Shakira's collaborators and admirers unpack 'Dónde Están los Ladrones?' on the latest episode of our '500 Greatest Albums' podcast.
Sam Levi/WireImageWith more than 80 million records sold worldwide, Shakira is the best-selling female Latin artist ever. She’s been nominated for six Grammys and has won 11 Latin Grammys, giving her a Guinness World Record. By nearly all accounts, she’s one of the biggest stars on the planet. But within her decades-long career, there’s one album that set her up for massive global fame and in many ways, predicted it all: 1998’s Dónde Están los Ladrones?
Dónde Están los Ladrones? is an eclectic pop album with a rock edge that broke Shakira into the U.S. Latin market, and made her a household name in the Spanish-language pop world. Just 21 at the time, she was creating a bold, female-led pop-rock style that stood out from the male-dominated balladry that was all over Latin radio in the Nineties. But she also experimented with big swelling ballads, Mexican ranchera arrangements, and Middle Eastern dance pop. This mix gave the album a global appeal that connected all kinds of listeners across the Spanish-speaking world.
The latest episode of our Amazon Original podcast Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums unpacks the story of Dónde Están los Ladrones? Staff Writer Julyssa Lopez tracks down many of Shakira’s collaborators, including producer Emilio Estefan, and outlines the intensive, nine-month creative process that unfolded at Miami’s Crescent Moon Studios. She talks to composer Dillon O’Brian, songwriters Pablo Flores and Javier Garza, and the LP’s engineer Sebastian Krys, who share their experiences working on songs such as “Tu” and “Ojos Asi” and describe how committed Shakira was to making the music sound exactly how she heard it in her head. In interviews with Jessie Reyez and Francisca Valenzuela, we also hear how the album’s frank, witty lyrics about love and heartbreak inspired a generation of women to write unapologetic songs of their own.
In 2003, Rolling Stone published its definitive countdown of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the most popular and most argued-over list in the magazine’s history. In 2020, we completely remade the list, adding more than 150 new titles. With the Amazon Original podcast Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums, we’re delving further into the making and meaning of many of the records that made the cut, with exclusive insights from the artists who created them — and those who know them and their music best. Shakira’s Dónde Están los Ladrones? placed at number 496 in the latest ranking.
Hosted by RS Senior Writer Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums appears exclusively on Amazon Music, with a new episode appearing each week. Check out the Dónde Están los Ladrones? episode above.
Queens Of The Stone Age have secured the Number 1 spot on the Official Albums Chart, with their ninth studio album, Perfecth, making its debut at the top. The American rock band have now earned their second UK Number 1 album, following the success of their 2017 record Villains.
The band also came out on top in physical sales this week, claiming Number 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart after selling more vinyl copies than any other release. Olivia Rodrigo follows at Number 2 with You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In, while Michael Jackson's The Essential remains at Number 3.
Scottish band The Snuts have taken Number 4 with Joy In Short Moments, marking their fourth album in a row to reach the Top 5. They also secured the Number 1 position on the Official Record Store Chart, recording the biggest sales across independent record shops during the past week. Fontaines D.C. complete the Top 5, with Dopamine Chamber falling three places to Number 5.
Elsewhere in the Top 10, Canadian rock band Nickelback have added another milestone to their career, as Everything Under The Sun enters at Number 6 to become their eighth Top 10 album. Birmingham group Editors have matched that achievement, with Surface, Echo & Sound arriving at Number 7. Following Halloween weekend, Michael Jackson's iconic album Thriller has also made a strong return, climbing 14 places to re-enter the Top 10 at Number 10.
American DJ and producer MK has made his first appearance on the Official Albums Chart at Number 20 with In The Night Again, his debut solo full-length album. Meanwhile, UK rapper Nines has secured his second Top 40 album of the year, with Young Nina opening at Number 30. This follows his earlier release Lost Tapes, which reached Number 14 earlier this autumn.
Completing this week's notable chart movements, The Who have returned to the Top 40 with their 1975 album The Who By Numbers, which has re-entered at Number 31 after the release of an extensive super deluxe edition.
