Since she was announced as co-host of Sanremo (but actually even before), Laura Pausini has been inundated with criticism. It often happens when a very well-known face (if Italian and even more so if a woman) achieves great success and receives recognition. Even the co-hosting of the flagship show on Italian television is rightfully among the successes that Pausini can exhibit with legitimate pride. So we can’t talk about her except positively? No, that’s not the point. Indeed, the criticisms of his latest artistic choices are legitimate, but it is especially surprising when the artist’s career as a whole is called into question.

Pausini recently published the second part of “Io canto”, an album dedicated to covers. This is the sequel to “Io Canto”, the covers album that he released in 2006 and which had incredible success (in Italy alone it sold more than 650,000 copies). Now, 20 years later, the second part. From the much discussed “La mia storia tra le dita” by Gianluca Grignani to “16 marzo” with Achille Lauro. In his debut week he had to settle for third place. So yes, we could talk about an operation that at least did not succeed perfectly.

Laura Pausini: a re-branding is needed

The matter doesn’t change much even if we think more generally about Laura Pausini’s latest recording projects. For example “Anime parallele”, his latest album of unreleased songs. It dates back to 2023, it has sold around 25,000 copies. There isn’t, honestly, one song that particularly sticks out. Perhaps “Durare”, the song written by Laura Pausini herself, with music by Paolo Antonacci (son of the more famous Biagio) and Edwin Roberts. “A good start” is also appreciable. The song that gives the album its title, however, is weak. In short: a lukewarm project, which is not clear in which direction it wants to go. In some ways anachronistic. And this is the general trend that Laura Pausini’s artistic path is taking. And it’s completely normal. She, like other great successful artists between the 90s and 2000s, are in a phase of stasis on which a separate in-depth analysis could be written (and it is not certain that this will not happen). Except for rare exceptions of real relaunch (re-branding as ‘the good ones’ would say) – see Giorgia which is experiencing a second spring – it is not easy for big names to fit into a totally changed musical context (in terms of enjoyment of the music itself, distribution, promotion).

Laura Pausini’s latest album is a missed opportunity

Nobody like Laura Pausini: it is absurd to minimize her career

So there are some reflections to be made. But from here it really takes a long time to minimize a thirty-year career, marked by goals and prizes of international importance. But this is what often happens, as we said at the beginning, when a singer – even more so if she is a woman – achieves enormous success. Nothing is forgiven. Criticism always creeps in around his results: he doesn’t deserve it, who knows who is behind it, what “strong power”, what “politician” (all of which is amplified by some of his positions, such as that of ