Shakira: Underneath Her Clothes

If there’s anyone perched at the top of her world right now, it’s got to be Shakira. With a multi-awarded platinum album, international success and a great love life, this Colombian-born singer is proof that indeed, one can truly have it all. In her recent visit to Bangkok, Shakira endeared herself to Asian fans and reporters as she shared her thoughts on love, life and the future—words that reveal a profound philosophy underneath her blonde bombshell exterior.

Her album, Laundry Service, is a testimony to this new outlook in life. Her main inspiration? Why, her man, Antonio de la Rua (he appears in the video for Underneath Your Clothes), of course! "My love life is doing well, thank God," she shares laughingly. "I used to complain so much about men… but that was based on the very narrow vision of love. Only when you face it and open your heart to the real kind of love does your whole perception change." After all, what woman in love doesn’t find herself with a lighter spring in her step, a brighter smile on her face and happier outlook in her life? "Love is the great source of inspiration for all my songs," Shakira says. Of course, there’s the question everyone asks: Why then give this album a title that’s almost reminiscent of Tide Ultra? "It’s a happy album. During the one-and-a-half years that I worked on this album, I dedicated myself to celebrating my first encounter with true love. The combination of music and love is like soap and water. It’s the healthiest thing you can have in your life. It has a cleansing power. When I was finished, I felt like a went through a Laundromat!" she says.

That trip to Bangkok marked Shakira’s second stop in her first visit to Asia. The occasion also became an opportunity for representatives from various countries in the region to bestow their gold and platinum awards on this pop-rock superstar. "It’s more than I expected," she relates. "There’s so much love and acceptance for my music. I always kept inside my heart the vision of someday bringing my music to Asia." She was likewise enamored of Thai culture, particularly its music and dance. "I was inspired," she says. "I might incorporate Thai sound or movements in some of my videos. I might surprise you one day."

The Latin superstar also revealed to would-be singers and artists her secrets to success: "It’s very important to have strong determination, and even to be a bit stubborn." Indeed, Shakira has attained her stardom by sticking to her beliefs—an attitude that is very evident in the video for Underneath Your Clothes, where she answers a reporter’s question about her language cross-over in Spanish. This woman definitely has her future set in the music world. But what else lies ahead for Shakira? "Making music is what I’m designed for," she says. "But I am also designed for love." Ah, yes, her greatest inspiration. "I’d love to see myself as a good wife, a good mother, and a good grandmother."