Caracas, Nov. 12 (AP): President Hugo Chavez welcomed Colombian pop singer Shakira to Venezuela yesterday and said he may go undercover to watch the hip-shaking superstar perform.

“Shakira’s arrived ... Welcome, Shakira,” Chavez said during a televised speech.

Chavez also said he recently put on a wig and not even his bodyguards had been able to recognize him.

“Maybe I’ll put on a wig and go see Shakira,” he added.

Shakira, who last month was nominated for five Latin Grammy awards, was to perform on Saturday evening in Caracas as part of her global Oral Fixation tour.

Chavez, who says he’s leading a socialist revolution in Venezuela, criticises what he sees as the onslaught of major multinationals and U.S.-style capitalism on traditional Venezuelan culture.

But he appeared to have few concerns about the international pop diva, who is backed by music labels Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Epic Records, calling her a “sister of this great Latin American homeland”.