Before the Breakthrough: Shakira

In 2001, you could not escape Shakira‘s “Whenever, Wherever,” off of the Colombian star’s 2001 album, Laundry Service.

“It was a smashing success, and it sort of became the blueprint for future Latin American artists wanting to cross over into the U.S.,” says World Cafe producer Miguel Perez.

Each week during Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re diving into a Latin American artist’s journey before their big mainstream breakthrough in the U.S. and beyond.

This week, Perez takes us back to Shakira’s early output and explores a side of her artistry he says can sometimes get overlooked: her songwriting.

“One of the frustrating things, as someone who grew up listening to her music, is that a lot of that gets lost in translation,” he says.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.