Many of history’s great musicians have been played their music left-handed, from Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain. Is Shakira another left-handed music icon?
Shakira is right-handed. We can see this when she strums her guitar with her right hand, though many musicians have played instruments with the opposite hand to the one they use in daily life. There is other evidence of Shakira being right-handed, such as when she holds a microphone or other delicate objects, or when she signs autographs.
For further examination of the evidence that proves Shakira is right-handed, read on.
Caught Right Handed
As for whether or not Shakira is left-handed, we have no evidence to suggest this and plenty that supports the theory that she is right-handed.
A popular method for discovering whether a musician is right or left-handed is to look for footage or photographs of them playing an instrument. Shakira often brings a guitar onstage with her and we can see that she plays the instrument with her right hand.
This isn’t a definite sign that Shakira is right-handed in day to day life though, as there are many examples of successful musicians playing their instrument with the opposite hand to the one they use in daily life.
One of the most famous of these was Kurt Cobain, who played his guitar left-handed despite being right-handed elsewhere in life. The reason for this is unknown, though it might be that some people are more comfortable using their dominant hand for fretwork.
Even when Shakira isn’t carrying a guitar onstage, we can see that she holds her microphone right-handed. This is probably a better indication of her true handedness when compared to how she holds her guitar, as she only uses one hand to hold a microphone and instinctively uses her right.
The most dependable way of discovering which hand any celebrity favors is to search for photos of them signing autographs. In the case of a star with as prolonged a period of worldwide fame and success as Shakira, there are plenty of these to choose from.
These autograph signing photos all tell the same story: that Shakira writes with her right hand, the surest sign that she is right-handed in everyday life.
Another example of Shakira using her right hand could be seen during her time on “The Voice”. She and her fellow judges were each required to hit a large button when they heard a singer who impressed them enough to coach.
This meant there were many examples throughout the season of Shakira quickly hitting the button and they all display one common feature. Shakira hits the button with her right hand.
Taking all this evidence into account, we can only reach one conclusion: that Shakira is right-handed in both her performances and daily life.
Left Handedness
People have a long-held fascination with left-handedness. Historically, left-handed people were treated with suspicion and even outright discriminated against.
In ancient times, the Latin word “sinister” originally meant “left” but also came to mean “unlucky” or “evil” in later years.
Unfortunately, the word retained this double meaning for centuries, leading to the perception that people with this relatively rare trait were somehow untrustworthy or something even worse.
In medieval times, left-handed people were frequently accused of witchcraft (although the mob could find just about any reason to suspect witchcraft, including owning a cat).
Fortunately, attitudes have softened in recent decades and left-handedness is no longer viewed with suspicion in most of the world.
Left-handed people still make up just 10% of the world’s population but the majority of that group enjoys a more comfortable life than ever before. After all, there was a time that they could only have dreamt of owning left-handed scissors.