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Dónde Están los Ladrones?

Dónde Están los Ladrones? is the fourth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, released on 29 September 1998 by Sony Music Colombia. After attaining success in Latin America with her major-label debut, Pies Descalzos (1995), Shakira met producer Emilio Estefan, who identified her potential to break into the US Latin market and became her manager. As co-producer, Shakira enlisted previous collaborator Luis Fernando Ochoa along with Pablo Flores, Javier Garza, Lester Mendez, and Estefan, who served as executive producers. Dónde Están los Ladrones? incorporates Latin pop styles, with influences of rock en español and Middle Eastern music.

Upon its release, Dónde Están los Ladrones? received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its sound and lyrics, with one reviewer comparing Shakira to Alanis Morissette. Commercially, the album was a success, selling over one million copies within its first month of release. Additionally, the album peaked at number 131 on the US Billboard 200, and topped the Top Latin and Latin Pop Albums charts. The album received numerous record certifications in various countries, including a platinum certification in the United States and a triple-platinum certification in Shakira's native Colombia. Dónde Están los Ladrones? won several accolades, and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards. In 2020, it was ranked number 496 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Six singles were released from Dónde Están los Ladrones?. Its lead single, "Ciega, Sordomuda", reached the top of both Billboard's Hot Latin and Latin Pop Songs component charts, and also reached number one on charts of countries in Central America and Venezuela. Follow-up singles "Tú", "Inevitable", "No Creo", "Ojos Así" and "Moscas en la Casa" peaked within the top thirty and top ten of the charts, respectively. "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", "Si Te Vas", and "Octavo Día" served as promotional singles. The album was promoted through several televised performances, including her debut on American television through The Rosie O'Donnell Show. In order to continue promoting it, along with her next release, MTV Unplugged, Shakira embarked on the Tour Anfibio, which visited North and South America throughout 2000.

Background and development
After she rose to prominence with the success of her major-label debut Pies Descalzos (1995), Shakira was introduced to Emilio Estefan, the most important producer in the Hispanic market at the time, by her promoter and longtime friend, Jairo Martínez. Estefan was renowned for launching the careers of several Hispanic singers, including Enrique Iglesias, Thalía, and his wife Gloria Estefan. He decided to work with Shakira as he identified her potential to break into the US Latin market. One of Shakira's concerns about working with Estefan was creative control over her music. Before signing their contract, the roles and duties were defined: Estefan would be her manager and executive producer, but she would be in charge of all material and arrangements and have final approval over her records. She later stated about Estefan, "He had a great respect for me as an artist and trusted me totally on this project". Since then, they started working at Estefan's Crescent Moon Studios in Miami.

Shakira was mindful of the many who would judge her fourth album, because of the "phenomenon" label recently applied to her. She knew that some would say that "she had changed too much" and others would reproach her if she remained the same. "All I could do was to be myself. I understood that all I had to do was write the music I knew how to write and to write from the heart when I was compelled to. In that way, everything developed naturally, more so than I could have imagined", she said. In addition, Shakira insisted on perfection, working on the material to the point of exhaustion. "I made two or three demos of each song. I became a human being so demanding of myself that until the song made my hair stand on end, I wouldn't stop". Equipment for the recording of Dónde Están los Ladrones? included old amplifiers to achieve a better sound, a 40-year-old German microphone, and several innovations in the instrumental mixes. Dónde Están los Ladrones? took nine months to produce, more than her previous records since more people worked on this album. Shakira commented, "To me it's a normal time, the gestation period for a baby. But many people wag their finger and tell me that the next one cannot take so long..."

Title and artwork
The album's title was inspired by one of Shakira's trips to the capital of her native country, Colombia. At the El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, after finishing her Tour Pies Descalzos, part of her luggage was stolen, including a briefcase that contained all the lyrics Shakira had been working on for the album. Shakira commented, "The worst part about the whole thing was that I couldn't remember them because of the mental block that can be caused by such a traumatic experience as the robbery of such a personal item". Feelings of impotence and emptiness overcame Shakira with such violence that for a couple of days and nights she thought of nothing but the people who had taken her material. She could not stop thinking about them: "Who are they? What are they looking for? Where are they?". She searched for a reason behind the theft of her songs. "I came to the conclusion that there are all types of thieves. A thief is not just a person who takes a physical object that doesn't belong to him or her. There are thieves who steal feelings, space, time, dreams, rights", she explained.

The album's title also evolves into a reference to the political corruption and general social mistrust pervading contemporary Colombian society. The album cover features a photo of her, soot-covered palms up, caught with her hands dirty. Shakira explained the cover, saying, "[f]rom that point of view, we all have stolen at one time or another, myself included. The dirty hands [on the cover of her album] represent the shared guilt. No one is completely clean, in the end we are all accomplices". In keeping with her increasingly rocker sound, for this album she left her hair loose and messy and filled it up with little colorful braids, looking like a "modern Medusa" according to biographer Ximena Diego. Following the album's commercial success, girls from several countries were copying Shakira's style, colorfully braiding their hair and wearing friendship bracelets.

Composition
Dónde Están los Ladrones? consists of Latin pop and rock en español styles. The album opens with "Ciega, Sordomuda", which is musically filled by typical Mexican trumpets over a disco dance loop and an electric guitar. Second track "Si Te Vas" lyrically depicts an angry Shakira who tells her lover "Si me cambias por esa bruja, pedazo de cuero, no vuelvas nunca más, que no estaré aquí". The next song, "Moscas en la Casa", was inspired by the singer's troubled relationship with Puerto Rican actor Osvaldo Ríos. Shakira lyrically expresses the sadness that she feels after a broken relationship. "Mis días sin ti son tan oscuros, tan largos, tan grises, mis días sin ti", she sings. In the next track "No Creo", the singer expresses how she believes in nothing and nobody except her lover. The song references popular socially accepted or non-accepted norms such as herself, luck, Karl Marx, Jean-Paul Sartre, Venus and Mars, and Brian Weiss. The fifth song on Dónde Están los Ladrones? is "Inevitable". Lyrically, in the hard rock ballad, Shakira confesses that she does not know how to prepare coffee, does not understand football, that she must have been unfaithful at some point and that she never wears a watch. The next track "Octavo Día" is a rock-oriented song that refers to God coming to Earth after finishing his work and discovering everything to be in ruins, and decides to quit his job and become a normal man. She also namechecks Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson.

Seventh song "Que Vuelvas" is another song inspired by her relationship with Ríos. It was musically compared to Shakira's past single "Estoy Aquí" (1996). The following track, "Tú", lyrically expresses the sweetness of love, with Shakira singing: "Porque eres tú mi sol, la fe con que vivo" and "nunca podré vivir sin ti". The ninth song is "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", a guitar-driven song which criticizes the politic and social reality in South American nations at the time of the album's release. She sings, "Los han visto por ahí, los han visto en los tejados, dando vueltas en París, condenando en los juzgados. Con la nariz empolvada, de corbata o de blue jeans, los has visto en las portadas todas, sin más nada que decir". Finally, she sentences the aristocracy singing, "Los han visto en los cócteles todos repartiendo ministerios". The following track on Dónde Están los Ladrones? is "Sombra de Ti". During the song, Shakira remembers a past love, singing, "Todas las palabras que dijimos, y los besos que nos dimos, como siempre, hoy estoy pensando en ti". The album's closing song "Ojos Así" is accompanied by a "Lambadalike middle eastern rhythm". Containing a verse in Arabic, lyrically Shakira laments that even though she has traveled from Bahrain to Beirut, she has never found eyes like her lover has.

Singles
"Ciega, Sordomuda" was released on 7 September 1998 as the album's lead single. It reached number one in Shakira's native Colombia less than a week after its release, becoming the fastest pop song to do so there. It also reached number one on charts of countries in Central America, Venezuela and the United States. The music video for the song was directed by Gustavo Garzón. In it, Shakira is arrested along with many other people, and escapes with the help of her love interest who later dresses as a policeman. Shakira hides in a wig store, pretending to be a mannequin, and drives a car blindfolded while the whole city searches for her, blindfolded as well. It was nominated for a Lo Nuestro Award for Video of the Year in 1999. "Tú" was selected as the second single from the album. It repeated the success of the previous single, reaching the top positions on both the US Latin Pop Songs and Hot Latin Songs charts. The black-and-white music video for the single was directed by Emilio Estefan in Orlando, Florida. "Inevitable" was released as the album's third single. In the music video directed by Garzón, Shakira sings the song to an audience in a circular stage. The single was also a success, reaching numbers two and three on the US Latin Pop Songs and Hot Latin Songs charts.

"No Creo" was released as the fourth single from Dónde Están los Ladrones?, and was also a commercial success, reaching numbers two and nine on the US Latin Pop Songs and Hot Latin Songs charts, respectively. The song received two music videos: the first was the performance from the MTV Unplugged album and the second was also directed by Gustavo Garzón. "Ojos Así" was released as the album's fifth single. The track reached numbers nine and twenty-two on the US Latin Pop Songs and Hot Latin Songs component charts, respectively. The music video for "Ojos Así" features Shakira performing the song for a crowd, with a giant neon eye in the background, which shoots out sparks and catches fire towards the end of the video. There are also scenes of Shakira belly dancing in front of a dark purple background, with snakes painted down her arms and red lines painted on her head. The video won the International Viewer's Choice Award (North) at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, while it was also nominated for the same award in the South category and for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. "Moscas en la Casa" was released as the sixth single from Dónde Están los Ladrones? It peaked at numbers ten and twenty-five on the US Latin Pop Songs and Hot Latin Songs charts, respectively. "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", "Si Te Vas", and "Octavo Día" served as promotional singles.

