2001–2004: English transition with Laundry Service

Upon the success of Dónde Están los Ladrones? and MTV Unplugged, Shakira began working on an English crossover album.^[39] She learned English with the help of Gloria Estefan.^[40] She worked for over a year on new material for the album. "Whenever, Wherever", called "Suerte" in Spanish-speaking countries, was released as the first and lead single from her first English album and fifth studio album throughout the period between August 2001 and February 2002. The song took heavy influence from Andean music, including the charango and panpipes in its instrumentation. It became an international success by reaching number one in most countries. It was also her first success in the U.S., by reaching number six on the Hot 100.

Shakira's fifth studio album and first English language album, titled Laundry Service in English-speaking countries and Servicio De Lavanderia in Latin America and Spain, was released on 13 November 2001. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling over 200,000 records in its first week. The album was later certified triple platinum by the RIAA in June 2004 as well.^[41] It helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market. Seven singles were taken from the album such as "Whenever, Wherever"/"Suerte", "Underneath Your Clothes", "Objection (Tango)"/"Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)", "The One", "Te Dejo Madrid", "Que Me Quedes Tú", and "Poem to a Horse".

Because the album was created for the English-language market, the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album gained mild critical success, with some critics claiming that her English skills were too weak for her to write songs for it; Rolling Stone, for one, stated that "she sounds downright silly" or "Shakira's magic is lost in translation".^[42] A similar view was expressed by Elizabeth Mendez Berry in "Vibe": "While her Spanish-language albums sparkled with elegant wordplay, this record is rife with cliches, both musically and lyrically. [...] For Anglophone Latin lovers, Shakira's lyrics are best left to the imagination."^[43] Despite this fact, the album became the best selling album of 2002, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide.^{[26][44][45][46]} and became the most successful album of her career to date. The album earned her the title as the biggest Latin female crossover artist in the world.^[47] Around this time, Shakira also released four songs for Pepsi for her promotion in the English markets: "Ask for More", "Pide Más", "Knock on My Door", and "Pídeme el Sol".