Laura Pausini
Laura Pausini OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈlaura pauˈziːni]; born 16 May 1974) is an Italian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with her debut single "La solitudine",[1] which became an Italian standard and an international hit.[2][3][4] Her self-titled debut album was released in Italy on 23 April 1993[5] and later became an international success, selling two million copies worldwide.[6] Its follow-up, Laura, was released in 1994 and confirmed her international success, selling three million copies worldwide.[7]
For her self-titled albums, see Laura Pausini (1993 album), Laura Pausini (1994 album), and Laura Pausini (1995 album).
Laura Pausini
16 May 1974
- Singer
- songwriter
- television personality
1993–present
4 (1 biological daughter and 3 stepchildren)
Vocals
Pausini has released fifteen studio albums, two international greatest hits albums and one compilation album for the Anglophone market only. She speaks four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. She mostly performs in Italian and Spanish, but has also recorded and sung songs in Portuguese, English, French, German, Latin, Chinese, Catalan, Neapolitan, Romanian, Romagnol and Sicilian.[8][9]
Pausini appeared as a coach on both the Mexican and Spanish versions of international reality television singing competition franchise The Voice, was a judge on the first and second series of La banda, and is likewise a judge on the Spanish version of international franchise The X Factor. In 2016, she debuted as a variety show presenter, hosting the television show Laura & Paola, with actress Paola Cortellesi.
In 2004, AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier considered Pausini's sales "an impressive feat for someone who'd never really broken into the lucrative English-language market".[10] In 2014, FIMI certified Pausini's sales of more than 70 million records with a FIMI Icon Award, making her the fourth best-selling female artist in Latin music, and the best-selling female non-Spanish speaking Latin music artist.[11]
Throughout her career, she has won numerous music awards in Italy and internationally. In 2006, she won a Grammy Award,[12] receiving the accolade for Best Latin Pop Album for the record Escucha.[13] In 2021, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song with "Io sì (Seen)" from the film The Life Ahead. The single also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, making it the first Italian-language song to win the award.[14] She has been honoured as a Commander Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and as a World Ambassador of Emilia Romagna.
Life and career[edit]
Early life[edit]
The elder of two daughters,[15] Laura Pausini was born in Faenza, in the Province of Ravenna[16] to Fabrizio Pausini[15] and Gianna Ballardini. She grew up in Solarolo, a small comune in the same region.[17][A]
Her father is a former pianist[18] who also played as a sessionman for ABBA's Frida Lyngstad and entered a band whose members later founded the Italian pop group Pooh.[15] After becoming a piano bar artist, he encouraged Pausini to start performing as a singer.[19] Her first live performance was on 16 May 1985, when she sang together with her father in a restaurant in Bologna.[20] Since then, her father started giving her singing lessons[21] and she continued to perform alongside him in local piano bars. In the meanwhile, she also started singing in a church choir.[22]
In 1987 she recorded her first demo album, produced by her father and released to promote her live shows.[23] Titled I sogni di Laura, it consisted of eight covers and five new songs.[24] In 1991 she participated in the Castrocaro Music Festival singing Liza Minnelli's "New York, New York", but she failed to reach the final stage of the competition.[20] During the same year, she took part in another singing competition, Sanremo Famosi, which should have served as a selection for the newcomers' of the following Sanremo Music Festival.[25] Despite being declared the joint winner with another contestant,[20][25] Pausini was not allowed to compete in the Sanremo Music Festival 1992.[20]
1993: Career breakthrough[edit]
Thanks to her performances in local singing competitions, Pausini was noticed by Italian producer and songwriter Angelo Valsiglio, who introduced her to manager Marco Marati.[20] Valsiglio suggested to her "La solitudine", a song he wrote with Pietro Cremonesi and Federico Cavalli. Pausini's rendition convinced Valsiglio and Marati, who wanted Pausini to audition for some major labels.[20] During one of the auditions, she met Fabrizio Giannini of Warner Music Italy's Compagnia Generale del Disco.[26] After impressing him with a performance of an unreleased Mia Martini song, Pausini obtained her first recording contract, becoming one of the first artists discovered by Giannini, who later launched the careers of several Italian acts, including Irene Grandi.[20]
Artistry[edit]
Pausini is described as a mezzo-soprano[236] with a classic and powerful voice.[237][238] Due to her voice, Pausini has been compared by music critics to various female artists, including Milva.[239]
At the beginning of her career, she was considered by music critics as a teen idol[240] mainly singing about adolescent love affairs and problems.[241][242][243] She was also strongly criticized for her songs, described as too melancholic[244] and trivial.[245]
Starting from her 1998's La mia risposta / Mi respuesta, Italian music critics considered her as a more mature singer[241] and later praised her simplicity[246] and her voice,[247] describing Pausini as an interpreter of her years.[248]
Although Pausini is mainly a melodic pop singer,[249][250][251] her musical style evolved during her career, with influences from various genres, including Latin music,[252] soul music[54][83] and rock music.[253] In 2001, David Cazares of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel described Pausini's music as "an assortment of glossy and sentimental pop ballads backed by light rock instrumentation and synthesized strings".[254] In 2006, The Washington Post's Achy Obejas wrote that Pausini is distinguished from other Latin pop singers by her sophistication and her European sensibilities.[255] According to Musica e dischi's Antonio Orlando, the key elements in Pausini's style are romanticism, optimism, melancholy and surrounding melodies.[256]
Starting from her 1996 album Le cose che vivi / Las cosas que vives, Pausini has also co-written most of her songs[256][257] and starting from her 1998's La mia risposta / Mi respuesta she has been involved in the production of her albums.[258]
Honours[edit]
– Commander Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: Awarded the third highest civil honour in Italy, by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on 6 February 2006.[16]