Nearly three decades after it first hit the airwaves, the video for Shakira's 1998 breakout single 'Ciega, Sordomuda' has passed 400 million views on YouTube. That makes it the first Shakira video to cross the mark — and it hands the Barranquilla-born singer a very particular distinction: she now joins Michael Jackson as one of the only artists with 400-million-view videos for songs released across four different decades.
The song, from her album ¿Dónde están los ladrones?, was the track that cemented her identity beyond Colombia. Its mix of pop-rock energy and mariachi trumpets stood out in late-90s Latin music, and the lyrics — about how falling in love scrambles your ability to think straight — made it an instant anthem. The video, a surreal, funny police-chase caper, has aged into something of a cult favourite.
What's striking is the viewing curve. Colombian media reports the video pulled roughly 31 million views in 2022, then jumped to about 67 million in 2025 — momentum that carried it over the line in October 2026. A pre-YouTube song, promoted in an era of radio, TV and CDs, is now finding new audiences entirely through streaming. It's a tidy example of how digital platforms can keep 20th-century hits alive and growing rather than letting them fade.
For Jackson, the equivalent record spans videos for songs released from the 1970s through the 2010s — 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough', 'Billie Jean', 'They Don't Care About Us' and 'Love Never Felt So Good', his posthumous 2014 duet with Justin Timberlake. Shakira reaching the same four-decade spread with one of her earliest hits says a lot about the durability of her catalogue.
Why should a traveller care? Because Shakira is arguably Colombia's biggest cultural export, and her hometown leans into it. Barranquilla — gateway to the Caribbean coast — is where fans flock to see the giant iron statue of the singer on the Malecón, and the city's legendary Carnival owes much of its soundtrack to the same coastal rhythms that shaped her. Add the milestone to the list of reasons Colombia's music scene, from Bogotá's live venues to Cartagena's street parties, is pulling in visitors.
