Laura Pausini on the ‘Desire and Discipline’ That Fuels Her Career
Italian superstar Laura Pausini is one of only a handful of artists who has carved out equally successful careers in Spanish and another language — in this case, her native Italian. Pausini is working on dual albums — Yo Canto 2 in Spanish and Io Canto 2 in Italian — respectively paying tribute to great songs and songwriters from the Spanish- and Italian-speaking worlds.
Pausini, who sat for a star Q&A at Billboard Latin Music Week in 2015, will reprise the moment at this year’s event as the Icon Q&A artist and also receive the Icon Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
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You’re in the middle of a big endeavor with these two albums, and you’re also joining us in Miami. That’s a lot.
I’m very happy because I sing from morning to night. But it’s complicated. The Italian album is an homage to Italian songwriters; the Spanish album is an homage to Spanish and Latin American songwriters. Together it’s more than 40 songs. It’s the first time I [will] release two albums with the same concept but different repertoire. And it’s such an honor to receive this award. I’ll be there with all the desire and discipline that a Billboard Icon needs.
The first single is Gianluca Grignani’s beloved “Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos” from 1994, which you’re recording in both languages.
It’s the only song on both albums because it brings together Italy with the Spanish-language repertoire. It’s a hit that’s still heard in both languages after so many years. Every time I sing it at karaoke for my birthday — because I always sing karaoke for my birthday — I’m told it sounds like it was made for me. I want people to hear what I sing when I’m home. I love that I have the privilege of touring, that I have fans who listen to my own original repertoire, but I want them to also listen to those songs that represent our collective memories.
Tell us about your upcoming 2026 tour.
It’s two albums and it will be two tours. The shows in Spain, North and South America will feature repertoire in Spanish, and the shows in Italy, France, Germany, England, Brazil and Portugal will lean more on Italian. But in the meantime, I’ll perform “Mi Historia” for the first time at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
This story appears in the Oct. 11, 2025, issue of Billboard.
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