Shakira to Perform Waka Waka in the FIFA World Cup 2010 Kick off Concert

Colombian pop star Shakira is all set to perform ‘Waka Waka’ at the kick-off concert of the World Cup Football 2010 on 10 June at the Orlando stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. ‘Waka Waka’ is the official song of the tournament. South African band Freshlyground would also perform in the song.

The Latin American singer has also released a picture of the dress she is going to wear during her performance. Shakira’s performance at the concert would add to the excitement of the football fans in South Africa.

World Cup Football 2010 gets underway on 11 June following a breath-taking opening ceremony at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. The 32-team tournament will run until 11 July, the day when the final of the tournament will take place.

Official song ‘Waka Waka’ will also be performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of FIFA World Cup 2010. Shakira along with Afro-fusion band Freshlyground would also perform the song in the closing ceremony of the tournament on 11 July 2010 at the Soccer City stadium, Johannesburg.

In Spanish, Waka Waka means ‘Esto es África’ and in English it stands for ‘This Time for Africa’. Written jointly by Shakira and John Hill, the song is now available for download and has been included in the Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album which was released by Sony Music Entertainment on 31 May 2010.

Shakira is now one of the most popular pop stars in the world and is perhaps the all time best female singer from Latin America. She is equally famous for her albums as well as for her on-stage live performances. Her excellent belly dancing moves have made her more popular in the music world.

More than 50 million copies of her albums were sold worldwide, and thus, Shakira has become the highest selling Colombian singer of all time. She comes second among the Latin American singers in terms of the number of sold copies of her albums throughout the world.

The 33-year-old has 2 Grammy awards, 7 Latin Grammy awards and 12 Billboard Latin Music awards to her credit so far. Shakira is now preparing for her upcoming She Wolf Tour around the world which kicks off on 21 September 2010.