Critical reception
Dónde Están los Ladrones? received critical acclaim from music critics. Alex Henderson from AllMusic gave the album five stars out of five, saying that the album was "arguably the finest and most essential album that she recorded in the 1990s" and also stated that besides its lyrics, the album would impress even non-Spanish-speaking listeners with its "attractive melodies and the emotion that the artist brings to her songs". He finished his review saying, "if you're acquiring your first Shakira release, this would be the ideal choice". Billboard magazine was also positive and called it a "like-minded set brimming with forlorn, lovesick testimonials set to a mainstream pop/rock sound laced occasionally with edgy guitar and vocal interludes", picking the song "Ojos Así" as the "most satisfying" track on the album. Christopher John Farley, while reviewing positively Dónde Están los Ladrones? in his Time magazine review, said that the buzz around Shakira was justified. "On her latest CD she charges Latin pop with rock 'n' roll to thrilling effect. Even when her music gets loud, Shakira's vibrant contralto remains sweet and expressive. [...] Missing out on this collection would be at least a misdemeanor", he completed. Mark Kemp, writing for the book The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, said that the album mined a familiar territory in Shakira's music, but it "holds together with stronger songs, a beefier sound, and more confident vocals". He finished his review by saying that it was "hard to imagine a singer barely into her 20s having written and recorded such an inventive set of songs", while complimenting Estefan's production, calling it "surprisingly tasteful and evenhanded".

A reviewer from MTV said that "Latin pop innovator Shakira represents the kind of eventuality for which Alanis Morissette, Bob Dylan and Beck are all precedents", but also noted that "Those expecting polite recreations of Latin styles past will be sorely disappointed, but listeners for whom crossover is the norm will find a wealth of satisfaction in Donde Estan los Ladrones, whether or not they understand the words". Leila Cobo Hanlon from Miami Herald was positive, saying that the album "retains Shakira's trademark sound — rock-laced pop melodies backed by acoustic guitars — as well as her deeply personal approach to music-making", but also noting that "ironically, the album's only failures occur when it looks too closely at its predecessor". Sputnikmusic website gave a positive review saying "¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? is the gem of Shakira's discography, and one of the best Spanish pop releases of the past decade", although criticized its "slight lack of variety". Franz Reynold from Latin Beat Magazine noted that "while many of the cuts on this collection are definitely chart-bound, that is due more to the fact that she doesn't stray too far from the previous formula, than it does to any hope that success provides room for expansion", but complimented tracks like "Inevitable" and "Tú". Rubens Herbst from Brazilian newspaper A Notícia gave a mixed review, writing that the album was "homogenous, well-produced and full of potential hits", but "empty and forgettable, like every FM pop — and the fact of singing in Spanish doesn't take Shakira away from the label". In July 2017, the album ranked at number 95 on the list for the 150 greatest female albums of all time by the National Public Radio.

Accolades
At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? received a nomination for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album, which went to Sueños Líquidos by Maná. At the 11th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in the same year, the recording won the Lo Nuestro Award for Pop Album of the Year in a tie with Sueños Líquidos. At the 1999 Billboard Latin Music Award, it won Pop Album of the Year by a Female Artist, and El Premio de la Gente for Female Pop Artist or Group at the Ritmo Latino Music Awards in the same year. Dónde Están los Ladrones? won in the category of Best Pop Album by a Female Artist at the 1999 Premios Globo. The record was recognized as Latin Album of the Year at the 2000 Premios Gardel. In the updated edition for The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time published in 2020 by American magazine Rolling Stone, the album ranked at number 496 and is described as a "stellar globetrotting dance-rock set, which blends sounds from Colombia, Mexico, and her father's native Lebanon."

Commercial performance
Dónde Están los Ladrones? sold 300,000 copies on the day of its release, and over one million copies by the end of its first month of release. On the US Billboard 200, the album debuted at number 141 for the week dated 17 October 1998, selling 10,500 units, 75% up in comparison to its previous week, when it did not sell enough to debut on the chart. The next week it climbed to its peak of number 131, after a 10% increase in sales. In addition, it reached number one on Top Latin Albums, Latin Pop Albums, and number 30 on Catalog Albums component charts. In December 1998, it was revealed that the album had reached 500,000 copies sold in the United States and 1.5 million worldwide. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), recognizing a million shipments within the country. , the album sold over 920,000 copies in the US, making it the ninth bestselling Latin album in the country according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Across Europe, Dónde Están los Ladrones? made appearances on the lower end of music charts. In Germany, the album entered the Offizielle Top 100 albums chart at number 99 in the issue dated 11 February 2002. It finally peaked at number 79 weeks later, spending a total of nine weeks on the chart. In Netherlands, the album had a similar debut, at number 99 on 20 April 2002, falling out of the chart the next week. Two months later, it returned to the charts at number 88. After falling out of the chart one more time, the album returned to number 88 on 17 August 2002 and peaking at number 78 the week after. Dónde Están los Ladrones? debuted at number 89 in March 2002, and reached number 73 in late April. The album remained five weeks on the chart in total.

In Hispanic countries, the album was a success. In Shakira's native Colombia, it was certified triple-platinum by the Asociación Colombiana de Productores de Fonogramas (ASINCOL) after selling 180,000 copies within the country. The album was also certified triple-platinum in Chile and Venezuela, double-platinum in Mexico and Uruguay,  quadruple-platinum in Argentina, and platinum in Spain. Dónde Están los Ladrones? sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

Legacy
According to music journalist Sebastián Peña from Shock magazine, the record was intended to surpass the success, quality and attention that Shakira had achieved with her previous album, something that she undoubtedly achieved. He added that Shakira dared to do something that very few artists of that time they had done for the fear of not playing on the radio, saying many things, criticizing the corrupt and those who live their lives superficially, achieving in several words to be revolutionary for that decade. Back then, when a new stream of Latin artists were taking off like Carolina Sabino, none managed to transcend with a well-established fan base, something that Shakira did. The singer was also credited with opening new doors for women in the industry and showed to people that she could become a "superhero" for men and women, despite the fact that female artists always had them in the background. She was seen by the media as the Latin Alanis Morissette due to their similarity in their way of expressing themselves and their visual proposal, and thanks to this album Shakira managed to give greater strength and visibility to the international female boom at the end of the first millennium. The album led Shakira to be dubbed by Time magazine as "The princess of rock" and to be described as "The Colombian Artist of the millennium" in her country.

According to Ximena Diego's book Shakira: Mujer Full of Grace, Shakira's style on her album and more specifically the video "Ciega, Sordomuda" became a trend in several young women of the time; various teenage girls imitated the outfit and accessories that the singer used during the time, thousands of letters reached her from fans, her music sounded in different children's toys around the country even establishing the bases to take Latin music to totally foreign cultures such as European and Asian. Rolling Stone credits Shakira with redefining Latin music with her first two albums, being Dónde Están los Ladrones? the album that changed the rules of rock en español, laying the foundation for future Latin rockers also introduced her to the American public and made her a household name in Latin rock. According to the same magazine, female artists such as Francisca Valenzuela and Jessie Reyez explained in interviews about the lyrics of love and heartbreak that in their words this album inspired a whole generation of women to write their own songs without "apologizing". It was also considered the most influential album among women and the LGBT community according to a survey.

Dónde Están los Ladrones? is considered a benchmark for a whole generation of young Latin artists. Sebastián Yatra, Francisca Valenzuela and Camilo all have cited it as a point of inspiration for their musical works. In 2020, it was selected as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone, being one of the few Latin and the only rock in Spanish on the list. In July 2017, the album ranked at number 95 on the list for the 150 greatest female albums of all time by the National Public Radio. Dónde Están los Ladrones? was included as one of the "1000 Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die" by Sony Music. In 2024, a group of various music journalists from all over Latin America made a consensus where they classified the album in position 10 on their list "The 600 essential albums for the history of Latin America." In 2024, Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 82 on its list "100 Greatest Album Covers of All Time."

Promotion
Promotion for Dónde Están los Ladrones? began when Shakira performed its lead single "Ciega, Sordomuda" on the Con T de Tarde show in Spain, in September 1998. In October, Shakira traveled to Brazil and was featured in many TV programs, including Domingo Legal on SBT, which she appeared twice. On 28 January 1999, Shakira made her debut on American television by appearing on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Gloria Estefan introduced and interviewed the singer instead of O'Donnell, before she performed an English version of "Inevitable", which she sang while suffering from fever due to nervousness. In February 1999, she went to Peru to perform on Laura TV show. Shakira also sang "Inevitable" in a medley with "Come to My Window" with singer Melissa Etheridge on the ALMA Awards on 6 March 1999. During a promotional tour she returned to Brazil in March 1999, and performed on several TV shows such as Domingão do Faustão. In May, she returned to the United States to perform at the Premio Lo Nuestro 1999 in Miami, and at the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Los Angeles. In November, Shakira sang at the Premios Amigo in Spain, while she also performed on the Miss Colombia 1999 election, closing the event. Shakira performed "Ojos Así" on the first-ever Latin Grammy Awards on September 13, 2000, giving a "wildly" choreographed performance against a backdrop of tiki torches and images of water as she writhed about in a red pantsuit.

