Shakira‘s 1998 Dónde Están Los Ladrones? was the album that marked a before-and-after in the Colombian superstar’s career. Her first LP backed by megaproducer Emilio Estefan also cemented Shakira as one of Latin America’s biggest artists of her generation.
The follow up to 1995’s Pies Descalzos, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? is home to some of Shakira’s best songs, including the Spanish-language classics “Inevitable,” “Tú,” “Si Te Vas” and “Ojos Así.” Powered by a wide-ranging canvas of sounds — from rock to pop ballads, mariachi horns and Middle Eastern influences — Shakira’s seminal album is lyrically potent. A troubadour at heart, Shakira lets her emotions take center stage as she sings about heartbreak (“Si Te Vas”), believing in love (“Tú”), superficiality (“Octavo Día”) and young love (“Ciega, Sordomuda”).
The song that gave the album its title was inspired by an incident that changed everything for Shakira. While traveling, thieves stole a suitcase she had filled with lyrics for new songs, leaving her with writer’s block. Once she finally set pen to paper, the end result was her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums chart. Dónde Están Los Ladrones? ruled the tally for 11 weeks.
In honor of the album’s 25th anniversary (celebrated Sept. 29), Billboard‘s Latin editors have ranked all 11 tracks on the set. Given that all these songs are classics, it was hard to pick a No. 1 — but see which one takes the top spot on our list below.
Shakira is set to speak at the Billboard Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6 in Miami. Purchase tickets here.
