For a moment, I tried telling them that Shakira was different; not the usual Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue kind of clothes-shedding, butt and belly-shaking, dancing, singing pop icon. It didn't matter; no one was listening.

And yet, Shakira is different. Yes, if you watch her videos, "Whenever, whatever" and "Underneath your clothes", you would dismiss her off as another one of those pop/rock female singers who has to bare to make it (and it is unfortunate that more than 75% of all female performers have to bare somewhere, sometime...). But all you need to do, to understand Shakira, is to stop looking at her and to listen to her.

For almost a month, when her first video "Whenever, whatever" started airing, I didn't bother (I usually channel surf when I am on the treadmill in the evenings). Then, when "Underneath your clothes" aired, I actually listened to it, during a karaoke program on Channel V, with the words scrolling at the bottom of the screen. And I got hooked. After I long time, I was actually listening to a voice that was different; very rich, very vibrant and honestly...different. A kind of Celine Dion, Diana Ross combo and better.

I picked up the CD and found that she had virtually written all the songs herself. This really hooked me. In today's day and age of instant pop divas (especially the Channel V popstars kind), most singers are just that...pretty voices, no passion. Rendering songs written by others may showcase a singing talent, but it ends there. These were her songs, written by her and most of them composed by her.

There was no stopping me then. The liner notes on the CD and her official website www.shakira.com filled up the rest of the details...Latin descent with a Lebanese father, fusion songs, child prodigy, first foray into English, helped by Gloria Estefan, etc... The kicker...she was interviewed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who actually wrote, "Shakira's music has a personal stamp that doesn't look like anyone else's and no one can sing or dance like her, at whatever age, with such an innocent sensuality, one that seems to be of her own invention". I was not alone.

The tragedy is that in today's contemporary music, with virtually every other female singer stripping and teasing, unless you stop looking at the songs and actually listen, it is very difficult to go beyond the body and the display. And often, the body is all there is...Kylie Minogue may have a good voice, but her songs are banal and the only interesting parts are the videos.

My advice...look at Shakira if you have to (she is beautiful), but really, really, listen to her. Radio actually helps.