Shakira

Laundry Service is your first album sung in English, how did you cope?

It's always been a big question mark in my life, for a long time I thought I just wouldn't be able to think in English well enough to write songs. Then something clicked in my head, and everything changed. I could express myself in English.

Do your Latin audiences think you've sold out because you sing in English?

I'm not pretending to be an American girl, I haven't abandoned the Latin community. How could I walk away from a whole continent? It's crazy. I'm Colombian, and nothing will change that.

Will fame go to your head?

I'm lucky I have family around me, otherwise, I'd be taking the risk of falling in love with myself. But there are always people close to me who I trust, who will scold me and pull my ears if I need it. Fame isolates people from reality. That happens to many artists, and I don't want it to happen to me.

Do you have a temper?

Oh, I explode. Then I always regret it. It's something I'm trying to overcome with willpower. I'm in a very high-pressure, hysterical job - everything has to be done in a hurry. So sometimes I just have to say 'Stop'.

Can a person have too much sex?

Yes, of course. Like too much food or too much rest. Now I'm enjoying these questions. So much better than 'Why did you dye your hair?' or 'What do you think of Madonna?'

Give two good reasons to visit Colombia, and one not to?

If you want to see people with broad smiles, who look you straight in the eye, go to Colombia. Second reason: if you want some of the best food you've ever tasted.