"It's not just the coffee that's great here."
Colombia's Artist
Shakira is a Colombian artist who was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Shakira was born on Febuary 2nd, 1977. Her mother was from Colombia, and her father was from Lebanon. She has had many hit songs, like “Hips Don’t Lie” which has over 1.5 billion streams, and “Whenever Whatever” which has over 6 million streams. She has made a song for the World Cup, which is “Waka Waka” and performed for the Copa America and the 2020 Superbowl. Shakira has won many awards; in total, she has won 4 Grammys, one even this year (2025)! Shakira always loved singing; she loved it as a kind and now. She has made such a big impact on the world, especially in Colombia, that she has her statue in Barranquilla,
Colombia! Now, Shakira has 2 kids and a husband, and she is still performing and going on tour.
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Maluma was born on January 28th, 1998. Maluma was born in Medelliun Colombia. He is known for Latin pop, urban, reggaeton, and salsa types of music, which leaves the Latin world shocked. He has collaborated with many Latin artists, including Shakira and Carlos Vives. He has many hit songs, including “Tukoh Taka” which was in the 2022 World Cup, and another hit song he made called “Sombrío”. Those 2 songs both have over 73 million streams. Maluma has received many awards for his talents. Maluma may be known for singing, but he also acts. He played a role in the famous Colombian Disney movie Encanto, he played the role of Marino Guzman. He also has many other acting gigs such as a role in 12 Hours With, Marry me, and Mi Seleccion Colombiano. He currently has a kid and a wife, and he is still singing and making music.
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Carlos Vives is from Bogota, Colombia, and was born on August 7th, 1961. He makes so many genres of music, some special from Colombia and some from all around South America. They are Vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco, porro Latin Pop, rock, reggaeton, and dance-pop. He has won many awards, including Best Person of the Year in 2024! He has made some viral songs, including “La Bicileta” with over 780 million streams, and “La Gota Fria” with over 158 million streams! He has collaborated with many Latin artists like Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, Shakira, and Maluma. Carlos Vives has 4 kids and a wife. He is still singing to this day and will continue to make more music.
Colombia's Foods
Arepas are cheesy corn based goodness. They are made out of Corn flour either white or yellow. They are cooked on a stove top with low to medium heat. Arepas have 4 ingredients which are Corn flour, Cheese, Boiling water, and Salt. They are super easy to make and take not too long to make either! Make sure to not burn your arepa while making sure it's just a little brown on the bottoms. Arepas have been in Colombia for over 3000 years and are truly a huge part of culture in Colombia.
Empanadas are masarepa filled with all kinds of fillings such as Beef, Chicken, Egg, Potato, and more. They are very hard to make at home but you can buy from street vendors or restaurants around the area. Empanadas go very well with salsa on the side with a lime. Empanadas in Colombia date back around the colonial era which means they got taster and taster. Empanadas are a classic and truly so good.
Arequipe is super hard and time consuming to make but super worth it at the end with the sweetness it has. It is normally paired with many different less sweet things like a wafer which makes an amazing combo. The process takes around 3 hours to make and you have to be watching it 24/7. To make it the ingredients are sugar milk cinnamon and baking soda. This is also called Dulce De Leche.