Despite her stunning 2020 Super Bowl performance, singer, humanitarian, and mom Shakira has mostly stayed out of the spotlight the past few years. She welcomed two sons with her long-term partner, soccer player Gerard Piqué, between 2013 and 2015, went viral for her Super Bowl performance, and settled down in Barcelona, Spain.
But Shakira is still earning millions each year – and her reported net worth now hovers around $300M. Unlike other celebs, Shakira’s probably not at risk of going bankrupt. She’s got a beauty line, a rich soccer player boyfriend, and some valuable real estate on her side. Still, that doesn’t mean Shakira’s averse to spending some of her fortune – here’s how she does it.
10 Shakira Has Made A Career Of Philanthropy
She may not be kissing babies, but Shakira has met and worked alongside everyone from President Obama to prime minister Justin Trudeau. She also started a charitable organization at an early age, before she’d become famous farther than her native Colombia.
Fundación Pies Descalzos – The Barefoot Foundation (also a larger, global initiative) helps support Colombian children – like the orphans Shakira remembers seeing at a park during an outing with her father. Shakira also donates cash to other causes, and makes headlines for it.
9 And She’s Her Charity’s Biggest Donor
While other donors contribute to The Barefoot Foundation, and specifically the Colombian facet of the organization, Shakira isn’t afraid to pour her own wealth into the operations.
She frequently travels to Colombia to oversee the building of schools throughout the country, and to date, her foundation has erected five schools. The charity also feeds children and offers other services – and it’s something Shakira invests a lot of money on.
8 A $5.5M Home In Barcelona, Spain
According to Standard UK, Shakira and her longtime partner Gerard Piqué bought a home in Barcelona, Spain in 2015. The price tag? A cool $5.5 million – which is less than the couple originally were slated to pay when the property came on the market years before.
The pair previously lived in other places in Spain, renting a house from a famous swimmer at one point. They also renovated multiple properties, but finally found the Avenida Pearson neighborhood to call home.
7 Not Just One Or Two (Or Three) Mercedes-Benzes
Shakira owns a staggering collection of Mercedes-Benz cars. According to Mercedes Blog, the star owns a G-class, SL 600, SL 550, and an SLK. But although she has an impressive car collection, Shakira still needs a bit of help parking, noted the blog.
Shakira was spotted in Spain, trying to park one of her many Mercedes’, when Gerard had to take over.
6 Shakira And Other Celebs Bought An Entire Island
Along with her partner, Shakira, a member of Pink Floyd (Roger Waters), and Alejandro Sanz bought a 500-acre island in the Bahamas. The sale cost $15 million, and the quartet now owns Bonds Cay.
According to Standard UK, the group planned to convert the island into an artist/celeb retreat. However, no headlines have come up regarding the island’s development in the years since its initial purchase.
5 The Star Flies Private
Both Shakira and her soccer star partner are enormous celebrities, so it’s no wonder they tend to avoid crowded airports and even more crowded airplanes. Instead, the pair fly via their private jet – which has made headlines for its emergency landings in the past.
Like every other celeb out there, Shakira prefers to fly in luxury rather than rub elbows with rabid fans while traveling where she needs to go. Flying private also allows her to make her own schedule, whether she’s flying in for a Super Bowl performance or a concert on tour.
4 A Luxury Villa In Cyprus
Greek Reporter confirmed that at the end of 2019, Shakira and Gerard bought a luxury villa in Cyprus. No specifics on the exact price – but the sprawling property includes six bedrooms, eight baths, indoor and outdoor pools, a home cinema, thermal spas, and huge gardens that overlook the Mediterranean.
And remember that private jet that Shakira has? That’s reportedly the family of four’s primary mode of transport to and from Cyprus.
3 Tons Of Family Trips
Cyprus isn’t the only place Shakira’s little family travels. From heading to snowy mountaintops for winter fun to basking on the beaches in summer, Shakira and Gerard (and their boys Milan and Sasha) seem to love to jet-set.
Of course, that amount of travel (and the luxe accommodations) can’t be cheap. Plus, Shakira apparently employs a personal trainer (and of course, Gerard likely does, too!) and a household chef – and bringing them along on trips adds to their costs.
2 Nannies For Her Boys
Shakira is, by all accounts, a very hands-on mom. But the fact remains that she has gone on tour and continued working (and performing) after the arrival of her two boys. In fact, she’s been quoted in interviews as saying that she uses FaceTime to keep in touch with her two boys when she’s away for months at a time.
That admission, combined with paparazzi snapping shots of the family boarding their private jet with extra passengers, suggests that Shakira and Gerard invest in high-quality help. A full-time nanny can be insanely expensive for the average person – but Shakira’s also not averse to homeschooling when the global quarantine calls for it.
1 Court Fees And Back Taxes
Though she has since settled outside the court, The Guardian reported that in 2019, Shakira was faced with tax evasion charges. This headline was definitely not a highlight of the pop star’s career. Prosecutors alleged that Shakira claimed she was a resident of the Bahamas while she was actually living in Spain.
But before the court could come to a decision, a Catalan newspaper reported that Shakira paid a tax settlement of over $15M (in USD) to square things away. While she still had to appear in court, the super-smart singer knew how to handle the situation.