Little known outside her native Colombia, it wasn't until 1995 when Shakira took full creative control over her music, a fusion of rock and dance pop with both deeply personal and biting political lyrics. The approach yielded two multiplatinum albums. In 2001, she broke through into the English-speaking market with the release of her first album in that language, Laundry Service, which she wrote and produced herself and which has sold 3,5 million copies in the United States and 15 million (sometimes stated as 20 million) copies worldwide.