Quote of the Day: Shakira on Using Your Voice for Others

What this quote means

On its surface, Shakira’s statement is a straightforward declaration of responsibility. As one of the most recognizable voices in global music, she recognises that her platform comes with a duty that extends beyond entertainment. The people “that don’t have one” are those without access to the world’s stage — the voiceless, the marginalized, and the communities whose struggles rarely make headlines. She is saying that her fame is not an end in itself but a means to amplify others.

The deeper insight here is about the nature of influence itself. Shakira is not merely claiming to be charitable; she is redefining what success means for someone with her reach. The quote implies that talent, wealth, and fame are hollow if they serve only the person who holds them. True success — in art, in business, in life — is measured not by what you accumulate but by what you redirect. A voice that only sings about itself is a voice half-used.

Shakira has lived this philosophy long before she articulated it in those exact words. Through her Pies Descalzos Foundation — named after her breakthrough album — she has built schools in some of Colombia’s most impoverished communities. One school in Cartagena, serving 1,700 students, transformed an entire neighbourhood: before the school was built, there was no paved road, no potable water, no electricity. Local gangs dissolved once the community had a centre of opportunity. For Shakira, this is not a side project. It is the point of having a voice in the first place.

This quote resonates far beyond celebrity culture. In everyday life, each of us has some form of influence — a professional platform, a social network, a skill that others lack. Shakira’s words challenge us to ask: whose voice am I making room for? Whose story am I helping to tell? The size of the platform does not matter; what matters is the willingness to share it.

About Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, to a Lebanese father and a Colombian mother. She wrote her first song at age eight, signed her first record deal at thirteen, and released her debut album at fourteen — though it was her third album, Pies Descalzos (1995), that established her across Latin America. Her fusion of Latin rhythms with rock, Arabic influences, and pop created a sound that had no precedent. By the time she released Laundry Service in 2001 — featuring her crossover hit “Whenever, Wherever” — she had become a global phenomenon.

Referred to as the “Queen of Latin Music,” Shakira has won four Grammy Awards and fifteen Latin Grammy Awards, sold over 80 million records worldwide, and performed at three FIFA World Cups, including co-writing and singing the official 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” Beyond music, she served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which has built and operates multiple schools in Colombia and Haiti, providing education to thousands of children in vulnerable communities. In 2017, she received the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year award for both her artistic achievements and philanthropic work.

What sets Shakira apart from many global superstars is the consistency with which she has used her platform for advocacy. She has spoken at the United Nations about early childhood education, campaigned for universal literacy, and used her tours to spotlight social causes. In an industry where fame often becomes a fortress, she has treated hers as a megaphone — not for self-promotion, but for the issues and people the world tends to overlook. Her quote about using her voice for those without one is not a soundbite. It is a mission statement she has honoured for three decades.

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