In order to promote the album and MTV Unplugged, Shakira embarked on the Tour Anfibio which began on 17 March 2000 in Panama City, Panama, and ended on 12 May 2000 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was sponsored by Nokia. The name "anfibio" was chosen by Shakira for its resemblance with her: earthy, viscerally connected to the water element, capable of adapting and willing to undergo metamorphosis. Shakira said about the tour's name: "You'll have to find out. It's an invitation for you to watch the show and find out. It has nothing to do with past performances. You'll see an evolved and renewed Shakira. It's a spectacle of many transformations that will prevent the public from getting bored". The tour's setlist consisted of songs from her albums Pies Descalzos and Dónde Están los Ladrones? In addition, she included an a capella song, "Alfonsina y el Mar", originally by Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa. Criticism of the tour included the high ticket prices, overselling of tickets in Guatemala, which according to the press could have caused a tragedy, the long delays at the start of the show and its short duration, and the accusation of the use of pre-recorded music in Puerto Rico. Despite the criticism, the tour was a financial success, earning Shakira a position in the list of Top 50 Tours published in the summer of 2000 by Pollstar magazine.

English version
The success of Dónde Están los Ladrones? prompted American singer Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan's wife, to persuade Shakira to record the album in English and attempt to cross over into the mainstream pop industry. However, Shakira was initially hesitant to record songs in English as it was not her first language, so she offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English in order to show her that "it could translate well". Shakira then began translating the song herself and showed it to Gloria Estefan, and would say, "Quite honestly, I can't do this better!." As Shakira wanted to have full control over her recordings, she decided to learn English better to enable her to write her own songs. She was supposed to return to studio to record an English version of the album in January 1999. It did not came to fruition, and a new album titled Laundry Service was released instead as her first crossover album.

Track listing
All lyrics written by Shakira Mebarak.

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dónde Están los Ladrones?.

 * Shakira – producer, songwriter, vocals, harmonica
 * Emilio Estefan Jr. – executive producer
 * Javier Garza – producer, engineer, mixer, programmer
 * Luis Fernando Ochoa – producer, songwriter, guitar, bass guitar
 * Lester Mendez – producer, string arrangements, programming, keyboards
 * Pablo Flores – producer, programmer
 * Sebastian Krys – engineer, mixer
 * Steve Menezes – assistant engineer
 * Alfred Figueroa – assistant engineer
 * Kieran Wagner – assistant engineer
 * Chris Wiggins – assistant engineer
 * Bob Ludwig - Mastering
 * Kevin Dillon – coordinator
 * Wendy Pedersen – backing vocals
 * Adam Zimmon – guitar
 * Marcelo Acevedo – guitar
 * Randy Barlow – accordion
 * Teddy Mulet – trumpet
 * Brendan Buckley – drums
 * Edwin Bonilla – percussion
 * Ric Fierabracci - electric bass guitar
 * John Falcone – electric bass guitar

title: Dónde Están los Ladrones?


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Laundry Service (album)

Laundry Service (Servicio de Lavandería) is the fifth studio album and first English-language album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, globally released on 13 November 2001 by Epic Records. After her fourth studio album Dónde Están los Ladrones? became a success in Latin America, Spain, the Middle East and the Latin community in the United States, Shakira was encouraged by American singer Gloria Estefan to record songs in English as she believed her friend had the potential to cross over into the English-language pop market. Shakira was hesitant at first, but then decided to learn English well enough to write songs in the language. The title of the album reflects Shakira's views on love and music. It was released as Servicio de Lavandería in Hispanic regions in January 2002. Laundry Service is primarily a pop rock record but it also experiments with Andean music, dance-pop, Middle Eastern music, rock and roll and tango music. The album's theme is love and romance. Every song on it was written and produced by Shakira under the guidance of Emilio Estefan.

Six singles were released from the album. The lead single "Whenever, Wherever" became an international success, reaching number one on record charts of Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The second English-language single "Underneath Your Clothes" repeated that success, topping the charts of Australia, Austria, and Belgium. Both singles charted in the top ten in the United Kingdom and United States. Spanish-language singles "Te Dejo Madrid" and "Que Me Quedes Tú" performed well in Hispanic regions, becoming hits in Spain and on the Latin record charts in the United States, respectively. The fourth single "Objection (Tango)" became a top ten hit in most countries around the world, while the sixth and final single "The One" was a moderate commercial success. To promote the album, Shakira embarked on her Tour of the Mongoose between 2002 and 2003. It was her first major worldwide tour and visited many countries and cities.

Laundry Service received favourable to mixed reviews from music critics. Many critics complimented Shakira's varied musical styles and originality, while some critics argued that the album sounded too generic. Shakira's vocal talent also attracted praise. Laundry Service topped the charts of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, while reaching the top five in Argentina, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the United States, Laundry Service peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. The album received multiple record certifications, including sextuple platinum in Australia, quintuple in Canada, Spain and Switzerland. It was also certified multi-platinum in the United Kingdom and the United States, proving to be a successful crossover for Shakira. Globally, Laundry Service was the seventh best-selling album in 2002. The album sold around 13 million copies by 2011, making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, and is considered the best-selling album by a female Latin artist.

The album is listed at number 172 of the "Definitive 200" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Background
In 1998, Shakira released her second major label studio album Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), which became a success in Latin America and received record certifications in various countries like Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Spain. The rock en español-influenced Latin pop album drew comparisons to the work of Canadian-American singer songwriter Alanis Morissette and "cracked the lucrative US market wide open", spending a total of 11 weeks atop the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. It became Shakira's first album to receive a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Dónde Están los Ladrones? spawned the Arabian-styled single "Ojos Así" ("Eyes Like Yours"), which became a hit and was deemed the "signature track" of the album.

Shakira's record label at that time, Epic Records, opposed the decision to release and commission Laundry Service as they "wanted her just to throw a couple of songs in English on a Latin music record." Gloria Estefan argued with Tommy Mottola, then head of Sony Music Entertainment (the parent company of Epic), and convinced him to release the album, arguing that an "American audience" would not buy a Spanish-language record simply due to its inclusion of a few English-language tracks. In an interview with Latina, she said "I got in the trenches there with Tommy [Mottola] - I fought for that. Because they didn't believe it. Just like they told us [her and Emilio during the Miami Sound Machine days]. They were trying to think in the box and I wanted to take her out of the box. And fortunately, Tommy, whom I love and adore and is a good friend, he really listened to me."

Writing and recording

The success of Dónde Están los Ladrones? prompted American singer Gloria Estefan in 1999, whose husband Emilio Estefan was managing Shakira at that time, to persuade Shakira to attempt to crossover into the mainstream pop industry. However, Shakira was initially hesitant to record songs in English as it was not her first language, so Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English in order to show her that "it could translate well." Shakira then began translating the song herself and showed it to Estefan, who responded "Quite honestly, I can't do this better!." As Shakira wanted to have full control over her recordings, she decided to learn English better to enable her to write her own songs. Wanting to find a method to express her "day-to-day stories in English", Shakira bought rhyming dictionaries, started analysing the lyrics of songs by Bob Dylan, reading poetry and the work of authors like Leonard Cohen and Walt Whitman and took English lessons from a private tutor.

The first song she wrote was "Objection (Tango)" and in an interview with Faze, she revealed that writing songs in English proved to be challenging for her: "I prayed and asked God to send me a good song today, and I remember I started writing the song ['Objection (Tango)'] a couple of hours after. I wrote the music and lyrics at the same time, and when that happens it's really magical to me." After completing "Objection (Tango)", Shakira decided to write ten more songs and began setting up portable recording studios in the rural region of Uruguay. She wrote various songs with a "dictionary in one hand and a thesaurus in the other." During the songwriting process, Shakira wrote "Underneath Your Clothes" as a love song for de la Rúa. She explained that, "If you check the subject of my songs, most of them talk about my own experiences and feelings and what I was actually going through in my life." Shakira collaborated with various writers and producers on the album including Estefan, Lester Mendez, Luis Fernando Ochoa and Tim Mitchell. Being "more in control than ever", Shakira closely supervised the development of the album. The singer also served as the primary producer of the album.

Composition
Although primarily a pop rock album, Laundry Service also draws influences from a variety of musical genres. The singer credited this to her mixed ethnicity, saying "I am a fusion. That's my persona. I'm a fusion between black and white, between pop and rock, between cultures - between my Lebanese father and my mother's Spanish blood, the Colombian folklore and Arab dance I love and American music." Arabian and Middle Eastern elements, which had a high influence on Dónde Están los Ladrones?, are also present in Laundry Service, most prominently on "Eyes Like Yours" (Ojos Así). Musical styles from different South American countries surface on the album. Tango, a style of fast-paced ballroom dance that originated in Argentina, is evident on "Objection (Tango)", which also combines elements of rock and roll. The uptempo track features a guitar solo and a bridge in which Shakira delivers rap-like vocals. "Whenever, Wherever" blends pop rock with Andean music and contains instrumentation from panpipes and the charango - traditional instruments generally associated with the genre.

