Laura Pausini
Biography
Laura Pausini is an Italian pop singer who rose to fame in 1993. Born in Faenza, Ravenna, on May 16, 1974, she was raised in Solarolo. Her father, a musician, encouraged her to start singing. Pausini's first live performance was in 1985, and she recorded her first demo in 1987. As a teenager, she gained experience singing in piano bars with her father.
Career Breakthrough
Pausini's career was launched in 1993 when she won the Newcomers' Section of the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival with her song "La solitudine" ("The Loneliness"). The song became a massive hit in Italy and internationally. Her self-titled debut album was released in 1993 and sold over two million copies worldwide. Her second album, "Laura" (1994), confirmed her international success, selling three million copies.
International Success
A significant part of Pausini's success has been her strategy of recording albums in both Italian and Spanish. In 1994, she released her first Spanish-language album, a compilation of songs from her first two Italian albums, which made her a household name in the Hispanic world. She has also recorded songs in English, Portuguese, and French. In 2002, she released her first full English-language album, "From the Inside." To date, she has sold over 70 million albums worldwide.
Awards and Recognition
Throughout her career, Pausini has received numerous awards. In 2006, she became the first Italian female artist to win a Grammy Award, for Best Latin Pop Album with "Escucha" (the Spanish version of "Resta in ascolto"). She has also won multiple Latin Grammy Awards. In 2021, her song "Io sì (Seen)" from the film "The Life Ahead" won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, the first Italian-language song to receive the award, and was also nominated for an Academy Award.
Television and Other Ventures
Beyond her music career, Laura Pausini has been a coach on the Spanish and Mexican versions of the reality singing competition "The Voice" and a judge on "La banda" and the Spanish "X Factor." In 2016, she co-hosted the Italian television show "Laura & Paola." She was also one of the presenters of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022.
Personal Life
Pausini began a relationship with guitarist Paolo Carta in 2005. They have a daughter, Paola, born in 2013. The couple married in March 2023.