Laundry Service is the fifth
studio album by
Colombian singer-songwriter
Shakira, globally released on 13 November 2001 by
Epic Records. It is her first album to be primarily recorded in English. After the release of her fourth studio album
Dónde Están los Ladrones?, which became a success in Latin America, Shakira was encouraged by
American singer
Gloria Estefan to record songs in English as she believed the singer had the potential to
crossover into the English-language pop market. Shakira was initially hesitant to undertake the project, but later decided to learn English well enough to be able to write songs in the language herself. The title of the album was chosen to reflect Shakira's views on love and music. It was also released as
Servicio de Lavandería in Hispanic regions in January 2002. Musically,
Laundry Service is primarily a
pop rock record but it also experiments with a variety of other musical styles, including
Andean music,
dance-pop,
Middle Eastern music,
rock and roll and
tango. The lyrical theme of the album is mostly based around love and romance. Every song on the album was written and produced by Shakira.