Grammy Museum exhibit honors Shakira
Shakira has both set and shattered numerous music chart and world records.
She’s won three Grammy Awards, 12 Latin Grammys, was named the top-selling female Latin artist of all time in 2018 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her most famous hit, “Hips Don’t Lie,” has amassed more than 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Now, the Colombian-born global superstar can add another honor to her decadeslong career. She’s the subject of a new exhibition at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
“This exhibit offers a nuanced look at why Shakira is so important. It looks at her multifaceted career as a singer, a songwriter, a performer and dancer,” said Jasen Emmons, chief curator for the museum. “You will enter sort of what we like to think of as Shakira’s world.”
Dubbed “Shakira, Shakira: The Grammy Museum Experience,” the exhibition is housed in the museum’s third-floor Latin Music Gallery and includes more than 50 pieces from her personal collection and other items that span her nearly 30-year career, such as lyric sheets, photographs, outfits, videos and some seriously shiny guitars.
“She’s been a real pathfinder and groundbreaker in terms of showing how important Latin music is and having crossover success. I think she’s paved the way for a lot of artists,” Emmons said.
Born in Barranquilla, Colombia,
Shakira started her career with a Latin rock focus, but she evolved into multiple genres, from bachata and reggaeton to pop.
Part of her story is told through video presentations, including one room that’s sectioned off by gold string curtains where guests can sit on chairs and view early footage of the singer talking about her inspirations and performing some early songs.
In another enclosed room, fans can watch several of her music videos and listen to music critics talk about her impact on music and pop culture, while in a third semicircular theater space, they can experience her in action through a film that showcases Shakira’s live performances.
The exhibition also aims to spotlight the singer’s lyrics and musicianship with displays that include her songwriting
notebooks, filled with handwritten lyrics for the song “Nada,” from her 2017 “El Dorado Album.” On the other side of the glass box that houses her notebook are harmonicas she has played on tour, as well as her rhyming dictionary, which she uses when coming up with songs.
Among the most attentiongrabbing items are her various guitars, which include a pink and white Fender Stratocaster
electric guitar covered in 20,000 Swarovski crystals that she played during her Oral Fixation Tour in 2006. There’s also a Yamaha Revstar electric guitar that looks like it was fully dipped in gold, which she played during her 2018 El Dorado Tour.
“I hope people come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for Shakira. She’s had an incredible career,” Emmons said.