como siempre hoy estoy

pensando en ti

 

iHola!

This page is about Shakira's music and what it means to me on a very personal level. It is not a comprehensive fan resource and I will only update it when I have new Shakira-related personal experiences to share. All texts shown here are my own. For more comprehensive and general web resources about Shakira follow the links below.

Contents of this site:

Why Shakira?
Shakira and I (1999-2002)
The Wembley experience (16.12.2002)
Pictures of Wembley gig (~ 600 kB)
The Madrid experience (25.04.2003)
Other favourite artists

 

Most likely to be on my CD player right now:

Oral Fixation Vol. 2, the English half of the orally fixated double act was released at the end of November all over the world except in the UK, where SonyBMG apparently don't bother promoting her work anymore. Back in the days of Laundry Service, I used to think that I prefer her Spanish songs to the English ones. OF2, however is just as good as Vol. 1, with the rockier sounds and the more political topics making up for the handicap of the "wrong" language. My favourite OF2 tracks include: How do you do (Why on Earth wasn't that the first single???), Costume makes the clown, Your embrace.

We've been waiting three years and a half for a new studio album, but Fijación Oral Vol. 1 is worth every minute of the wait. As always, it is full of surprises. My favourite tracks are the Shaketon remix, the acoustic version of La pared, and the Jazz number, Para obtener un si.

 

Other favourites:

The LIVE CD/DVD Live and off the record (En vivo y en privado) is absolutely breathtaking. It includes a 10 track CD and a 17 track DVD with 90 mins live footage, total playing time over 3 hours! The DVD is beautifully shot, and the music is perfect, of course. This is a dream come true, it's almost as good as actually being at her concerts.

I only bought Grandes Exitos (Nov. 2002) to complete the collection, as there is nothing new on it. But strangely I then played it every single day. If, like me, you like the Spanish songs better than the English ones, you will probably find this compilation addictive.


Laundry Service / Washed and Dried
2002

If you've heard the singles WW, UYC, O/T 100 times too often, the bonus tracks are life-savers, as they make you rediscover each of these songs afresh. My favourite is the afro-punk version of Objection (as first seen at the VMAs, Aug. 2002).


MTV Unplugged
2000

Now also available on DVD, the Unplugged concert is still a treat. Includes the song she wrote "at 4 am, in a recording studio, with the lights turned down and a broken heart." And from which my title quote is taken.

 

Shakira's other albums:


Laundry Service
2001
The original LS -- but try to get the "Washed and Dried" instead.


Donde estan los ladrones?
1998
Try to get the 13-track version including the single version of Ojos así.


The remixes
1997
... of the PD singles. Only worth buying if you can get the 12-track version including Portuguese versions of Estoy aquí, Un poco de amor, and Pies descalzos.


Pies descalzos
1995
Still fantastic 10 years on!

... and of course we mustn't forget her juvenilia, Magia and Peligro. They never were and never will be released outside Latin America, but bootleg copies are circulating the fan community. Listening to them, I can see why Shakira would prefer to see them buried, but on the other hand ... to us who know her music so well it is really a special experience to be able to go back to where it all started. Amazingly, even on Magia, which she recorded at the age of 14, her voice is recognizable almost in every note. It's a bit like looking at baby photos of somebody whom you know well as an adult. She's grown up so much, but yet, there are so many intriguing similarities!

 

 

ORAL FIXATION WORLD TOUR:

will begin in Spain on June 16th. Tickets are on sale now -- see you there !

 

Fan sites:

Press etc. (newest first)

  • The Guardian about the London gig

  • The Guardian meets her in New York

  • The Guardian about Laundry Service

  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez about Shakira ...

  • Shakira: Mujer llena de gracia Unauthorized biography by Ximena Diego. Also available in English translation: Shakira: Woman full of grace.

    •  

    I'm registered as "pensandoenti" in the following Forums:

    Official Sony Forum This is still a good place to sample a rich mix of old and new fans. Every once in a while there is a mass exodus to a newer / better forum, such as:
    Shakiraholics forum, ShakiraFan, Shakirafans United Forums, Shakirafanz Forums, Shakira Rules, ShakiraHeaven Forum, ShakiraIntensa Forum

     

    Feel free to
    email me.

    Oh, and if I'm not too busy practicing my belly-dance moves, I earn my living as a ... You'll never guess. To find out, visit www.proseandpassion.com

     

     

     

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