# Magia (Shakira album)
**Magia** (Spanish for "Magic") is the debut studio album by the Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, released on June 24, 1991 by Sony Music Colombia and Columbia on 12-inch vinyl in Colombia.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php) It collects pop ballads and [Latin pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/latin-pop) songs Shakira wrote from the age of eight, and it was recorded when she was 13 years old under a three-album contract with Sony Music Colombia.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/22/shakira-music-colombia-poverty) • [3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml) The album sold an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 copies, and Shakira later had it and its 1993 follow-up *Peligro* withdrawn from the market.[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 24, 1991; LP on Columbia, Sony Colombia, Colombia only[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php) • [5](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/5ed9b609-a5a9-3cc2-af2c-af83bab00e71) |
| Artist's age | Recorded at 13, released at 14[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/22/shakira-music-colombia-poverty) • [6](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/) |
| Genre | Latin pop, disco, and new jack swing; also tagged teen pop and pop rock[7](https://www.buenamusica.com/shakira/album/magia) • [1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php) |
| Length and tracks | 9 tracks, 32 minutes total, opening with "Sueños" (3:47)[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php) |
| Sales | An estimated 1,000 to 1,200 copies, a commercial failure[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/) |
| Availability | Withdrawn from the market at Shakira's request, together with *Peligro* (1993); blocked from reissue[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/) |
## Background and recording
Shakira began writing songs at age eight, and her first composition was "Tus Gafas Oscuras".[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/) After performances in local competitions in her hometown of [Barranquilla](https://www.edgepedia.org/barranquilla), she was discovered by the Sony Music Colombia producer Ciro Vargas and signed a contract to record three albums, of which *Magia* was the first.[3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml) The Associated Press places the deal in 1991, when she signed with Sony Music Colombia at just 13 years old.[8](https://apnews.com/article/18f9fda8408d8c80dc846f90fdba8541) *Rolling Stone* en Español writes that she launched the album at 14.[6](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/)
**Studio work.** The recording took place at the Aga studios in Bogotá under the direction of the producers Miguel E. Cubillos and Pablo Tedeschi.[3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml) The producers sought to adapt her songs to the commercial pop formulas of the era, which produced a sound that leaned heavily on synthesizers and drum machines; despite her inexperience in the studio, Shakira took an active part in arranging her own songs.[3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml) Album of the Year credits Gabriel Muñoz C. as producer and lists Juanita Loboguerrero, Shakira, Pablo Tedeschi, and Miguel Enrique Cubillos N. as writers.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php)
## Songs
The album's nine tracks come from Shakira's own writing and draw on her experiences between the ages of 8 and 12: a first romance, the joy of living near the sea, and the presence of her parents.[7](https://www.buenamusica.com/shakira/album/magia) The title track, "Magia", is a pop ballad about falling in love; "Lejos de tu amor" and "Esta noche voy contigo" are more energetic dance-pop numbers aimed at the dance floors of the period.[3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml) "Sueños" is an introspective ballad, and "Tus gafas oscuras" (listed as "Gafas oscuras" on the track list) is one of her earliest songs to treat a serious personal subject: she wrote it as a tribute to her father, who wore dark glasses to hide his grief after the death of her older brother in an accident.[3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml)
The full track list runs: "Sueños" (3:47), "Esta noche voy contigo" (3:53), "Lejos de tu amor" (3:09), "Magia" (4:43), "Cuentas conmigo" (4:01), "Cazador de amor" (3:07), "Gafas oscuras" (3:16), "Necesito de ti" (3:41), and "Lejos de tu amor (Version Remix)" (3:13), for a total length of 32 minutes.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php) Buena Música reports that four versions of the album were issued, three for Colombia and one for Mexico.[7](https://www.buenamusica.com/shakira/album/magia)
## Commercial performance and withdrawal
*Magia* was a commercial failure. It sold an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 copies in Colombia, and the lack of a clear radio hit and inexperience in promotion left the album largely unnoticed by the public.[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/) *Billboard* later described her as having established herself as a pop balladeer in 1991 with the release of "Magia", but noted that neither that album nor *Peligro* (1993) was deemed a success by Sony.[9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-06-15.pdf) The Guardian's 2009 profile gives a somewhat milder reading, reporting that both early albums were fairly successful, particularly in her local area, but that neither caught fire further afield.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/22/shakira-music-colombia-poverty) The album was promoted with live presentations in theaters in several Colombian cities, accompanied by dancers and choruses.[7](https://www.buenamusica.com/shakira/album/magia) These performances helped Shakira receive attention in the Colombian media.[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/)
At Shakira's request, *Magia* and its successor *Peligro* were removed from the music market, and she has blocked their reissue, considering them immature work.[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/) Because the records remain out of her catalog, original vinyl and cassette copies are coveted collector's items.[4](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/)
## Retrospective view
Because of its limited distribution, the album received little critical attention at the time. Retrospective commentary treats it as a historical curiosity: a product of its era, rooted in the Latin pop and romantic ballad sound of the late 1980s and early 1990s and very different from the rock-influenced fusions that later made Shakira famous, but already showing the potential of the young songwriter. Critics describe it as the starting point, the "year zero", of a discography that would reach a worldwide audience.[3](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml) A Spanish-language review scored it 5.875 out of 10, calling it a synthesized, repetitive early-1990s Latin pop record but acknowledging that it earned Shakira the chance to create her later work.[10](https://mimundoentrenotas.blogspot.com/2013/09/shakira-magia.html) On Album of the Year, the album holds a user score of 45 based on 66 ratings, with no critic reviews entered.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php)
The album's place in Shakira's career is as the first step of a three-decade arc: she signed with Sony Music Colombia at 13 and released *Magia* in 1991, followed by breakthrough albums such as *[Pies Descalzos](https://www.edgepedia.org/pies-descalzos)* (1995) and *¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?* (1998).[8](https://apnews.com/article/18f9fda8408d8c80dc846f90fdba8541) Music distributor Didier Ariza Ospino, quoted by the Colombian newspaper *El Heraldo*, says *Magia* is the Shakira album that fans seek out most, precisely because it was her first production.[11](https://www.elheraldo.co/sociedad/2020/10/11/en-video-shakira-diosa-del-mundo-verbenero-y-de-los-coleccionistas-765054/)
## References
1. [Magia – Shakira, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/18158-shakira-magia.php)
2. [The making of Saint Shakira, The Guardian (2009)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/22/shakira-music-colombia-poverty)
3. [Magia de Shakira, Todomusica](https://www.todomusica.org/shakira/disco_magia.shtml)
4. [Magia (álbum de Shakira), AcademiaLab](https://academia-lab.com/enciclopedia/magia-album-de-shakira/)
5. [Release group "Magia" by Shakira, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/5ed9b609-a5a9-3cc2-af2c-af83bab00e71)
6. [Shakira – Rolling Stone en Español coverage](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/)
7. [Álbum Magia de Shakira, Buena Música](https://www.buenamusica.com/shakira/album/magia)
8. [Q&A: Shakira says she feels like she's just getting started, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/18f9fda8408d8c80dc846f90fdba8541)
9. [Colombia's Shakira: 'I'm Here' Video Spurs Sony Singer/Songwriter, Billboard (1996)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-06-15.pdf)
10. [Mi mundo entre notas: Shakira – Magia](https://mimundoentrenotas.blogspot.com/2013/09/shakira-magia.html)
11. [Shakira, diosa del mundo verbenero y de los coleccionistas, El Heraldo](https://www.elheraldo.co/sociedad/2020/10/11/en-video-shakira-diosa-del-mundo-verbenero-y-de-los-coleccionistas-765054/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Latin albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license