When she sings, everyone listens. When she dances, all eyes are on her: songwriter and singer Shakira ("Whenever, wherever", "Hips don’t lie", "She Wolf") has won over hordes of fans worldwide. In her fierily passionate music she combines Arab and southern European influences with the irresistible force of the Latin American feel for rhythm – the Columbian’s father has Lebanese origins, her mother is from Catalan Spain. The 32-year-old has become a world star, who with all her success has shown great commitment to charity. The BAMBI in the Category Pop International goes to Shakira.

The jury’s reasoning: "Watching Shakira on the stage is an experience. A full-blooded musician who gives everything and sweeps the audience along with her whenever she performs." Her fellow countryman and Nobel Prize-winner for Literature Gabriel García Márquez says: "Shakira’s music has a personal touch that no-one else comes near. Nobody of any age can sing and dance like her with such innocent sensuality that seems to be of her own invention." Shakira lives music. She started writing songs when she was a little girl and released her first album when she was 14 years old. There followed seven more studio albums, three live albums and a number of singles lifted off the albums. One of them, "Did it again", comes out on 27 November, one day after BAMBI.

In 2001 she started singing her songs in English as well. That gave Shakira her worldwide breakthrough. She took the charts in North America and Europe by storm with her album "Laundry Service". Shakira’s heart is not only in music, she also takes many needy people to her heart and is committed to their welfare. The "Fundación Pies Descalzos" foundation she set up in 1997 looks after socially disadvantaged children in Columbia and was given an award by the United Nations in 2006. The UNICEF ambassadress has already founded and funded five schools on behalf of her foundation.

For further information:
Susanne Bömmel
Hubert Burda Media
Press Office
e-mail: susanne.boemmel@burda.com
Tel.: 0049 (0) 89 / 9250–2575
Website: www.burda.de/bambi

background information :

BAMBI is a symbol of public favor, because it is with this award that Germany honors its stars. Germany’s most important media prize, the BAMBI, is being awarded for the 61st time on 26 November 2009 in Potsdam, with the ceremony being presented by Katarina Witt and Tom Bartels. The founder of the prize, publisher Dr. Hubert Burda, will be welcoming some 800 celebrity guests from society, show business, the media, politics and business to the glittering gala in Potsdam. With the BAMBI, Hubert Burda pays tribute to media people with vision and creativity whose outstanding successes and achievements were mirrored in the media in the course of the year. The award ceremony will be broadcast live at 20.15 hours by MDR Fernsehen on the first channel (ARD). BAMBI 2009 is being produced by Werner Kimmig GmbH.