'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)' From Shakira's Forthcoming New Album Sale el Sol/The Sun Comes Out -- Makes World Cup and YouTube History

NEW YORK, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Shakira's (Epic Records) global hit "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" has become the best-selling World Cup song in history. "Waka Waka" will be available on her forthcoming album Sale el Sol/The Sun Comes Out, scheduled to be released on October 19th. After selling an astounding two million singles, "Waka Waka" is the biggest World Cup song ever released, however its success goes far beyond its popularity as a song, the song and accompanying dance has become a cultural and viral phenomenon.

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The official video for "Waka Waka" has seen over 170 million YouTube hits making it the #4 most watched video of all time and the #3 most watched music video. Including unofficial "Waka Waka" videos, the total cumulative views are over 350 million. The track was also the soundtrack to Shakira's hugely successful 1Goal campaign in which Shakira devised the now-famed "Waka Waka" dance and tasked her fans around the world to "dance for 1Goal" and upload their "Waka Dance" videos to spread the word for education. Fans in overwhelming numbers made videos and uploaded them to YouTube with flash-mobs popping up across the world - together gathering more than 400 million views and helping to promote 1Goal's campaign for universal education. Check out some of the "Waka Waka" dance highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ek8hBNgUOU.

On the heels of the momentous success of "Waka Waka," Shakira is set to release her new single "Loca" in Spanish and English featuring UK phenomenon Dizzee Rascal and Dominican hip-hop artist El Cata (on the English and Spanish respectively). Recorded in the Dominican Republic, Shakira brings her signature fusion of musical identities to this production of "Loca" by blending the horn-heavy elements of meringue with a synthesis of techno percussions laid out to a dance back beat. "Loca" is Shakira's interpretation of El Cata's song "Loca Con Su Tiguere."

For the "Loca" video, Shakira took to the streets of Barcelona, with Dizzee Rascal and a handheld camera, as the backdrop for "Loca." In an attempt to capture the true interpretation of the song, Shakira opted to go away from the traditional big production music video to portray a spirited, fun-filled day being 'loca' in the streets with the people of Barcelona.

"Barcelona is one of my favorite cities and has become a second home to me," said Shakira. "The video is just about having fun and being real in this amazing place with real people."

SOURCE Epic Records