At times, Laura Pausini has used music as a shield. On stage, she has felt powerful, untouchable. But when the music stops, her insecurity has managed to silence the creative corners of her mind.
Five years ago, Pausini released Fatti Sentire / Hazte Sentir, which won a Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Despite this victory, comments from people around her regarding the future of women over 40 in the music industry had a demoralizing impact on her spirit.
"At that time, they told me that it was no longer possible for me to win an award as an older woman, with a musical style that no longer worked much on the radio," Pausini tells GRAMMY.com via Zoom from Milan.
The Italian singer admits that she felt confused and blocked for a while. Her inspiration was absent for three years, and she could not find a song that made her feel strong again.
"There have been moments of great insecurity, fear, doubts, thinking about the future in general as a woman, mother, and, of course, as a singer," says Pausini. "I have felt baffled. I was blocked. I felt safe only when I was at home, not when I went outside."
In 2021, she won a Golden Globe for the song "Ìo Si / Seen," composed by Diane Warren, Pausini, and Niccolò Agliardi. The song also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song (which ultimately went to H.E.R. for "Fight For You").
Pausini's path after the Oscar loss was transformative, and at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs, she will be honored as Person Of The Year on Nov. 15. Read on for six takeaways from Laura Pausini's journey to finding purpose, new dreams to conquer, and her unique voice.
Even With Dozens Of Awards Under Her Belt, Pausini Still Feels Pressure
Pausini's career began in 1993 after winning the famous Sanremo Music Festival in her native Italy. She did it with the song "La Solitudine," quickly leading her to internationalization. She soon became a household name in Spain and throughout Latin America.
In her three-decade career, Pausini has been recognized with prestigious awards. In addition to multiple GRAMMY nominations and a golden gramophone at the 48th GRAMMY Awards for Best Latin Pop Album, Pausini had won an ASCAP Latin Music Award, multiple awards in Italy, a Billboard Latin Music Award, and four Latin GRAMMYs.
"When I won the Golden Globe, I questioned how I could deserve this new award and what new responsibility I had. "In these 30 years, I have luckily won many awards, and with each one, I have said to myself: Okay, now I have won, so I must do better the next one because if I have an award, the responsibility is to improve myself," Pausini tells GRAMMY.com.
Despite making headlines worldwide after her Golden Globe win, Pausini says she needed to be stronger and ready to manage the internal pressure. "I even wondered if I was capable of accepting a daily challenge with what was happening at that time."
One Song Changed Everything — And Renewed Pausini's Confidence
All this sea of doubts was appeased two years ago with a song, "Durare / Durar." Translated as "to last" in English, the ballad talks about the evolution of love over time and a couple's commitment to making the relationship last. With a theme that bets on love and relationships, the song illuminated the dark corners of her art.
"This song has opened all the doors that, inside my mind, my heart, my soul, were closed and afraid to open," says Pausini.
The topic triggered a personal process where Pausini analyzed herself as an artist. That internal reckoning resulted in the creation of 2023's Anime Parallele / Almas Paralelas, her fifteenth studio album.
Pausini Observed Herself To Create Anime Parallele / Almas Paralelas
The idea of Pausini's latest album arose after a creative exercise, where the GRAMMY winner was able to "get out" of her body and observe herself from above. She saw herself walking through the streets of the world; she saw the zebra crossings that are now the cover of her album, and she met people whose faces we do not see but whose stories we do hear.
"I have begun to criticize myself, also to say that I have done something brave," Pausini reflects. "And then I started seeing other people in those streets. All the people I saw were not walking in my direction; they were going everywhere."
Inevitably, this inner work made her rediscover her power. Pausini found "the nerve to put my voice and my face before everyone's judgments."
After Looking Inward, Pausini Looked Outward To Tell New Stories
Translating to "parallel souls," Anime Parallele / Almas Paralelas is unique in Pausini's discography. It's the first album that tells stories not exclusively from Pausini's experience, but also reflects on parts of her life.
"It's the first album that doesn't talk about something just mine, what I've experienced, what I want. [It is] dedicated to 16 stories from 16 different people," she says. "It is an album that celebrates diversity, the right to individuality…because we are all citizens of the same streets in the world, but we do not have the same souls, with different dreams, desires, and ideals."
Anime Parallele / Almas Paralelas is committed to inclusion, on the record and in life. Its dialogue is a hopeful exploration of how people who do not share the same point of view can still show respect and empathy.
Pausini took the theme further, describing "the world I would like to have" as one in which she wakes up "every morning and hear no talk about war, bullying, violence. The one where I observe from above people living their lives in peace on the streets of the world."
"For the first time, I realized that perhaps all that news, which scared me incredibly, exists because people cannot respect each other for being different. I've wanted to dedicate an album to that. It is an album celebrating diversity and the right to individuality,” she explains.
The Passage Of Time Inspires Pausini
Reflecting on the passage of time — and the links between the past, present, and future — is so present in Pausini's life that it echoes throughout her latest album. Anime Parallele / Almas Paralelas even begins with a ticking clock.
Not only does it musically give us clues about this process, but also, in the physical format, among the photographs in the booklet, there is a phrase from the artist that encompasses the production.
"'I have passed to be present in your future.' This phrase contains three of my favorite words, which give me the strength to believe in myself today," Pausini reflects. " I don't want to reject anything from my past. I want to feel strong in this present, and I want to dream of my future."
Pausini Will Be Honored As The Latin Recording Academy's Person Of The Year
All the experiences that Pausini has lived have led her to be the most awarded artist in Italy, to be adopted by Latin America and Spain as another citizen, and, among other triumphs, to be the third woman in the history of the Latin GRAMMY to be named Person Of The Year.
She is also the first European woman to receive the recognition. She is joined on this list by Gloria Estefan and Shakira, who were honored in 2008 and 2011, respectively.
Still, Pausini doesn't quite know how she arrived at this point. It could be the deep bond she shares with her global fanbase.
"From day one, I have always felt adopted by all of you, and I have felt like all the people who are adopted in life. I don't have the same blood, but I have grown up with my family, which is you. That is undoubtedly a very moving thing for me," she says.
Pausini's life and career will be celebrated on Nov. 15 in Sevilla, Spain, one night before the 24th Latin GRAMMYs.
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