A few songs are also influenced by dance-based genres; the "feisty" "Rules" is laced with new wave and "Ready for the Good Times" is inspired by disco music. The power ballad "Underneath Your Clothes" has Shakira delivering "racked" vocals and features brass instrumentation influenced by English rock band The Beatles. It contains a melody similar to the one in "Eternal Flame", a 1989 song by American all-female band The Bangles. Similarly, the tune of "The One", another power ballad on the album, is similar to that of "Michelle", a 1965 song by The Beatles. "Fool" and "Poem to a Horse" are more directly influenced by rock music. The former received comparisons to the work of Alanis Morissette while the latter also displays indie elements and contains instrumentation from a soul music-styled horn section and guitar riffs similar to the one present in songs by American grunge band Nirvana. Laundry Service also contains four Spanish tracks: "Que Me Quedes Tú" ("That You Remain With Me"), "Te Dejo Madrid" ("I Leave You Madrid"), "Suerte" ("Luck") and "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)" ("I'm Warning You, I'm Announcing to You"); the latter two are Spanish translations of "Whenever, Wherever" and "Objection (Tango)", respectively.

The lyrics of most songs in Laundry Service are based on issues and themes related to love, as they had been written after Shakira began a relationship Antonio de la Rúa, the son of former Argentine president Fernando de la Rúa. "Underneath Your Clothes" is an "ode" to the positivity one gains when pursuing a relationship with a good person. Shakira shows an "important side" in "The One", which is a song about how "you love your guy so much that you're actually going to learn to cook" and contains lines like "To buy more thongs and write more happy songs, it always takes a little help from someone." In "Rules", she aims to make her lover realise that he is "condemned" to her and lists "all the things your new boy can do." Songs like "Objection (Tango)" and "Fool" also deal with issues related to love but in a different manner. The former is dramatic and humorous in approach as Shakira commands her partner to end a love triangle and choose between her and the other lady; it was described as a "hell-hath-no-fury it's-her-or-me steam train." In the song, Shakira asserts that "Next to her cheap silicon I look minimal/That's why in front of your eyes I'm invisible", which a reviewer commented was a "brave statement in these days of suspiciously ripe teenybop flesh peddlers [sic]." "Fool" discusses how Shakira continues to try to build up a relationship with a "shitty, self-absorbed man" even after suffering a "soul-crushing defeat."

Release
The album was globally released on 13 November 2001 in nations including Australia, France, Italy, Switzerland and the United States. In Latin American countries like Mexico, the album was released as Servicio de Lavandería in January 2002. In the United Kingdom, Laundry Service was released on 11 March 2002. On 12 November 2002, a limited edition version of the album entitled Laundry Service: Washed and Dried was released; this version of the album features three additional remixes and a bonus disc which contains multimedia content related to "Objection (Tango)".

Shakira chose to entitle the album Laundry Service as she wanted to represent her passion for love and music, which she compared to soap and water, saying "The reason I named it "Laundry Service" is because I've spent the year dedicated to my two great passions: love and music. Those two elements are like soap and water. It was a deep cleansing, almost like being reborn." The artwork of the album was also designed by Shakira and shows a close-up of the back of a blonde-haired Shakira; a star and the name of the album are seen tattooed on her arm.

Singles
"Whenever, Wherever" was released as the lead single from Laundry Service on 30 August 2001. The song was commercially successful, peaking at number one in countries including Australia, Austria, France, Germany Italy, and more than 14 countries worldwide. In the United States, "Whenever, Wherever" became Shakira's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number six. It stood as the singer's highest peaking single on the chart until "Hips Don't Lie" reached number one in 2006. "Whenever, Wherever" narrowly missed peaking atop the chart in the United Kingdom by reaching number two. "Suerte", the Spanish-language version of the song, was also released and peaked at number one in Spain and on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. "Whenever, Wherever" attained numerous record certifications around the world, including multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Belgium, and Switzerland, platinum certifications in the United Kingdom, and a diamond certification in France. The accompanying music video of the song, which features Shakira belly dancing in various locations, was directed by Francis Lawrence and became popular on music video television channel MTV.

"Te Dejo Madrid" was released as the second single from the album in January 2002. It peaked at number seven in Spain but performed poorly on the Latin record charts in the United States, peaking at number 45 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. Spanish bullfighter Julián López Escobar, better known by his stage name El Juli, filed a lawsuit against Shakira for using scenes of one of his performances in the music video for "Te Dejo Madrid" without his permission.

"Underneath Your Clothes" was released as the third single from the album in February 2002. The song peaked atop the charts in Australia, Austria, and Belgium; it was certified platinum in the three countries. In other countries, it became a top five hit. "Underneath Your Clothes" entered the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number nine, while in the United Kingdom it reached number three. The accompanying music video for "Underneath Your Clothes" was directed by Herb Ritts and depicts Shakira's life on tour. Shakira's then boyfriend Antonio de la Rua makes an appearance in the video and this led to music retailer Tower Records Argentina banning sales of her albums in the country. The reason behind the ban was that Antonio de la Rua's father Fernando de la Rúa, who was the President of Argentina at that time, had resigned "in the midst of profound economic and political turmoil in the country," and the decision to ban sales of Shakira's albums was a "direct protest against Antonio De la Rua—not Shakira."

"Objection (Tango)" was released as the fourth single in May 2002. Although it was not a commercial success as big as "Whenever, Wherever" or "Underneath Your Clothes", the song performed well nonetheless. "Objection (Tango)" became a top ten hit in most countries and reached the top five in Australia and Netherlands. The song was certified platinum in Australia and gold in France. It became the last single from Laundry Service to chart on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, on which it peaked at numbers 55 and 17, respectively. Directed by Dave Meyers, the music video for "Objection (Tango)" features Shakira fighting her unfaithful lover and his mistress.

"Que Me Quedes Tú" was released as the fifth single in November 2002 and peaked at number 10 on the Spanish Singles Chart. It became a success on the Latin record charts in the United States, topping both the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Latin Pop Airplay charts.

"The One" was released as the sixth and final single from the album in December 2002. It was a moderate chart success and reached the top 20 in most countries. "The One" became the only single from the album to not appear on any US Billboard chart. The music video for "The One" was directed by Esteban Sapir and Ramiro Agulla and shows Shakira singing the song while walking outside in the rain.

Tour

To promote Laundry Service, Shakira embarked on the Tour of the Mongoose from 2002 to 2003. The tour was the singer's first worldwide tour and visited 50 cities and 30 countries, with its kick-off concert show held in San Diego, California. Various brands and franchises co-sponsored the tour, including international clothing brand Reebok and soft drink brand Pepsi. Seven buses and ten trailers were also employed to transport all the staff members. A stage covering 350 square meters was set up and preparations to arrange 280,000 watts of sound and light were made. A "solid nine-piece band" was hired to provide live instrumentation. Regarding the title of the tour, Shakira explained her decision to name it after the mongoose, saying: "'Its called the Tour of the Mongoose, and the mongoose is basically one of the few animals who can defeat the most venomous snakes with just one bite. And that's why I decided to name my tour that way, because I think that if we all have a little mongoose inside that can defeat the hatred and the resentment and the prejudice of everyday, we can probably win the battle.'" Likewise, the theme of the tour was highly influenced by Shakira's political views, and this was prominently seen during the performance of "Octavo Día", a song from Dónde Están los Ladrones?, during which a film showing puppet caricatures of George W. Bush, then-President of the United States, and Saddam Hussein, then-President of Iraq, playing chess with their moves being controlled by the Grim Reaper. During the opening of the concert shows, a "massive" stage curtain showing a "mongoose and a cobra preparing for battle" split and a giant cobra slowly began rising from the centre of the stage to reveal Shakira, who wore "black leather pants and a black bikini top" and performed barefoot. Shakira incorporated belly dancing moves in her performances and often played various instruments throughout the shows herself, including the harmonica. Eight songs from Laundry Service were included on the setlist of the tour. A more afro-punk oriented version of "Objection (Tango)" was performed and featured instrumentation from bongos. As an intro to "Rules", Shakira played the harmonica, guitar, and drums. She also played an electric guitar during the performance of "Fool". "Whenever, Wherever" was included in the encore segment of the shows and was "made to feel even more celebratory by the massive amount of confetti shot on the crowd midway through." Shakira also performed covers of "Dude Looks Like a Lady", a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, and "Back in Black", a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Many performances made use of pyrotechnics and "six-foot flames that shot from the stage."

In 2004, a live album of the tour was released as Live & Off the Record. Aside from recording of the performances, the album included an hour-long documentary that shows Shakira "touring the world and doing such fun things as blowing bubbles, getting massages, and being serenaded by a mariachi band." A promotional CD single featuring the live performances of "Poem to a Horse" and "Whenever, Wherever" was also released to promote Live & Off the Record. The live album was certified platinum in France and gold in the United States.

