Shakira (46) herself is just under 1.60 meters tall, and an image of her four times her size now stands in her Colombian hometown of Barranquilla. A 6.5 meter high bronze sculpture was unveiled there on Tuesday in her honor. On Instagram, the singer thanked her for the gesture with exuberant words: “It makes me happy to share this with my parents and especially with my mother on her birthday.”
The statue, which recreates Shakira’s iconic hip swing, was unveiled in the Caribbean port city in the presence of her parents and brother. “A heart that composes, hips that do not lie, a talent like no other, a voice that moves the masses and feet that march for the good of children and humanity,” reads the dedication, which serves as a plaque attached to the statue. “This is too much for my little heart,” commented the musician on Instagram.
The bronze and aluminum sculpture was designed and created by the sculptor Yino Márquez together with art students. Shakira wrote on her social media channels that the statue shows the artistic talent of the people in her homeland. She sees it as a “homage to the women of Colombia.”
The singer was born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll in Barranquilla in 1977. In 2002 she celebrated international success with her first English-language album. Her 2005 song “Hips Don’t Lie” is her most commercially successful song to date.
