Oye, papi. you like it mocha,
Come down a little closer and bite me en la boca
–Shakira, Rabiosa

She’s hot, she’s sexy and she has an incredible voice. Shakira hit the international stage in the 1990s and soon rocketed to the top. The Colombian pop singer has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards and countless others. She is a star in every sense of the word, taking her talent to astonishing heights, while never forgetting those who simply struggle to make it day to day. At the age of 18 she started her Pies Descalzos Foundation, whose mission is to aid children in achieving a quality education. The foundation has worked hard to fund schools through out her native Colombia. Shakira broadened her outreach, becoming a UNICEF ambassador and performing in a variety of charity concerts worldwide. To give back to the world community, she founded the Barefoot Foundation with a similar goal of providing children around the world with access to education.

This month I focused on Hispanic Heritage month, inviting various Latina authors and artists to share their work with all of you. I think it only fitting to end this month by focusing on a Latina who has done so much for the community and the world. On November 9th, Shakira will receive the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year award–the youngest person to ever receive the award–for all her philanthropic work. The next night she is up for three nominations at the Latin Grammy Awards. Whatever happens, she is a winner to me.

For some upbeat music with a terric tempo, watch this video of her latest release Rabiosa. This is the English version and features Pitbull. Can someone teach me to move my hips like her?

Here are some fun facts about Shakira (source: Wikipedia)

*According to Sony, Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

*According to Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, “Hips Don’t Lie” was the most-played pop song in a single week in American radio history. It was played 9,637 times in one week.

*Shakira became the first artist in the history of the Billboard charts to earn the coveted number one spots on both the Top 40 Mainstream and Latin Chart in the same week doing so with “Hips Don’t Lie”.

*According to Yahoo!, “Hips Don’t Lie” is the Best-Selling Single of the Last 10 Years.

*According to Forbes Magazine, Shakira was the fourth highest-earning woman in music for 2008 behind Madonna, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion.

*Shakira has become a YouTube sensation having surpassed 1 billion views on the website with “Waka Waka” accounting for over 250,000,000 views this year alone. She is the third person ever to have done this, after Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber.

And if you haven’t had enough, one last video that encompasses Shakira’s spirit. This was the official World Cup song. There’s also some nice eye candy.