Shakira says she is proud to be from Colombia

Los Angeles, Sep 30 (IANS) Pop icon Shakira has become a global representative of Colombia, particularly as a women representative.

Talking about this, the ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer said that she is proud to hail from the Latin American country.

Shakira was honoured by Spotify on September 29 as the platform declared it ‘Shakira Day’ for the entirety of Friday, and she was even announced as the Equal Global Ambassador for the month of September.

The whole ‘Shakira Day’ honour was given to the singer after she was extensively highlighted by the trend #ShakiraDeservesADay campaign, created by her Colombian fanbase.

The whole trend went viral on social media, which coupled with her popularity and acclaim for being the No.1 most listened to Latin American singer on the platform, was enough for her to be accorded the honour.

‘Shakira Day’ also not-so-coincidentally marks the 25th anniversary of her album ‘Donde Estan Los Ladrones’.

"The role that my fans have played in my career is impossible to quantify. They’ve known how to understand me better than anybody, and they’ve carried me to where I am today with their unwavering support," Shakira, 46, said during an interview with Spotify’s For the Record.

The singer also added: "The way Colombia has served as inspiration for my career as an artiste is immeasurable. Colombia is a never-ending source of inspiration: for colours, culture, sounds, stories, folklore, and food. It’s such a rich culture and I’m so grateful to have been raised where I was and have it be my lifelong muse," People magazine reported.

Reflecting back on her very long career, Shakira has managed to stand the test of time and unlike many pop artistes who came alongside her, she did not fade away into obscurity, but rather is still as popular as she used to be in the 2000’s.

Looking back at her legacy as well as the predominantly patriarchal system of the music industry in Colombia, the ‘She Wolf’ singer said: "I’m proud to represent women who come from my country in a male-dominated industry. I am a proud Colombian and will continue to be."

Nonetheless, despite her own fame, Shakira is not too happy with the way that the music industry works in her native land, saying: “I’d like there to be more female producers and engineers. I do see more representation on the artiste side, but I think there still could be more on the industry side."