Maps of Music

Pies Descalzos (1995)

Where the lyrics of Pies Descalzos take you, and where it was really made.

Shakira wrote every song on this album after her two earlier records failed commercially, and it became her breakthrough.

Key places

Recorded at Sonido Azulado, Bogotá (1995)

Recording site Aga Studios — Sonido Azulado in Bogotá is listed as one of the recording places for this album. The point sits at the city centre of Bogotá, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Ocean V.U., Miami (1995)

Recording site The Hit Factory Criteria — Ocean V.U. in Miami is listed as one of the recording places for this album. The point sits at the city centre of Miami, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet): third studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira
• Released 6 October 1995 by Sony Music Colombia
• Rock album incorporating Latin pop styles and pop rock elements
• Shakira wrote all eleven tracks and had a prominent role in production
• Her major international debut and breakthrough record
• Established her notability throughout Latin America

Background

• Signed a recording contract with Sony Music Colombia in 1990 at age 13
• Debut album Magia (1991) sold an underwhelming 1,200 copies in Colombia
• Follow-up Peligro (1993) suffered a similar failure
• She then tried for an acting career, starring in the telenovela El Oasis
• “¿Dónde Estás Corazón?” was recorded in 1994 and became a big hit in Colombia
• Its success motivated Sony Music to commission a complete rock album

Recording

• Produced on a budget of only $100,000
• Luis Fernando Ochoa co-wrote each of the eleven tracks and produced the whole album
• Production was done primarily by Ochoa, with Shakira taking a prominent role
• Recording locations marked on the map: Sonido Azulado in Bogotá and Ocean V.U. in Miami

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, born 2 February 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia.
• Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer and record producer, known as the "Queen of Latin Music".
• Signed to Sony Music Colombia at age 13; debut album Magia (1991) was not a commercial success.
• Breakthrough with Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998).
• English crossover album Laundry Service (2001) sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
• Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005) and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005) followed, with "Hips Don't Lie" becoming her first Billboard Hot 100 number one.
• Has written or co-written virtually all the music she has recorded.
• Holds four Grammy Awards and fifteen Latin Grammy Awards.
• Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024) topped Billboard Top Latin Albums, making her the first woman with number-one albums across four decades.
• Known for blending Latin, Western and Middle Eastern influences in her music and dance.

Philanthropy

• Founded Fundación Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Foundation) in 1997 to build schools for underprivileged children in Colombia.
• Became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2003.
• Appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2011.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave generally favorable reviews, praising it as a strong debut showing
• Carlos Quintana of About.com appreciated Shakira's combination of styles, well thought lyrics and music arrangements
• Jose F. Promis of AllMusic called it a solid debut that balanced heartfelt ballads with catchy pop/rock
• Billboard gave a positive review

Reappraisal

• Billboard listed it among the Essential Latin Albums of Past 50 Years in 2015
• Billboard concluded that finally, Latin rock had found its muse

Records

• Breakthrough record in Shakira's career
• Colombia: Diamond Prism, acknowledging one million copies sold
• Argentina: double platinum after passing 120,000 copies sold
• Platinum in Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Central America
• Over 2 million copies sold in Latin America by May 1997
• Over five million copies sold worldwide as of 2008
• United States: failed to chart on the Billboard 200; number 34 on Hot Heatseekers Albums; number 3 on Latin Pop Albums and number 5 on Latin Albums
• United States: RIAA platinum certification
• 580,000 copies sold in the US as of October 2017, the 23rd bestselling Latin album there per Nielsen SoundScan
• Germany: peaked at number 71 on the Albums Chart
• 1997 Billboard Latin Music Awards: Pop Album of the Year by a Female Artist and Pop Album of the Year by a New Artist
• 1997 Lo Nuestro Awards: nominated for Pop Album of the Year, lost to Enrique Iglesias's Vivir

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• “Un Poco de Amor” was her first track to include English phrases, performed by Howard Glasford, and it also introduced reggae elements.
• “Un Poco de Amor” won Pop Video of the Year at the 1997 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
• The lead single “Estoy Aquí” was released in August 1995 and peaked at numbers 1 and 2 on the Billboard Latin Pop Songs and Latin Songs charts.
• “Antología” had no music video, but its live performances on YouTube had amassed over 170 million views as of November 2024.
• The first Concierto de Lanzamiento was held on the album's release day, 6 October 1995, at La Castellana theater in Bogotá.
• The Tour Pies Descalzos ran from October 1995 to October 1997 and included about 100 shows across three continents.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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