Shakira dressed like a man

Shakira took a break from music in 2006 and enrolled on a history course. She changed her name and wore a disguise so that her fellow students wouldn't know who she was. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON - SINGER Shakira has revealed in an interview with The Guardian that she dressed as a man to attend the University of California in Los Angeles.

The 32-year-old took a break from music in 2006 and enrolled on a history course. She changed her name and wore a disguise so that her fellow students wouldn't know who she was.

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'I needed a break from me. The universe is so broad, I cannot be at the centre of it,' she said in the interview.

'So I decided to go to the university and study history for a summer course, just to kind of switch gears, taste the student life. I used to wear a cap and a big backpack, I looked like a boy. I didn't get recognised.

Shakira said that some people looked at her suspiciously and others asked her if she was 'Shakira'.

'I would go to university over and over again if I could,' she said.