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The Side Of Shakira Not Everyone Knows

Oh the nostalgia!
Carolina Moreno
By 

Reporter, HuffPost

Shakira has won hearts around the world ever since, well, this happened:

But the Colombian superstar had a huge career in Latin America before she crossed over to the English-language market and promised fans they'd be together "Whenever, Wherever."

At the beginning of her career, Shak's natural jet black hair curled in the heat of her native Barranquilla. Colombians and Spanish-speakers worldwide knew her as a Latin rock star with an edgy look and powerful lyrics.

Shakira may now be forever synonymous with honest hips, but in the hearts of thousands of Latin American fans there will always be a nostalgia for the rocker Shak that gave them "Pies Descalzos," "Inevitable" and more.

Take a look at a side of Shakira not everyone might know:

1988
At just 11 years old, Shakira was very clearly comfortable performing on stage -- dramatic gestures and all. Just look at the way she fearlessly sings "Será El Angel."
1990
A couple of years later, a 13-year-old Shakira was in-front of a camera again -- but this time to present her first album, "Magia." It wasn't a success and neither was her following record "Peligro," but after they flopped, she took control of her career. She became a part of the entire production process for the breakthrough album she released at age 18, "Pies Descalzos."
1993
But even before her breakthrough album, 16-year-old Shakira was already belly dancing her way into Latin Americans hearts. The star performed at the international music competition Festival de Viña del Mar in Chile and came in third place, according to TVN.
1994
Oh and did you know that Shakira acted in a telenovela? She starred in the young adult soap opera "El Oasis."
1995
Mezcalent
In 1995 Shakira debuted "Pies Descalzos." The album was the artist's breakthrough record and sold over 5 million copies. Singles like "Estoy Aquí" and "¿Dónde Estás Corazón?" instantly made her a star in all of Latin America.
1995
Here's Shakira rocking her natural curls in her "Estoy Aquí" video.
1996
Mezcalent
"Pies Descalzos" was mostly Latin rock and fans were introduced to a Shakira that was dark, nostalgic and edgy.
1997
Mezcalent
In the late '90s, Shakira still had her braided jet black hair and eclectic fashion sense. One thing that hasn't changed over the years? Her smile.
1998

via GIPHY

Here's Shakira in the video for "Inevitable."
1998

via GIPHY

And rocking the harmonica in her video for "No Creo."
1999
Sam Levi/Getty
And she wasn't afraid to experiment with her hair color either.
1999
AP Photo/Dennis Jones
By 1999, Shakira was a huge Latin American star. She even had to be escorted through La Gran Discoteca record store in Puerto Rico after hundreds of fans unexpectedly arrived.
2000
Mezcalent
At the beginning of the 21st century Shakira (and her purplish hair) performed her hits for MTV Unplugged, an album that many fans and critics consider her best work to date. She won the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for it.
2001
A little over a year later, Shakira dyed her hair blonde and released her crossover album "Laundry Service." The English-speaking world was introduced to an artist that looked very different from the one Latin America knew. "Whenever, Wherever" showed the world all of the star's belly dancing glory and the rest is history...

And THAT is how it's done.

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