Shakira Makes History With Biggest Spanish Album Ever  6/15/05

International Superstar Shakira Makes History with Biggest Spanish Language Album Debut Ever

Fijacion Oral vol. 1 Featuring #1 Smash 'La Tortura' Lands at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and #1 on the Latin Album chart with Sales Over 157,000

Album Debuts at #1 in Several Countries Around the World

NEW YORK, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- From the very start of her stellar career the internationally revered creative force Shakira has been a leader in bridging cultures through her music. And today, she makes musical and cultural history with the debut of her new Spanish language album Fijacion Oral vol. 1 which sold over 157,000 copies in its first week of release, charting at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. With this remarkable debut, Shakira's new album marks the biggest one week sales and highest chart debut for a Spanish language release in the Soundscan era. Sales of Fijacion Oral vol. 1 more than doubles the record set by Ricky Martin in 2003 when his album debuted at #12 selling 65,000 copies. Fijacion Oral vol. l also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Latin Album chart and is #1 in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile. The album made impressive debuts in many non-Hispanic markets as well, with at #2 debut in Germany and a #3 debut in Austria and Switzerland.

Shakira's first single "La Tortura" featuring Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz fast became a #1 radio smash around the globe, including the U.S. Latin chart where it currently sits at the top. In addition, Shakira's video for "La Tortura" broke new ground as the first Spanish language video added into regular rotation on MTV and VH-1. And when MTV aired Making of the Video: Shakira last month, it marked the first time in history that MTV broadcasted a Making of the Video entirely in Spanish. "La Tortura" was also AOL's biggest Spanish language video ever and the most streamed Spanish language video on Yahoo! Music. It also hit #1 on the iTunes Pop and Latin album charts.

And the fans have responded. On June 6th, more than 150,000 fans poured into Madrid's historic La Puerta de Alcala to see Shakira perform in celebration of the launch of Fijacion Oral vol. 1. On June 8th, her New York appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square drew masses of fans closing down several city blocks. Over the next two days, Shakira's explosive CD signings in Miami and then Puerto Rico attracted thousands and thousands of fans.

In 2001, Shakira went from Latin American superstar to revered musical world power with the release of Laundry Service, her 13x platinum English album, which earned her the title as the biggest Latin female crossover artist in the world. Her career can already boast a string of chart-topping hits in both English and Spanish, career sales of 25 million albums and three Latin Grammys including the Best Latin Pop Album Grammy for her acclaimed MTV Unplugged album.

Fijacion Oral vol. 1 is just the beginning. In November, a completely new body of work, an English album entitled Oral Fixation vol. 2 hits stores on November 15, 2005.

SOURCE Epic Records

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