds Indian cuisine too hot to handle

Shakira’s India concert was part of her tour for the album Oral Fixation. According to the Latino sensation “my mouth is my biggest source of pleasure, my most accessible vehicle to discover and enjoy the world.”

Keen to get a taste of Indian cuisine, she was left “teary-eyed ” after a restaurant at Kala Ghoda served up a spicy spread of leg ‘burra’ (chunks of lamb barbecued in tandoor), chicken ‘reshmi kabab’, ‘prawn kabab’, ‘fish tikka’, ‘vegetable sheekh kabab’ and ‘vegetable shammi kabab’ for starters.

Those present at the restaurant said all the mirchi soon turned her eyes so moist that her brother Tony and her secretary promptly went up to the restaurant manager and asked him to give her “only moderately spicy food” for the main course.

“Shakira’s brother and secretary asked me to cut down on the chilly,” restaurant manager Sheikh revealed, adding though that “Shakira later confessed she loved our Indian cuisine. She particularly relished the Afghani chicken.”

Shakira to Sing at Egyptian Pyramids

Shakira, the Colombian singer, will sing on Wednesday at the Guiza Pyramids on her first concert in Egypt, in her world tour to present her record Fijacion Oral II.

The “barefoot” singer who arrived the day before to El Cairo airport expressed her happiness because she has wished to sing in Egypt since she was a child, the local newspaper Al Ahram published.

Shakira said she hopes to gain “the trust and love of the Egyptians, a country that appreciates art and music”, the newspaper added.

The first Shakira concert in the African country is sponsored by the Egyptian company Mobinil, leader in mobile telephony, to celebrate its ten millionth subscriber.

Last tango in Mumbai

Shakira’s Mumbai exchange was complete when she left for Cairo on Monday with henna cones along with CDs of Indian folk and classical music, featuring ragas, raas and Rajasthani.

The diminutive Columbian had performed at the MMRDA in Mumbai on Sunday. The Latina sensation retired to her hotel post the concert, giving the after-party, hosted by Nokia and Vikram Phadnis, a miss.

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The party not only felt the singer’s absence but also an ill-turn out of Phadnis’ usual celeb favourites. Until midnight the party had far more empty corners than people crowding the room. Madhur Bhandrakar, Anurag Kashyap, Neetu Chandra, Poonam Dhillon and Sanjay Suri were among the few attendees who made it in anticipation of meeting the talented artist.

A possibly mortified Phadnis made a disappearing act in the party’s early stages too.

Sensational Shakira leaves for Cairo after regaling Mumbai

After setting the stage on fire, Colombian singing and “belly-dancing” sensation Shakira today bid adieu to India, flying to Cairo, the next stop in her world tour.

The Latino performer left Mumbai at around 1.30 pm by a private jet, accompanied by her parents.

Apart from Sunday evening’s gyration-filled memories, Shakira also left behind a handful of air-kisses and a gracious “Namaste” to her fans and the media at the Chhattrapati Shivaji International Airport just before leaving.

She arrived here on Saturday as part of a tour to promote her album “Oral Fixation” and made thousands of her fans swoon at the MMRDA Ground at the suburban Bandra-Kurla Complex on yesterday night.

Flirting with the crowd and changing costumes frequently the petite songstress drove the audience wild, rendering hit numbers like “Whenever Whatever”, “Underneath Your Clothes”, and “Hips Don’t Lie”.

Shakira shakes her hips in Mumbai today

Fruits from Hawaii, flowers from Indonesia and a custom made exotic chocolate box. Preparations are all in place for Shakira’s first performance in India. The Latino singing sensation and one of the world’s hottest stage artists will perform at a concert in Mumbai on Sunday, March 25. The Latina diva is all set to make the mercury soar in Mumbai with her hip shaking chartbusters.

Fans will certainly have a lot to look forward to as Shakira will perform chartbusters such as ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, ‘Don’t Bother’ and ‘Wherever, Whenever’ chart in addition to some hypnotising moves.

It looks like the international pop star is going to blow the city away with her powerhouse performances and her trademark belly shaking moves.

Arrives in Mumbai

Latin diva — Shakira — landed in Mumbai on Saturday (March 24) evening and is all set to take Mumbaikars by storm on Sunday (March 25).

I can’t wait to see you all, says Shakira

Shakira is super excited about performing for her fans in Mumbai tomorrow. “I can’t wait to see you all!” says the gorgeous singer, who is scheduled to arrive this evening.

In India as a part of the tour for her latest album ‘Oral Fixation 2’, the self-confessed recluse is known to have developed her belly dancing skills to overcome shyness. “I am an incredibly shy person, but I feel very much at home on the stage,” she reveals. Known to have had a tough childhood, it is only a passion for music that made Shakira the incredible performer she is today. “Since childhood I have felt like it was my destiny to perform in front of people and share my music,” she gushes.

Middle East First For Shakira

Shakira and those sexy swaying hips have finally arrived in Dubai ahead of her first ever concert in the Middle East.

The concert is part of Shakira’s global ‘Oral Fixation’ tour.

Shakira, who is Colombian but also has Lebanese roots, greeted members of the press with a mixture of English, Spanish and even some Arabic.

“This is my first time in Dubai, I’m very excited. We’re all very excited, me and the band,” she said.

She was then presented with a welcome gift by officials, and escorted out of the arrival lounge.

Shakira’s concert in Dubai is one of three concerts she is going to hold in the Arab world, with two more scheduled for Tunisia and Lebanon.

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