 " Whenever , Wherever " was released as the lead single from Laundry Service in early October 2001 . The song was commercially successful , peaking at number one in countries including Australia , Austria , France , Germany Italy , and more than 14 countries worldwide . In the United States , " Whenever , Wherever " became Shakira 's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number six . It stood as the singer 's highest peaking single on the chart until " Hips Don 't Lie " reached number one in 2006 . " Whenever , Wherever " narrowly missed peaking atop the chart in the United Kingdom by reaching number two . " Suerte " , the Spanish @-@ language version of the song , was also released and peaked at number one in Spain and on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart . " Whenever , Wherever " attained numerous record certifications around the world , including multi @-@ platinum certifications in Australia , Belgium , and Switzerland , platinum certifications in the United Kingdom , and a diamond certification in France . The accompanying music video of the song , which features Shakira belly dancing in various locations , was directed by Francis Lawrence and became popular on music video television channel MTV . 
