Dónde Están los ladrones? (English: Where Are the Thieves?) is the fourth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, released on 29 September 1998 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. After attaining success in Latin America with her major-label debut, Pies Descalzos (1995), Shakira met producer Emilio Estefan, who identified her potential to break into the US Latin market and became her manager. As co-producer, Shakira enlisted previous collaborator Luis Fernando Ochoa along with Pablo Flores, Javier Garza, Lester Mendez, and Estefan, who served as executive producers. Dónde Están los Ladrones? incorporates Latin pop styles, with influences of rock en español and Middle Eastern music.
Upon its release, Dónde Están los Ladrones? received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its sound and lyrics, with one reviewer comparing Shakira to Alanis Morissette. Commercially, the album was a success, selling over one million copies within its first month of release. Additionally, the album peaked at number 131 on the US Billboard 200, and topped the Top Latin and Latin Pop Albums charts. The album received numerous record certifications in various countries, including a platinum certification in the United States and a triple-platinum certification in Shakira's native Colombia. Dónde Están los Ladrones? won several accolades, and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album at the 41st Grammy Awards.
The album took 9 months to produce since many people worked on the album: an increased number of options were given and further demos were released. This extended the production process, making it more complex than the Pies Descalzos album. In addition, Shakira insisted on perfection, mindful of the many critics who would judge her second album, mindful of the label of "musical prodigy" applied to her in Latin America. Consequently, each song comprised three or four demo tracks, made possible by the increased album budget and the hundreds of thousands of dollars available for promotion. As a result, the album sold 100,000 copies on the day of release, and reached one million sales by the end of the month. The album title was inspired by one of Shakira's trips to the capital of her native country Colombia, Bogotá. In the airport, a thief stole much of her luggage, including a briefcase that contained all the lyrics Shakira had been working on for the album. All was lost. Demoralized, Shakira had to start anew. According to interviews, Shakira claimed she almost gave up, but it was only her dedication to completing the album that inspired her to start working again. Thus, the title track was born.
