Shakira: The agent who rejected her when she first started her career is now auctioning off her promotional tape.

It was 1991, when Shakira was still unknown, and her uncle, who was looking for a representative in Spain, gave a promotional tape of the Colombian singer to an entertainment agent in Barcelona. He said that he was not interested in the artist, but he left it to himself.jewel”musical.

Then, Jaume Estruchcurrent director of the artists agency Barcelona Animació, had an office in the same building as his uncle Shakira.

“One day my neighbor came to my office and said that his niece was a singer in Colombia and was looking for a representative in Spain. I politely told him that I was not interested, but I left the tape, judging by what he says EFE.

The tape – from the TDK brand and featuring the artist leaning on a tree – contains nine songs from the album. Magicwhen she was 14 years old and includes themes composed by her such as dreams, love hunter, Sunglasses or I need you.

Although she kept it for 30 years, during which the Colombian became a world star, she now decided to sell the cassette on the portal Todocoleccion.net.

“I like Shakira, but I’m not a fan, and I’m sure there are some who might be interested,” explains Estruh. The price he named is 1200 euros (1300 USD).

He didn’t see the business clearly

This artistic rep was 31 years old when he missed the opportunity to promote the career of a teenager Shakira in Spain. “These are things that happen, an anecdote along the way,” he says, although he admits that at times he felt that “I could still be there” with her.

Estruja’s company was “famous” in Barcelona, ​​a city that at the time was “in full swing” ahead of the 1992 Olympics, but he believes the singer’s uncle visited him just “next door”.

She “was very young and Colombian, I didn’t see anything intelligible (business),” the businessman justifies.

Remember that in that year, taking advantage of the popularity of the theme I hope it rains coffeefrom Dominican Juan Luis Guerrahe really took a Cuban orchestra with him to Spain, which toured for six months with the songs of this artist, in addition to the Panamanian Ruben blade and Cuban Celia Cruz.

This record was not a commercial success.

Uncle visit Shakira in his office happened “at the time when Sony released the album in Colombia, and seeing that it was not working, his parents began to rearrange things,” says the art agent.

That debut album was “catastrophicbecause few copies were sold; then “she didn’t coo”, which characterizes her, but the artist kept trying and “another manager told her to change the record,” she explains.

Estrukh and his wife did not attach “greater importance” to the neighbor’s visit, which they vaguely remember, until years later the artist began to enjoy success and did not realize that the voice recorded on that almost forgotten cassette belongs to Shakira herself.

A few years after receiving the cassette, the singer from Barranquilla released her third album (Barefoot1996), which performed well throughout Latin America and launched a successful musical career that continues today.

Estruch, for his part, continued to work as an artistic representative and organizer of the show; currently has offices in Barcelona and Andorra. (EFE)

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