because she has a voice like a goat bleating ... according to a music teacher
who excluded
her from the school choir. Truth is, in a choir you want smooth voices
which sound all the
same, and hers does sound different, it has a unique character.
So that poor teacher had a point
but made an immortal fool of himself by insulting
the girl set to become his country's biggest
ever star.
because she can
surprise us every time. Back in August 2002 I didn't really like
"Objection" that much, but then I saw her performance of this title at the
Video Music Awards, in the version now known as the Afro Punk version and was totally
blown away. Nearly every piece in the Mongoose tour program made me rediscover
new aspects of the songs I thought I knew by heart.
because if you have never
seen her perform you haven't lived. And I mean it. This
experience is like nothing
else in the universe. It's the one thing I cannot describe in words.
because she is a multicultural "cocktail" (her own
description).
because she wears torn jeans (like me, but she looks better
in them).
because she has a way with words and has overcome the obstacle of
writing in a foreign
language (like me, but her honorarium per word is a bit higher
than mine).
because no matter what she does to her hair she still looks
splendid. When Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote an article about her,
he suggested she
will probably dye it green next week but I'm still
waiting for this to happen.
because she can write songs, sing and dance
and play a few instruments (while some people have
become extremely rich and famous on the assumption that an extra dose of ambition
can replace any or all of these talents)
because she has the nicest fans in the world :) By now I know that if the Shakira
forums
go humming with excitement over a new artist, I can buy the record blindly,
and I will (at least)
like it.
because she speaks out for peace and social
justice. She may be a bit naive, but hey, the cynical old men have
had their say, so now they can listen to the naive little girls too.