The Italian voice of heartbreak - Laura Pausini

I can’t believe that it’s taken me so long to write about Italian pop singers! Some of the best, most sophisticated pop ever has been produced in Italy; there’s no doubt about it. The country has a wonderful musical legacy, both in the classical and the contemporary pop genres – as well as some amazing, extremely talented singers. But I digress! Allow me to begin the article: Laura Pausini is the most commercially successful female singer in Italy, and also a megastar in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking worlds - since all her albums have been translated to Castilian language, and a few of her greatest hits have been re-recorded in Portuguese. This is also probably because no one portrays quite like her the feelings of shock, boundless despair and utter defeat that destroy people’s ability to reason properly once they realize that love has abandoned them, and won’t come back. Or maybe it is because she just chooses excellent material and sings it with passion… Either way, La Pausini has enthralled many a person wherever she’s gone, and given a tearful backdrop to millions of ending relationships. Her music is mostly brooding and depressing, and that’s why you have to lover her, right? ;-) No, seriously, her music can’t be categorized as anything else than beautiful, and her liquid, vibrant soprano voice is just a joy to listen to.

La Pausini belongs to a generation of young singers who have internationalized Italian pop, both traveling with it all around the world, and bringing new influences into it. Laura in particular seems to have gradually progressed from melodic ballads to American-styled acoustic rock with notable ease, and even though her repertoire isn’t exactly what you could call varied, she more than compensates for it with enormous passion and enthusiasm.

Born in the picturesque town of Faenza in 1974, Laura had a very comfortable childhood surrounded by her doting, ever supportive parents in the extremely wealthy province of Emilia-Romagna. There’s a reason why I am saying this: when Laura was eight, she started singing professionally – by thirteen she had published her first album, which was mainly produced by her father, who obviously had the means to leave his job and dedicate himself to promote her daughter full-time. Obviously, the Pausinis weren’t poor, and the region had enough infrastructures to support financing the public events in which Laura frequently sang - being paid for it, of course. By 1993, eighteen-year-old Laura was famous enough as to be selected to participate in the San Remo Song Festival (a.k.a. Eurovision just for Italy, and with ridiculous pretensions), which she won with La Solitudine/Loneliness, one of her signature songs.



After becoming a star overnight, Laura released her first, self-titled album, and spent the next two years promoting it all over the world. I remember those days as pre and post-Laura Pausini. Simply put, she came in like a tidal wave, and flooded all the markets where her album was released. This trend has continued since then, and while she has often kept participating in the San Remo Festival to promote many of her singles in Italy (it seems to be some sort of bizarre tradition that all singers must observe), she’s kept reaping on the rewards of being fabulous about everywhere else.

I know that there weren’t any melodramatic and sordid things to say about Laura, but that’s what you get when you start liking wholesome, serious career-oriented musicians who truly have talent (let me tell you, it’s sheer agony! ;-P). Sorry. I promise something shocking before the end of the month. Thus, I leave you with the selection I’ve made! I hope you really enjoy it. But as always, I have to remind you to go to buy Laura’s albums here first.

In Assenza Di Te/In Your Absence

This exceptionally beautiful song was the biggest hit from Laura’s 1998 La Mia Risposta/My Answer – and when I mean it was the biggest hit, I mean it was ENORMOUS. Personally, I have always found that, strangely enough, Laura sounds more comfortable singing in any other language besides her own. When she sings in Italian, she is always far too careful and it seems that it’s difficult for her to let loose. Still, few things could mar this song; it’s simply marvellous. A wintry tale of heartbreak, it combines a delicate background that gracefully evolves by adding new little elements to the whole, while keeping the focus on Laura’s impeccable voice. Video.

Surrender

In 1997, David Foster heard Laura singing in the radio, and was so impressed that contacted her management, offering to collaborate with her. Their first song together was a very depressing ballad called One More Time, which was included in the soundtrack of the awful film Message In A Bottle - shit film and even worse soundtrack, by the way. If you want the song, I’d recommend you buy her Greatest Hits collection, E Ritorno Da Te/And I Come Back To You (2001). However, it wouldn’t be until three years after that song that Laura would release her English language début, From the Inside (2002). It is a lovely album that could be best described as Céline Dion dabbles with blues and a little techno. Lovely, to be clear. This song is quite danceable, and was the first of the two only singles released to promote it. It literally bursts out of your speakers with joy. Just as I said a moment ago, lovely. American version of the video.

Resta In Ascolto/Listen Carefully

This is the title track from Laura’s 2004 return to her two main markets, Italy and the Spanish-speaking world. In it, the melodies as polished as always and the production is impeccable, but there’s a greater sense of freedom as she comfortable jumps into rock music. This song in particular combines very soft, mellow verses with an impossibly catchy belted chorus highlighted by electric guitars that give a certain harshness to the song. I have to say that I really loved the transformation. Video.

Nei Giardini Che Nessuno Sa/In The Gardens That Nobody Knows

This is my favourite song from her latest album Io Canto/I Sing, from 2006. The songs are lovely, but this is just adorable. A pensive, melancholic ballad that slowly navigates through an oppressive, yet surprisingly sparse musical background, it takes more than two minutes to reach the spectacular chorus, which emerges from the misty guitars of the beginning like a through of fresh air in a hot summer day. It’s one of the best ballads I’ve heard so far this year.