Shakira

Singer/songwriter Shakira is scheduled to release her new album in May, marking her first set since 2001's Laundry Service. According to the Agence France-Presse, Shakira will release a double-disc album containing new songs in Spanish and English sometime in late May. The set is expected to be available in her native Colombia before it's released elsewhere.


In a message on her website last December, Shakira said she had composed over 60 new songs for possible use on the album. The album reportedly will include a song featuring legendary guitarist Carlos Santana, as well as a duet in English with Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz.


On June 14, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will honor the Baranquilla-born singer for being one of the most important figures from the departamento of Atlantico, which celebrates its centennial this year. Colombia is divided up into 32 departamentos, which are similar to states or provinces in other countries.


Colombia has suffered through decades of civil war and violence, but Shakira once said that she hopes her homeland will soon find a peaceful resolution to the conflict: "My hopes are like any other Colombian's hopes--to have that beautiful country of mine in unity and peace--and I think we are closer than ever before to achieve what we have been dreaming about for all of these years. I think we are ready for it. Forty years of a historical transformation have been enough for us to learn our lessons, and I think we are just ready for peace."