"Estoy Aquí" () is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, taken from her third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Pies Descalzos'' (1995). It was released in 1995 by Sony Music and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa. "Estoy Aquí" is a

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...

song that lyrically discusses a willingness to correct a failed relationship. Upon its release, "Estoy Aquí" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who recognized it as a stand-out track from ''Pies Descalzos''. Additionally, it became Shakira's first recording to attain commercial success outside her native

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. The song peaked at numbers 1 and 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Latin Pop Songs and Latin Songs component charts. Its performance aided its parent album in becoming her breakthrough record, which eventually attained platinum certifications in Brazil, Colombia, and the United States. Its accompanying music video depicts Shakira performing the track, where she is often pictured with her guitar. A Portuguese-language translation of the track titled "Estou Aqui" appeared on Shakira's first remix album '' The Remixes'' in 1997. An English-language version, "I Am Here", was

leaked A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...

to the internet in 2011. The song has additionally been performed during six of the seven concert tours Shakira has held to date.

Background and composition

Shakira released her first major-label studio album '' Pies Descalzos'' in 1995 by Sony Music and

. Assuming a prominent position in its production, she co-wrote and co-produced each of the eleven tracks included on the record. Serviced as the lead single from the project in 1996, "Estoy Aquí" saw additional songwriting and production from Luis Fernando Ochoa. The track is heavily influenced by

elements, and makes use of prominent guitar instrumentation. Lyrically, it states a desire to amend a failed relationship. In English, the lyrics "lo que nos pasó no repetirá jamás" and "Estoy aquí queriéndote, ahogándome" translate to "what happened to us will never be repeated" and "I'm here wanting you, drowning", respectively. After attaining success with the original Spanish-language version, "Estoy Aquí" was re-recorded in Portuguese as "Estou Aqui" for Shakira's 1997 remix album '' The Remixes''. An English-language version "I'm Here" was

in early-2011, but was not made available for digital download.

Reception

Upon its release, "Estoy Aquí" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who recognized it as a stand-out track from '' Pies Descalzos''. Carlos Quintana of About.com complimented the track for featuring a "vibrant dancing flavor", and placed it among his personal favorites from the record. Similarly, Jose F. Promis from Allmusic praised it for serving as an "infectious and melodic" opening track, going on to select the song as an album highlight. The song received a nomination for Pop Song of the Year at the 1997 Lo Nuestro Awards, but lost to "

Experiencia Religiosa "Experiencia Religiosa" (English: ''Religious Experience'') is the second single released by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias from his eponymous debut studio album '' Enrique Iglesias'' (1995), It was released by Fonovisa on 11 Decemb ...

" by

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

. "Estoy Aquí" became Shakira's first recording to attain commercial success. The song peaked at numbers 1 and 2 on the ''

'' Latin Pop Songs and Latin Songs component charts. Its commercial performance aided its parent album in becoming her breakthrough record, which eventually attained platinum certifications in Brazil, and the United States. ''Pies Descalzos'' was also awarded the "Diamond Prism" award in Colombia. In 1996, "Estoy Aquí" was included in the

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...

of ''Pies Descalzos'', titled ''Colección de Oro''. In 2002, it was featured as the opening track for Shakira's first greatest hits album '' Grandes Éxitos''.

Music video

"Estoy Aquí" became the first track by Shakira to receive an accompanying music video, which was directed by Simon Brand. The setting depicts a barn during the various weather seasons, and shows Shakira performing the song, accompanied with a guitar in most scenes. The clip was met with a favorable response from her label Sony Music, and was also met with commercial success. Consequentially, executives decided to place additional emphasis on promoting '' Pies Descalzos'' if it were to exceed sales of 50,000 copies. John Lannert from ''

'' positively noted that her voice and appearance "jumps out at you". In Colombia, it was recognized as the "Best Video" at the Asociación Colombiana de Periodistas del Espectáculo (ACPE) Awards. After the huge success of the single in Latin America and Spain, Shakira filmed an alternate music video for the song, directed by French photographer and filmmaker Christophe Gstalder, this music video was used to promote the song in European countries and was marketed as "Estoy Aquí (European Mix)". This alternate music video depicts Shakira playing the guitar and dancing, posing seductively behind an aquarium and setting her guitar on fire. This alternate video also has the English version called "I'm Here" but was never released. However, the clip appeared on a French television interview ''Star Story''.

Live performances

Shakira has performed "Estoy Aquí" during six of her seven concert tours thus far. She first performed the track in Mexico City during her Tour Pies Descalzos, which ran from 1996 through 1997. It was also included during the Tour Anfibio and Tour of the Mongoose, held in support of her second and third studio albums '' Dónde Están los Ladrones?'' and '' Laundry Service'', respectively. The song was additionally performed during the Oral Fixation Tour, which became her largest tour to date. In place of its inclusion in The Sun Comes Out World Tour, "Estoy Aquí" was performed in Rio de Janeiro as part of Rock in Rio in 2011. Later in 2018 the song served as an opening song for her El Dorado World Tour. In August 1999, Shakira sang "Estoy Aquí" during an episode of '' MTV Unplugged'' in New York City. In February 2000, the performance was included in the

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

of the event. At the 12th Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2011, Mexican singer-songwriter Aleks Syntek performed a live cover of the song as part of the Latin Grammys tribute to Shakira, where she was honored Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year.

Cover versions

Mexican singer-songwriter Carla Morrison released an acoustic version of the song on February 4, 2022.

Track listings

; CD single #"Estoy Aquí" #"Te Espero Sentada" ; CD single - Brazil version #"Estou Aqui" ;Remix EP #"Estoy Aquí" (The Love & House Mix) #"Estoy Aquí" (The Love & House Radio Edit) #"Estoy Aquí" (Extended Club Mix) #"Estoy Aquí" (The Radio Edit) #"Estoy Aquí" (Meme's Timbalero Dub) #"Estoy Aquí" (The Love & Tears Mix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estoy Aqui 1995 singles Shakira songs Spanish-language songs Songs written by Shakira Songs written by Luis Fernando Ochoa Music videos directed by Simon Brand 1995 songs Sony Music singles