Shakira dedicates seven nominations

Colombian pop star Shakira has dedicated her seven MTV Video Music Awards nominations to the Latino community in the US.

"I too am one of them," said the 29-year-old, who is in Mexico as part of her "Oral Fixation" world tour. "This is an achievement I share with my Latinness, with my people, because I know that this is only the beginning of a very long road and that we are just starting to demonstrate that we are different than previous perceptions."

Perhaps best-known for her shaking her hips suggestively while dancing in videos, the normally blonde bombshell faced reporters sporting a train-engineer's cap, long, honey-brown hair and a tight-fitting red top.

She is up for seven awards for the video of her smash single Hips Don't Lie, tying her with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the most nominations.

She became the first Latina nominated for seven awards.

Shakira is singing mostly in Spanish while touring Latin America but will switch largely to English when the US leg of the tour opens in El Paso, Texas.

She also plans performances in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

Shakira has also put forward the idea of next year making a Latin version of the Live 8 international benefit concert, focused on helping children in the continent.

Artists Juanes, Alejandro Sanz, Alejandro Fernandez, Miguel Bose, Diego Torres and Wyclef Jean, who sings with her on Hips Don't Lie, have confirmed their participation.

The Colombian singer won six Billboard Latin Music Awards this year.document.write(unescape("