Before Shakira became one of the world's biggest pop stars, selling over 80 million records worldwide, she couldn't even get into her school choir. Her music teacher at her Catholic school in Barranquilla, Colombia, thought her voice was too disruptive—specifically, that her distinctive vibrato made her sound "like a goat."

For a kid who knew from age 10 that she wanted to be a singer, the rejection stung. "This guy wouldn't let me in the school choir," Shakira later recalled. Her classmates piled on too, teasing her about her unusual vocal sound. "It sounds comic now, but back then it was very traumatizing," she admitted in a 60 Minutes interview.

The Goat Gets the Last Laugh

Here's the thing about that "goat-like" quality: it became Shakira's signature. That vibrato her teacher hated? It's now one of the most recognizable sounds in pop music. You hear two notes of "Whenever, Wherever" and you know exactly who's singing.

Shakira's father played a crucial role in keeping her confidence intact. He told her that "a voice without vibrato is not worth it," encouraging her to embrace what made her different rather than sand down her edges to fit someone else's idea of what a singer should sound like.

She took his advice to heart. By age 13—just a few years after being shut out of that choir—Shakira had secured her first record deal with Sony Colombia. The same kid who wasn't "good enough" for the school choir was now dazzling executives at a major label.

When Being "Wrong" Makes You Right

Looking back, Shakira has made peace with her critic. "He was probably right, I did have a voice a bit like a goat," she's said with characteristic humor. But that supposed flaw became her strength. In an industry full of technically perfect but interchangeable voices, Shakira's vibrato-heavy, slightly nasal tone stood out.

The choir teacher's rejection teaches us something important about talent and success:

What one person hears as a flaw, another might hear as originality
Technical "correctness" isn't the same as artistry
The traits that get you rejected in one context might be exactly what makes you successful in another

Today, Shakira's "goat-like" voice has earned her multiple Grammy Awards, made her a global superstar, and turned her into one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Not bad for someone who couldn't make the school choir.

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