Critical reception
Critical reception towards Laundry Service ranged from favourable to mixed, with critics expressing different opinions regarding the production and composition of the album. Alex Henderson from AllMusic commended Shakira's songwriting abilities in English, calling it a "challenge that she handles impressively well. Shakira, it turns out, sings quite convincingly in English," and also praised her different mixes of musical styles, saying "Like Shakira's Spanish-language albums, this self-produced CD is enjoyably eclectic; she successfully combines pop/rock with everything from tango on "Objection (Tango)" and Andean music on "Whenever, Wherever" to Middle Eastern music on "Eyes Like Yours". He concluded that "Dónde Están los Ladrones? remains Shakira's most essential album, but Laundry Service is an excellent English-language debut for the South American vocalist." A critic from Billboard also favoured the presence of various musical styles on the album and commented that "Laundry Service finds the 24-year-old artist unafraid of merging musical flavors," and complimented Shakira's vocal talent. Similarly, the Entertainment.ie review of the album deemed the lyrical content "surreal" and the production "no less bizarre [...] imposing breakneck tangos, twanging guitar solos and bizarre raps onto a familiar soft rock template." They felt that Laundry Service could not be called a "great album", reasoning that "the line between fascinatingly strange and offputtingly weird is a thin one, and Laundry Service crosses it far too often," but also stated that "Even so, Shakira's star quality can hardly be denied - and in today's increasingly conformist pop industry that deserves at least two cheers."

Alexis Petridis from The Guardian lauded Shakira's originality, opining that "In an age of personality-free pop idols, Shakira's glorious eccentricity makes her a true star," and commented that "Every song contains at least one non sequitur so eccentric that it could be the work of 1970s rock surrealist Captain Beefheart" and "The music on Laundry Service gives the lyrics a run for their money in the oddball handicap." Although he felt that the use of samples on various songs "displays an attitude to plagiarism that Noel Gallagher would consider cavalier" and that "no one could claim Laundry Service was a groundbreaking work of art," he concluded that "its ramshackle production and imponderable lyrics are striking and unique. And these days, it's hard not to find any pop record that provokes those adjectives rather cheering." Music critic Robert Christgau termed Laundry Service "the Cher album Cher never made" and attributed this to Shakira's blend of Middle Eastern styles in her music; he commented that the "stylistic appetite of this Colombian superstar is pure rock en Español" and appreciated Shakira's confident songwriting. Christgau also noted Shakira's strong vibrato and constant changing of timbre in her vocals. Lisa Oliver from Yahoo! Music said that Shakira's experimentation with different styles yield "results ranging from corking to minging," but experienced difficulty with the formatting of the CD, saying "the biggest problem with 'Laundry Service' is the anti-copying device that renders the CD useless in anything other than a conventional CD player [...] A shame then, because this Latino hottie could dilate the musical pupils of even the most ardent homebody if only they could get off the computer long enough to hear it."

At the same time Shakira's album evoked sharp criticism by a number of authors. David Browne from Entertainment Weekly, for instance, called the album a "the ultimate in crossover nightmares" and opined that Shakira's incorporation of different musical genres made it sound confusing, saying "Its wan ska-pop, faux-country ballads, and generic rock barely betray a Spanish accent or any musical heritage. (She can't decide if she wants to sound like Alanis or Shania)". Matt Cibula from PopMatters gave a more mixed view in his review of Laundry Service; he complimented some of the lyrics of the songs but expressed disappointment in Shakira's production of the album, writing it off as "generic". He felt that the album was "extremely safe" and speculated that the reason behind the album's "generic" sound was due to the Estefans' involvement, saying "when I read that she's [Gloria Estefan] helping you with lyrics and he's [Emilio Estefan] 'executive producer', and I hear the unmistakable hum of 'moneymoneymoneymoney' in the background [sic]." Ernesto Lechner from Rolling Stone complimented the singer's voice as a "wild and beautiful instrument [...] capable of delivering scorching moments of musical passion," but commented that the involvement of a "battalion of producers and songwriters" led to Shakira sounding "downright silly" on Laundry Service and also criticised "her efforts to spice things up with obvious touches of Latin American folklore."

Some authors criticised Shakira's first English album for the clumsy rhyme of its songs. Elizabeth Mendez Berry's article in "Vibe" is particularly indicative in this sense. In reference to Shakira's texts in English, the journalist wrote: "While her Spanish-language albums sparkled with elegant wordplay, this record is rife with cliches, both musically and lyrically. [...] For Anglophone Latin lovers, Shakira's lyrics are best left to the imagination." It has also been noted for its distinct place in her discography, being "a far cry from her modern-day reggaeton-stylings and instead shows off how her remarkable voice can adjust to the wide-range of genres which feature."

Accolades
Laundry Service garnered Shakira a number of awards. At the 2002 American Latino Media Arts Awards (ALMA Awards) ceremony, the album won the award for "Album of the Year" and Shakira won the award for "Outstanding Female Performer". At the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards Latin America (VMALA) ceremony in 2002, Shakira won a total of five awards, which included "Artist of the Year", "Video of the Year" (for "Suerte"), "Female Artist of the Year", "Pop Artist of the Year" and "Best Artist - North Latin America". At the inaugural Premios Oye! in the same year, the album received a nomination in the category of "Record of the Year", while Shakira won the awards for "International Female Artist of the Year" and "Latin Pop Female Artist of the Year". At the 2002 Premio Lo Nuestro ceremony, Shakira won the "Premio del Pueblo" ("People's Choice Award") in the category of "Pop/Rock" for Laundry Service. At the 2003 NRJ Music Awards, Laundry Service was announced as the winner of "Best International Album" and Shakira was named the "Best International Female Artist". The album was also nominated for "International Album of the Year" at the 2003 Juno Awards.

Commercial performance
In Austria, Laundry Service entered the Ö3 Austria Top 40 albums chart at number five and peaked at number one, spending a total of 71 weeks on the chart. The album was certified double-platinum by the IFPI Austria for selling 80,000 units. In the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium, it reached number one on the Ultratop chart, while it peaked at number five in the French-speaking Wallonia region of the country. After debuting at number 40 on the Finnish Albums Chart, Laundry Service quickly ascended to number one and charted for a total of 49 weeks. By 2007, the album had gone triple-platinum in the country and had sold a total of 90,140 units. In France, Laundry Service debuted at number nine on the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) albums chart and peaked at number five for three weeks; its stay on the chart lasted for 89 weeks. It was certified double-platinum by the SNEP for sales of 600,000 units. It remained as Shakira's greatest certified album in the country until her ninth studio album Sale el Sol was certified diamond in 2011. In Germany, it peaked at number two on the Media Control chart and charted for 31 weeks. Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) certified Laundry Service quintuple-gold in Germany for shipments of 750,000 units. In Hungary, it peaked at number four on the MAHASZ chart and was her highest charting album in the country until Sale el Sol reached the same position in 2010. The album was certified platinum in Hungary.

After debuting at number three on the Italian Albums Chart, Laundry Service ascended to number two the following week but was kept from attaining the top position by Alanis Morissette's 2002 album Under Rug Swept. In Spain, Servicio de Lavanderia reached number two on the PROMUSICAE albums chart. It also charted in 2005 in the country along with Shakira's fifth and sixth studio albums Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, respectively. The album has been certified quintuple-platinum by PROMUSICAE for shipments of 500,000 units. In Sweden, Laundry Service debuted atop the Sverigetopplistan chart and stayed on the top position for three weeks. It was certified double platinum by IFPI Sweden in 2003. In Switzerland, the album entered the Schweizer Hitparade chart at number 81 and peaked at number one, spending a total of 84 weeks on the chart. Laundry Service was later certified quintuple-platinum by the IFPI for selling 200,000 units in Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, Laundry Service debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart. It later peaked at number two. The album was certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 600,000 copies. By 2002, Laundry Service had sold more than four million copies in Europe alone and thus was certified quadruple-platinum by IFPI Europe. "Laundry Service" has become one of the best selling album of all time in Turkey and she has received a platinum disc by Sony Music Turkey in a press conference in Istanbul in 2002.

In Australia, Laundry Service became Shakira's first album to chart on the ARIA Albums Chart after debuting at number two. It later peaked at number one for two weeks and in total it spent 54 weeks on the charts. Consequently, it became the second best-selling album of the year 2002 in the country, behind only American rapper Eminem's album The Eminem Show. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified Laundry Service quintuple-platinum for shipments of 350,000 units, making it Shakira's most successful album in the country and one of the best selling albums of all time in Australia, entering the all time chart at position of 29. The album also performed well in New Zealand, peaking at number four on the national albums chart and appearing on the chart for 47 weeks. By 2003, Laundry Service had been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipping 45,000 units.

In Canada, the album peaked atop the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart and is Shakira's only album to reach number one in the country. Eventually, Laundry Service was certified quintuple-platinum by Music Canada for shipments of 500,000 albums. In the United States, Laundry Service debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 200,000 copies in its first week. It stayed on the chart for a total of 61 weeks. The album also debuted and peaked at number six on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart. It has sold over 1 million copies less than a month after its release. After around six months since its release, Laundry Service had been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 3,000,000 units in the United States. It is Shakira's best-selling album in the country, with sales of 3,526,000 units as of March 2014. According to Sony Music Canada, the album has been certified 4× Platinum in the United States. The album in its first year of release managed to sell 10 million copies worldwide making Shakira an award given by Sony Music for the highest recorded sales. According to the IFPI, Laundry Service was the seventh best-selling album in the world in 2002 with platinum certifications in 32 countries and gold certification in 10 countries. The album was named as one of the 100 biggest albums of the century by female artists in the United Kingdom by Official Charts, ranking at number 81.

