From a shy girl singing at Sanremo to a proud woman taking over the Golden Globes. That’s Laura Pausini.
The beginnings
Laura Pausini was born in Faenza, in the province of Ravenna, on May 16th, 1974. When she was only eight years old, she began to sing with her father in piano bars. Her first national stage was the Festival of Sanremo. That’s where she sang La Solitudine in 1993. And she won in the category dedicated to Young Performers.
This was the beginning of the Laura Pausini music sensation.
Shortly after her win at Sanremo, the singer published her first album. The title was “Laura Pausini.” It was also released in Australia, Japan, and all over Europe. The album sold over 2,000,000 copies and it topped the music charts worldwide. Pausini even recorded a special version of La Solitudine for the English market, with lyrics written by Tim Rice.
A career in music
“Laura,” her second CD, which was released in 1994, was a music sensation. It included “Strani Amori,” which brought her third place at Sanremo in the “Big” category. Both worldwide and nationally, the album sold over 4,000,000 copies.
The first successes
Laura Pausini released a collection of two CDs. Also internationally, reaching places such as North, South America, and Spain. Spain especially loved her. Her release of “Amores Estraños” took first place in the prestigious Billboard ranking of Hot Latin Tracks. Billboard hailed Laura as only second to Mariah Carey as the female singing sensation of 1994.
The Italian Ambassador to Spain presented Laura with a platinum globe in October 1995. The honor recognized her as the first non-Spanish singer to have sold over 1,000,000 copies in the country. Earlier that year, Laura had won the World Music Award. In honor of her status as an International artist, her album, “Le Cose Che Vivi” was released in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
In 1999, Pavarotti organized his annual show in Modena. And he wanted Laura to partecipate. They sang a duet, “Tu che m’ hai preso il cuor.” It was the beginning of a life-long friendship.
The latest hits
Laura Pausini had sold over 25,000,000 albums just a decade after making her debut, at 18. Indeed, sensational numbers. She even sang for the Pope at the Vatican Christmas mass in 1998.
In 2002, she released her album “From the Inside Out,” which marked her success in the English market. The album wasn’t a success. But the song Resta in Ascolto: escucha exploded. Hence the album’s nomination to the 2006 Latin Grammys.
After her 2006 cover album Io Canto, Laura Pausini released the 2008 Primavera in Anticipo. After the birth of her daughter, the singer went back to the studio. In 2011, she released Inedito. And, years later, her collection of “best of.” After 2013, Laura Pausini released three more albums, including a collection of Christmas songs and one in Spanish.
After decades in the industry, Laura Pausini is still an international star.
Must listen: Laura Pausini, Seen
In 2021, the singer won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture.The song is “Seen,”from the movie The Life Ahead.
By Mary M. Alward
Updated by Francesca Bezzone
