(NewsSpace.com) – Shakira is the best-selling Latin artist of all time, with more than 95 million certified records sold globally. The singer got her start in 1991, when she released her first album at the age of 13. Today, she’s known for her hits “La Tortura,” “Beautiful Liar,” and “Hips Don’t Lie,” her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. To honor her long list of achievements, the singer’s birthplace has erected a massive statue of her.
The statue, a 20-foot bronze depiction of Shakira in a belly-dancing outfit with her hands over her head, was unveiled on Tuesday, December 27, in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. Her hands will eventually hold a light that will illuminate the night.
The unveiling was preceded by a small ceremony, which the singer’s parents attended. The statue, which sits along the Magdalena River on a promenade, has a plaque honoring Shakira’s birthdate and her large heart that helped her compose music, hips that never lied, a voice that moved the masses, and bare feet that trod the earth for the good of humanity and children everywhere.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Shakira thanked the sculptor, Yino Marquez, along with his students who helped create it, saying it was representative of her hometown’s “enormous artistic talent.”
Gracias al escultor Yino Márquez y a los estudiantes de la escuela distrital de artes por esta muestra del enorme talento artístico de la gente de mi tierra. pic.twitter.com/lR7ZQSO4Mx
— Shakira (@shakira) December 26, 2023
Marquez had been awarded the opportunity to create the sculpture in July, and it took five months to complete. It was first modeled in clay, after which Marquez cast it in a mold of fiberglass and silicone before casting it in bronze. Shakira was involved in the process, and he met with her in person to accurately capture her likeness.
This is the second one that has been erected in her honor. The previous one, which stands near the entrance of a soccer stadium in the city, showcases Shakira in her earlier days with a guitar in her hands.
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