Impact and legacy
The album's commercial success led to Shakira being deemed one of the most successful Latin crossover artists of all time, with Steve Huey from AllMusic calling her "Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez" and "an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly dance moves." The success of the album also received considerable backlash, with many calling Shakira a "sellout". This negative response was further heightened by the fact that Shakira, a natural brunette, had bleached her hair blonde prior to the album's release, which many viewed as a tactic to "fit into the US market." Regarding this backlash, Shakira said, "I know my Latin people find this difficult. And I want [my success] to be good news to my country. But it's typical that when you see somebody who is so close to you growing, you feel that the very word 'growing' is synonymous with leaving. My hair is a coincidence. I dyed it more than two and a half years ago." On the other hand, many viewed Shakira's crossover success as a "strong cultural statement" as her musical style represented her mixed ethnicity.

In 2002, the singer was interviewed by Nobel Literature Prize-winning Colombian novelist and journalist Gabriel García Márquez, who was "astonished by her fantastical work-rate" and said that "Shakira's music has a personal stamp that doesn't look like anyone else's and no one can sing or dance like her, at whatever age, with such an innocent sensuality, one that seems to be of her own invention." In the United States and the United Kingdom, Shakira drew comparisons to American pop singer Britney Spears as they looked similar and sported "bleached blonde curls and butter-wouldn't-melt smiles for the kids down the front." However, critics argued that Shakira's vocal style was very different from Spears', with Ted Kessler from The Observer calling the former an "operatic diva" and writing that "as soon as she opens her mouth, she slips into gear and motors powerfully past Britney's breathy bump'n'grind." In 2009, Julia Llewellyn Smith from The Daily Telegraph commented that "Shakira makes comparable Spanish-English 'crossover' acts such as Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias seem like minnows." In an interview with Latina magazine in 2011, Gloria Estefan was asked whether she felt another crossover artist like Shakira could emerge in her lifetime, to which she responded, "I'm always hopeful that somebody, any Latino, is going to succeed in what they do. And of course in music, undoubtedly." Shakira's crossover success has been such that the media point out that possibly without its crossover many Latin artists such as Karol G, Becky G, Bad Bunny, Maluma or J Balvin would possibly not have the recognition that they enjoy today, and it is seen as a great step in the Latin industry since with the voice of Shakira the music industry would stop only focusing on American artists and Latinas would enter the arena such as Paulina Rubio, Thalía and even Fey who also ventured to conquer other audiences. Noting that thanks to Shakira, Latino artists now have a greater space in an international music industry in which prejudice and even racism continue to exist.

Shakira's belly-dancing ability came into attention and gathered coverage during this period, especially due to the music video of the lead single "Whenever, Wherever". The song also became famous for one of its lines in which Shakira sings "Lucky that my breasts are small and humble, so you don't confuse them with mountains"; it is often cited as an example of the unusual lyrical content of the singer's songs. According to Steve Huey from AllMusic, many critics were "divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery." Huey further commented that the song and its video turned Shakira into a "star in the English-speaking world almost overnight." "Whenever, Wherever", along with "Underneath Your Clothes", is considered to be one of Shakira's signature songs.

Track listing
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Laundry Service.

Notes
 * undefined signifies a co-producer
 * undefined translated the song into English from the original Spanish-language version "Ojos Así"
 * undefined remixed by Hani Kamai

Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.

 * Shakira – producer, songwriter, arranger, vocals, harmonica, logo design
 * Emilio Estefan Jr. – executive producer, percussion
 * Rita Quintero – Background Vocals
 * Terry Manning – engineer
 * Javier Garza – producer, engineer, mixer, arranger
 * Tim Mitchell – producer, arranger, guitar, mandolin, programmer
 * Lester Mendez – producer, arranger, horn arranger, keyboards
 * Pablo Flores – producer, arranger, programmer
 * Ted Jensen - Mastering
 * Luis Fernando Ochoa – arranger, guitar, keyboards
 * Jorge Calandrelli – arranger, piano arranger
 * David Campbell – conductor, string arranger
 * Alfred Figueroa – engineer
 * Kevin Dillon – production coordinator
 * Steven Menezes – studio coordinator
 * Adam Zimmon – guitar
 * Tim Pierce – guitar
 * Brian Ray – guitar
 * Paul Bushnell – bass guitar
 * Julio Hernandez – bass guitar
 * Pablo Aslan – acoustic bass
 * Brendan Buckley – drums, percussion
 * Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
 * Edwin Bonilla – percussion
 * Richard Bravo – percussion
 * Archie Pena – percussion
 * David Alsina - bandoneon

Certifications and sales
! scope="row"| Romania (UPFR) ! scope="row"| Philippines (PARI)
 * Platinum
 * Gold

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Laundry Service (album)


text:
User talk:Optim

I noticed that you deleted your talk page. Why did you do this? Blanking your talk page is considered acceptable since the old material is available in the history. Now the history is removed. User:Maximus Rex, 18:47, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Answered on your talk page. Optim 19:02, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)come back plz Best wishes, wherever life may take you.:) User:Jamesday 19:08, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Optim, I hope you reconsider and come back. User:Danny 19:12, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Hey! don't go! (well, please...). In any case, best wishes. User:Pfortuny 19:30, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I see some people are uncomfortable with you deleting your own user and talk pages. Would you mind undeleting them, listing them at Wikipedia:Speedy_deletions saying you're departing, and leaving me a message on my talk page? Then I'll delete them for you. User:Jamesday 19:45, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Hi Optim, why are you leaving?—User:Eloquence 19:55, Mar 6, 2004 (UTC)

Hi Optim, won't you please reconsider? At least, please explain what's wrong and why you are leaving? If it's because of someone in particular, I feel that you can always ignore such people, and continue on to other articles. In any case, thank you for all the work you have done here, and you will be missed if you decide to leave for good. User:Dori 20:04, Mar 6, 2004 (UTC)

Hi Optim - I have been around for a short while only, but went through a lot of feelings on a broad scale, thinking this is absolutely silly and why waste any more second, to this is great, I may be contributing to something really worthwhile... May I consider you take a break, get a different perspective, and overall, be asured, that you are most welcome here. --Palapala

I hope you decide to come back. You are a positive influence on the work and the community - Texture 22:52, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Adding my wishes for you to reconsider. You are a good user, we need more of you - not less. Secretlondon 22:57, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

My thoughts correspond to Secretlondon's. More people deserve your WikiCookies/pastries, Optim. Chris Roy 01:54, 7 Mar 2004 (UTC)

If you had never taken wikivacations, probably it is the good moment. We need the peace profond comments :-) ant

I echo ant's sentiments. I hope you'll be open to rejoining us after a break -- we'll keep the front porch light on for you. In any event, you're great and will be missed. Peace to you! BCorr ¤ Брайен 03:20, Mar 7, 2004 (UTC)
 * Hear, hear. I joined WP last month largely b/c of the goodwill and good-natured side projects of a few people I happened across -- and your flower-image and wiki-cookie projects were among them.  I hope to see your smiling (well, upside-down) sig and hidden esoterica and peaceful aspect around here again, not only in the historical record. In peace, +sj+ 09:38, 2004 Mar 8 (UTC)

I will echo everybody's sentiment above. Please at least drop in for a nibble occasionally. Tuf-Kat 06:47, Mar 7, 2004 (UTC)

Best wishes. Thank you for all your contributions. I hope you return when you're ready. Isomorphic 07:12, 7 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I dont know you per se, but I do know: you will be back. ;) - SV'talk 07:18, 7 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I hope, after you had some time to sort out your feelings, that you will reconsider and return to our fold. →Raul654 17:39, Mar 7, 2004 (UTC)

Please consider coming back at some time in the future. My peace is a little less profound since I learned you left. :-( -- Cyan 20:13, 8 Mar 2004 (UTC)

You will be sorely missed, and more than welcome should you return. In the intervening time, wherever you endeavor, may you find peace profound. Jwrosenzweig 20:51, 8 Mar 2004 (UTC)

We miss you, Optim!! --Monsieur Mero 02:09, Mar 11, 2004 (UTC)

Please come back!!!

