October 19, 2009 9:38

Shakira disguised herself as a boy to attend university

Singer went to UCLA to study history after her 'Oral Fixation' world tour

Shakira attended university at UCLA in disguise after finishing the tour for her 2005 album 'Oral Fixation Vol 2', the Colombian popstar has revealed.

The singer took a short course in history over the summer at the Los Angeles-based university after her lengthy jaunt ended in May 2007 .

"It was such a long tour, I needed a break from me," explained Shakira. "The universe is so broad, I cannot be at the centre of it. 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."

To make sure that she wasn't spotted, Shakira told The Guardian, she dressed in a boyish disguise and used her middle name instead of her first.

"I used to wear a cap and a big backpack, I looked like a boy," she admitted. "I didn't get recognised. Some people looked at me very suspiciously, a few people asked me, but I told them my name was Isabelle. I would go to university over and over again if I could."