Shakira has sold the publishing rights to her entire catalogue of 145 songs, including hits like “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Wherever, Whenever.”
“Being a songwriter is an accomplishment that I consider equal to and perhaps even greater than being a singer and an artist,” Shakira said, in a release. “At 8 years old – long before I sang – I wrote to make sense of the world.
“Each song is a reflection of the person I was at the time that I wrote it, but once a song is out in the world, it belongs not only to me but to those who appreciate it as well.”
The terms of the acquisition by Hipgnosis Songs Fund were not disclosed. The company recently purchased 50 percent of the rights to Canadian-born singer Neil Young’s catalogue.
“One step at a time, this incredible woman from Colombia has evolved into one of the most famous and influential people in the world,” said Merck Mercuriadis of Hipgnosis, in a release. “What no one should ever take for granted is that she is one of the most serious and successful songwriters of the last 25 years, having written or co-written virtually every song she has ever recorded.”