 * Please come back!!! Peace Profound, Perl 03:08, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Aaargh, come back!!! Κσυπ Cyp    09:02, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Hey Optim, don't come back, come  over  to Wikibooks. That's where the  real  action in educational materials is. --karlwick
 * Come back to both! --Wulf 04:28, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

SLSS
Try TechTV or G4TechTV or The Riemann Hypothesis or Factorials or Minor Scale or Joseph Stalin or Microsoft Passport. Cuz I like them and if they got added to it'd be nice too. ;) Ilyanep (Talk) 20:42, 24 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * And now I notice that you're gone...I hope you come back...you made some very helpful contributions to wikipedia. Ilyanep (Talk) 20:43, 24 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Article Licensing
Hi, I've started a drive to get users to multi-license all of their contributions that they've made to either (1) all U.S. state, county, and city articles or (2) all articles, using the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (CC-by-sa) v1.0 and v2.0 Licenses or into the public domain if they prefer. The CC-by-sa license is a true free documentation license that is similar to Wikipedia's license, the GFDL, but it allows other projects, such as WikiTravel, to use our articles. Since you are among the top 1000 Wikipedians by edits, I was wondering if you would be willing to multi-license all of your contributions or at minimum those on the geographic articles. Over 90% of people asked have agreed. For More Information:
 * Multi-Licensing FAQ - Lots of questions answered
 * Multi-Licensing Guide
 * Free the Rambot Articles Project

To allow us to track those users who muli-license their contributions, many users copy and paste the " " template into their user page, but there are other options at Template messages/User namespace. The following examples could also copied and pasted into your user page:

 * Option 1
 * I agree to multi-license all my contributions, with the exception of my user pages, as described below:

OR
 * Option 2
 * I agree to multi-license all my contributions to any U.S. state, county, or city article as described below:

Or if you wanted to place your work into the public domain, you could replace " " with "  ". If you only prefer using the GFDL, I would like to know that too. Please let me know what you think at my talk page. It's important to know either way so no one keeps asking. – Ram-Man (comment) (talk)  14:43, Dec 9, 2004 (UTC)

Greetings
A page that you joined to help with associate with other members of the Wikipedia community is on VfD. Please see Votes for deletion/Wikipedian citizens of the world, and the related page Votes for deletion/Wikipedian supporters of the sovereign nation-state. Cognition 09:50, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

Popups tool
Congratulations on being made a bureaucrat! I thought you might like to know of a javascript tool that may help in your editing by giving easy access to many admin features. It's described at Tools. The quick version of the installation procedure for admins is to paste the following into User:/monobook.js: // User:Lupin/popups.js - please include this line

document.write(' ');

popupAdminLinks=true; Give it a try and let me know if you find any glitches or have suggestions for improvements! Lupin 02:36, 8 September 2005 (UTC)

Rosicrucian article
Dear user Optim, as I have seen editions of yours at the article Rosicrucian, I come to request your support to this article that I have just purposed for nomination at Featured_article_candidates. May you may give a look into it? And, if you consider it acceptable, then may you support it? Thank you! :) --GalaazV 02:49, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedians in Greece
Hi, I understand that you are either Greek Wikipedian or a Wikipedian living in/with an interest in Greece.

The category page Wikipedians/Greece has been replaced with Category:Wikipedians in Greece but your name still appears on the old list. You might considering moving it. You might also consider adding adding Template:Greekwiki to your user page.

A Greek Wikipedians' notice board has been in existence for some time but is terribly underutilised. It would certainly benefit from your involvement.--Damac 12:24, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

World Citizen userbox,
Hi, I noticed the message saying you're a World Citizen, I would like to invite you to add to your user page if you wish to proclaim it in a more effective way, and this template will also add you automatically to the Wikipedians with World Citizenship category. :) --Mistress Selina Kyle 23:54, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

Possibly unfree Image:MainPage-Firefox8-Optim.png
An image that you uploaded or altered, Image:MainPage-Firefox8-Optim.png, has been listed at Possibly unfree images because its copyright status is disputed. If the image's copyright status cannot be verified, it may be deleted. Please go to its page for more information if you are interested in it not being deleted. Thank you. MER-C 12:30, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image (Image:MainPage-Mozilla-Optim.png)
Thanks for uploading Image:MainPage-Mozilla-Optim.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

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Orphaned non-free image (Image:MainPage-Voodoo1997-Optim.png)
Thanks for uploading Image:MainPage-Voodoo1997-Optim.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BetacommandBot 06:43, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image (Image:MainPage-WebBrowser1997-Optim.png)
Thanks for uploading Image:MainPage-WebBrowser1997-Optim.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BetacommandBot 06:43, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image (Image:MainPage-ie6-Optim.png)
Thanks for uploading Image:MainPage-ie6-Optim.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BetacommandBot 06:43, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image (Image:MainPage-Voodoo1997-Optim.png)
Thanks for uploading Image:MainPage-Voodoo1997-Optim.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BetacommandBot 09:01, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image (Image:MainPage-WebBrowser1997-Optim.png)
Thanks for uploading Image:MainPage-WebBrowser1997-Optim.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BetacommandBot 09:01, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Redirect of OMCE
Hello, this is a message from an automated bot. A tag has been placed on OMCE, by another Wikipedia user, requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. The tag claims that it should be speedily deleted because OMCE is a redirect to a non-existent page (CSD R1). To contest the tagging and request that administrators wait before possibly deleting OMCE, please affix the template to the page, and put a note on its talk page. If the article has already been deleted, see the advice and instructions at WP:WMD. Please note, this bot is only informing you of the nomination for speedy deletion, it did not nominate OMCE itself. Feel free to leave a message on the bot operator's talk page if you have any questions about this or any problems with this bot. --Android Mouse Bot 2 12:21, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

AfD nomination of The last page of the Internet
I have nominated The last page of the Internet, an article you created, for deletion. I do not feel that this article satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and have explained why at Articles for deletion/The last page of the Internet&. Your opinions on the matter are welcome at that same discussion page; also, you are welcome to edit the article to address these concerns. Thank you for your time. h i s  s p a c e   r e s e a r c h 15:33, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

AfD nomination of Buddy (dog)
I have nominated Buddy (dog), an article you created, for deletion. I do not feel that this article satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and have explained why at Articles for deletion/Buddy (dog). Your opinions on the matter are welcome at that same discussion page; also, you are welcome to edit the article to address these concerns. Thank you for your time. '' T r U C o  - X  00:12, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Possibly unfree File:Univac20040113 300px.jpg
A file that you uploaded or altered, File:Univac20040113 300px.jpg, has been listed at Possibly unfree files because its copyright status is unclear or disputed. If the file's copyright status cannot be verified, it may be deleted. You may find more information on the file description page. You are welcome to add comments to its entry at if you are interested in it not being deleted. Thank you.

Articles for deletion nomination of Julie Scott
I have nominated Julie Scott, an article that you created, for deletion. I do not think that this article satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and have explained why at Articles for deletion/Julie Scott. Your opinions on the matter are welcome at that same discussion page; also, you are welcome to edit the article to address these concerns. Thank you for your time.Please contact me if you're unsure why you received this message. Drmies (talk) 01:58, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Unreferenced BLPs
Hello Optim! Thank you for your contributions. I am a bot alerting you that 1 of the articles that you created  is tagged as an Unreferenced Biography of a Living Person. The biographies of living persons policy requires that all personal or potentially controversial information be sourced. In addition, to ensure verifiability, all biographies should be based on reliable sources. If you were to bring this article up to standards, it would greatly help us with the current Category:All_unreferenced_BLPs article backlog. Once the article is adequately referenced, please remove the unreferencedBLP tag. Here is the article:

Thanks!--DASHBot (talk) 05:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
 * 1) Eleni Menegaki -

Suspension of admin privileges due to inactivity
Following a community discussion in June 2011, consensus was reached to provisionally suspend the administrative privileges of users who have been inactive for one year, meaning administrators who have made neither any edits nor any logged actions in over one year. As a result of this discussion, your administrative privileges have been removed pending your return. If you wish to have these privileges reinstated, please post to the Bureaucrats' noticeboard and the userright will be restored per the re-sysopping process (i.e., as long as the attending bureaucrats are reasonably satisfied that your account has not been compromised and that your inactivity did not have the effect of evading scrutiny of any actions which might have led to sanctions). This removal of access is procedural only, and not intended to reflect negatively upon you in any way. We wish you the best in future endeavors, and thank you for your past administrative efforts. RL0919 (talk) 22:12, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Help from Da Desirer 2
I put this template so some user on their free time or some other user can help me on my articles. I do not edit for over two hours or three during a weekday, when I respond, it will be around 11 PM-1 AM (UTC) when I reply and edit my needs for correct spelling. Da Desirer 2 (talk) 22:45, 10 June 2012 (UTC)
 * That's not what the help template is for; first, it is only for use on your own talk page, and second, only when you have a specific question. Dru of Id (talk) 00:31, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

Notice of change
Hello. You are receiving this message because of a recent change to the administrator policy that alters what you were told at the time of your desysopping. The effect of the change is that you will not longer be able to request restoration of the tools because of your prior inactivity. You have until December 30, 2012 to request restoration or else the policy will prevent you from doing so in the future; you would need to seek a new WP:RFA. Until December 30, you can file a request at WP:BN for review by the crats. Thank you.  MBisanz  talk 04:22, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

(delivered by mabdul 22:40, 3 December 2012 (UTC))

Notice of change
Hello. You are receiving this message because of a [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Bureaucrats&oldid=528972320#2012_bureaucrats_RFC recent change] to the bureaucrat policy that alters what you were told at the time of your decratting. The effect of the change is that you will not longer be able to request restoration of the tools because of your prior inactivity. You have until February 1, 2013 to request restoration or else the policy will prevent you from doing so in the future; you may seek return of the tools only through WP:RFB. Until February 1, you can file a request at WP:BN for review by the crats. Thank you.  MBisanz  talk 01:45, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations!
Congratulations Optim, your image Image:Bankofgreece-entrance-255px.jpg was the Random Picture of the Day! It looked like this:

Presidentman talk · contribs (Talkback) 11:50, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

File:Violet flower.jpg missing description details
Dear uploader: The media file you uploaded as: is missing a description and/or other details on its image description page. If possible, please add this information. This will help other editors make better use of the image, and it will be more informative to readers.
 * File:Violet flower.jpg

If the information is not provided, the image may eventually be proposed for deletion, a situation which is not desirable, and which can easily be avoided.

