Latin music's most successful star worldwide, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripolli, known simply as Shakira (meaning "Thankful or Grateful" in Arabic derived from "Shukran" Arabic for thank you), is recognized as a top songwriter who records only her own (or co-written) material. Shakira's female rocker style garnered her the World Music Award for Latin Female Artist of the Year, while the phenomenal success of Laundry Service and "Whenever, Wherever" has catapulted her to fame. Her current Spanish-language single, "La Tortura" (featuring Alejandro Sanz), established a record as the longest-running No. 1 track (25 weeks) on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. "La Tortura" is also the first Spanish-only video to receive regular rotation on MTV in the United States. She now lives in the Bahamas. Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on February 2, 1977, Shakira is the youngest sibling of her parents' eight children. Her parents supported their daughter's ambition of becoming a singer. Shakira knew early on that she wanted to be a professional musician and by the time she was 8, she was already writing her own songs. She even began playing the guitar by 11 years of age.