"We love her songs and we thought they would appeal to everyone," he said.
Joshua Barr, an English student and baritone who has been president of the group since 2012, said they had selected the song on the basis of Shakira's global appeal. Most of the students who appeared in the ITV talent contest have since graduated. Out of the Blue, who appeared on Britain's Got Talent in 2011 and reached the semi-finals with a cappella versions of songs such as Lady Gaga's Poker Face and Justin Timberlake's SexyBack, said they were thrilled and "shellshocked" that their latest musical venture had caught Shakira's eye. The video has now had almost 700,000 views. On Facebook, it drew 87,928 likes and almost 10,000 shares.
The song, which also incorporates choruses from Shakira's other hits Whenever, Wherever and Waka Waka, has already been retweeted 1,200 times and made a favourite 1,800 times. She tweeted: "Hey we LOVE your a capella Shak medley! ¡Nos encanta este medley que han hecho!". They were taken by surprise when the video caught the attention of the world-famous singer, who tweeted it to her 26.2 million followers on Twitter and posted it on her Facebook page in both English and Spanish. Out of the Blue, an a cappella group made up of University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University undergraduates, recorded a version of the hit song, along with a video of the 15 students in matching suits and ties gyrating and twirling in the style of Shakira across the lawns and cobbled streets of Oxford. An all-male Oxford choir have been parachuted to internet fame after their cover of Shakira's Hips Don't Lie caught the attention of the Colombian singer.