If you have any questions, please see Help:Image page. Thank you. Theo's Little Bot (error?) 08:46, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Article notability notification
Hello. This message is to inform you that an article that you wrote, New Acropolis, has been recently tagged with a notability notice. This means that it may not meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines. Please note that articles which do not meet these criteria may be merged, redirected, or deleted. Please consider adding reliable, secondary sources to the article in order to establish the topic's notability. You may find the following links useful when searching for sources:. Thank you for editing Wikipedia! VoxelBot 20:43, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

About the economic crisis in Greece and the temporary closure of ERT
I am very nervous, I am and some are tired of what is going on in Greece. The ambitions there are partly stolen. It cannot continue. Most of the people don't want it to continue. France needs (uncertainly desperately) to be occupied as a punishment for the IMF to arrest ships from Argentina for not paying the debt at a large number in late 2012. There is no mind to make one economic crisis to a near critical level. The economic problems in Greece cannot be renewed or worsen. It makes us very very angry, it is absolutely unacceptable. It is absolutely an emergency. The closure of ERT on I think it was the 3rd, or the 5th of June made me depressed and very angry, the temper soared almost dramatically. It was absolutely very insane. It is strictly forbidden that the economic crisis in Greece along with Spain to continue, I favor that some abandoned homes in the South of France to be damaged as a punishment. We have a strong anti-French fervor in my area. This I think can be also put not only on a planned website but on Facebook as well. I will be likely to find another user here, Creative Commons or Facebook to talk if one is busy, when it deeply gets on my nerves, I will comment and explain. Don't make us angry just like the Incredible Hulk. I have no support on some of the French policies. France needs to be under foreign control.

On the other, we have no support on the merger of communal parishes in the city areas of municipalities of Portugal.

I will try to put messages on a non-encyclopedic site, Wikia, non-Wikia, Creative Commons and Facebook as well if it is an emergency only (that is related to the economic crisis in Greece). Da Desirer 2 (talk) 22:34, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Το status σου ως διαχειριστής
Γεια σου. Είμαι steward. Μια νέα πολιτική που αναφέρεται στην αφαίρεση  "αυξημένων δικαιωμάτων" (διαχειριστή, γραφειοκράτη, κλπ.) έχει υιοθετηθεί με συναίνεση της κοινότητας πρόσφατα. Σύμφωνα με αυτή την πολιτική, οι stewards επιθεωρούν τη δραστηριότητα των διαχειριστών στα wikis που δεν έχουν πολιτική για τους μη ενεργούς διαχειριστές. Εσύ πληρείς τα κριτήρια της μη δραστηριότητας (καθόλου επεξεργασίες και διαχειριστικές ενέργειες για 2 χρόνια) στο elwiki, όπου είσαι διαχειριστής. Από τη στιγμή που το elwiki δεν διαθέτει δική του διαδικασία επιθεώρησης για τα δικαιώματα των διαχειριστών, εφαρμόζεται η καθολική διαδικασία. Αν επιθυμείς να διακρατήσεις τα δικαιώματά σου, θα πρέπει να ειδοποιήσεις την κοινότητα ότι οι stewards σου έστειλαν αυτή την επιστολή σχετικά με την απουσία δραστηριότητας από την πλευρά σου  και για να συζητήσετε το θέμα. Ακολουθώντας τη συζήτηση της κοινότητας σου, και αν η κοινότητα επιθυμεί τη διακράτηση των δικαιωμάτων σου, παρακαλούμε να επικοινωνήσεις με το  m:Stewards' noticeboard, και να παράσχεις έναν σύνδεσμο προς τη συζήτηση της τοπικής κοινότητας, όπου θα εκφράζεται η επιθυμία τους η συνέχιση διακράτησης των δικαιωμάτων, και  επίδειξης των διαρκών προϋποθέσεων διακράτησης αυτών των δικαιωμάτων. Εμείς οι  stewards θα αξιολογήσουμε τις απαντήσεις. Αν δεν υπάρχει καμία απάντηση μετά από ένα μήνα περίπου, θα προχωρήσουμε στην αφαίρεση των δικαιωμάτων σου. Σε περιπτώσεις αμφιβολίας, θα αξιολογήσουμε τις απαντήσεις και θα στείλουμε μια απόφαση πίσω στην τοπική κοινότητα για τα σχόλια και τις παρατηρήσεις. Αν έχεις κάποιες ερωτήσεις, παρακαλούμε να επικοινωνήσεις μαζί μας στο  m:Stewards' noticeboard. Θερμούς χαιρετισμούς,Rschen7754 06:18, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Proposed deletion of African Unification Front

The article African Unification Front has been proposed for deletion  because of the following concern:
 * I couldn't establish that this meets WP:ORG or WP:GNG; tagged for notability for 7 years, unresolved.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, content or articles may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the article to address the issues raised. Removing will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Boleyn (talk) 09:10, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Nomination of African Unification Front for deletion
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article African Unification Front is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Articles for deletion/African Unification Front until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. Boleyn (talk) 12:32, 25 July 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:52, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Nomination of Chie Sawaguchi for deletion
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Chie Sawaguchi is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Articles for deletion/Chie Sawaguchi until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. AngusWOOF ( bark  •  sniff ) 05:40, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

Proposed deletion of Servants of the Light

The article Servants of the Light has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern: "non-notable psychic group sourced from primary sources and promotional. zero WP:SIGCOV to pass WP:NORG"

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Sulfurboy (talk) 23:05, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Nomination of Nomen mysticum for deletion
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Nomen mysticum is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Articles for deletion/Nomen mysticum until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article until the discussion has finished. Mast303 (talk) 00:55, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

20 years of Wikipedia!
Congratulations! What has happened over your 20 years, and how was editing Wikipedia like? Cometkeiko (talk) 16:24, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

title: User talk:Optim


text:
User:Ark30inf

See Missing Wikipedians.

title: User:Ark30inf


text:
Yolanda Montes

Yolanda Yvonne Montes Farrington (born January 3, 1932), better known by her stage-name Tongolele, is an American dancer, actress and vedette.

Early life
As a child, she danced for the International Ballet of San Francisco, California as part of a Tahitian Revue.

In 1947, she moved to Mexico and was hired as a dancer by Américo Mancini, a theater impresario. She also appeared in the famous Cabaret Tívoli in Mexico City. Her stage name, "Tongolele", came after mixing African and Tahitian words.

Career
Her career was sheltered by theatrical success in the main theaters and cabarets of Mexico City. Tongolele boosted the success of the "Exoticas", a group of vedettes that caused sensation in Mexico in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Although other vedettes that became popular at the time (like "Kalantán", "Bongala" and Su Muy Key) appeared, none reached the levels of popularity of Tongolele. Yolanda was baptized by Mexican journalist Carlos Estrada Lang as "The Queen of Tahitian Dances", as each night she congregated a wide male audience who adored her perfect silhouette and feline movements that marked an era in Mexico.

She made her film debut in 1948 in the film Nocturne of Love, starring the actress Miroslava Stern. In 1948, she starred in the film ¡Han matado a "Tongolele"!, directed by Roberto Gavaldón. The plot was developed in the theater Folies Bergère of Mexico City. At another level of the plot, several envious people attempted to assassinate her. The film premiered on September 30, 1948.

As a guest, she starred in El rey del barrio (1949) and Kill Me Because I'm Dying! (1951) and the musical Música de siempre (1956).

In 1966, she returned to the cinema and appeared in the terror film The Panther Women. In 1968 she was in the film El crepusculo de un dios, directed and carried out by Emilio Fernández.

In 1971, Tongolele played in the Mexican-American co-production Isle of the Snake People. In the film, she appeared alongside the American actor Boris Karloff. The plot of the film was located on a small island in the middle of the ocean where some beautiful young women are transformed into blue-faced man-eating zombies. Tongolele played the role of Kalea, the dancer with the snake. In the mid-1960s, CBS recorded a disc titled "Tongolele sings for you" which included 10 songs.

With the rise of Mexico City's nightlife in the 1970s and the rise of the vedettes, Tongolele resumed her career in nightclubs and movies, as well as appearing on television shows. In 1984 she debuted in telenovelas in a special performance in the melodrama La pasión de Isabela.

In 2001 she reappears in Mexican television in the telenovela Salomé.

Between 2011 and 2013, Tongolele participated in the musical stage play Perfume of Gardenia.

In 2012, the vedette returned to the cinema with a brief appearance in the film El fantástico mundo de Juan Orol.

Personal life
In 1956, she married Cuban Joaquin Gonzalez in New York City, who accompanied her until his death. In 1976, Joaquín suffered cardiac problems and he was given a pacemaker. On December 22, 1996, he died. With him, she had twins born in 1950.

Films

 * Nocturne of Love (1948)
 * ¡Han matado a "Tongolele"! (1948)
 * El rey del barrio (1949)
 * Kill Me Because I'm Dying! (1951)
 * Chucho the Mended (1952)
 * The Mystery of the Express Car (1953)
 * Pensión de artistas (1956)
 * Música de siempre (1956)
 * The Panthera Women (1967)
 * El crepúsculo de un Dios (1968)
 * Isle of the Snake People (1971)
 * Las fabulosas del reventón (1981)
 * Las noches del Blanquita (1981)
 * Las fabulosas del reventón II (1982)
 * Teatro Follies (1983)
 * El fantástico mundo de Juan Orol (2012)

Television

 * La pasión de Isabela (1984)
 * Salomé (2001)

title: Yolanda Montes