Singer Shakira expecting her first child with Spanish footballer Gerard Pique

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Colombian singer Shakira said on Wednesday she is expecting her first child, with her Spanish soccer player boyfriend Gerard Pique.

"As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At this time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives and postpone all the promotional activities planned over the next few days," Shakira, 35, wrote on her website.

The singer, who did not specify a due date, is bowing out of a music festival in Las Vegas this weekend.

In the near future she will be juggling both motherhood and work. Earlier this week the singer, along with R&B star Usher, were confirmed to replace Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green for the fourth season next year of NBC's hit singing contest "The Voice."

Shakira is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer and model who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Shakira began performing in school, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Arabic influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese as well as some Italian, Catalan and Arabic.

After a poor commercial reception with local producers on her first two albums, and being little-known outside Colombia, Shakira decided to produce her own brand of music. In 1995 she released Pies Descalzos, which brought her to prominence in Latin America and Spain; her 1998 album, Dónde Están los Ladrones?, was a critical success selling over 7 million copies worldwide

Pique, 25, plays for FC Barcelona. The couple first met in 2010. This will be their first child.