Shakira

Shakira becomes most liked celebrity on Facebook

Colombian singer sets record with 100 million followers, ahead of Eminem and Rihanna, who have 91.9 million and 89 million

AFP in Paris
The Guardian, Sunday 20 July 2014

Shakira preforms during the closing ceremony during the 2014 World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photograph: Ian Macnicol/Getty Images

Shakira has become the first person to attract more than 100 million fans on Facebook, becoming the most "liked" celebrity on the social network in the process.

The Colombian singer, who recently performed at the closing ceremony of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, stands ahead of Eminem and Rihanna, who have amassed 91.9 million and 89 million fans respectively.

The number of fans a person has on Facebook is measured by how many people have chosen to "like" their page and follow updates from it.

Shakira was particularly active on the social network during the World Cup, sharing a host of pictures from behind the scenes. Among them was a photograph of her standing on the field at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro with a football at her feet, which became her most popular post on the site with more than 3.5m "likes".

She performed her World Cup-themed La la la (Brazil 2014) at the closing ceremony on 13 July.

In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Shakira said she was "honoured and humbled" to have reached the milestone. "Social media and specifically Facebook has helped myself and other artists bridge the gap between the stage and the audience," she said.

Facebook's founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, congratulated Shakira in a comment on her page. "Congrats! What an amazing milestone for an amazing person," he wrote.

Shakira's Facebook page is frequently updated with pictures and videos of her performing on stage, or at home with her boyfriend, the Spanish national footballer Gerard Piqué, and their son Milan.

She has had a number of global hits such as the 2006 "Hips Don't Lie" and has been a goodwill ambassador for Unicef since 2003.

Ten years after its creation, Facebook has more than a billion users worldwide.

THE GUARDIAN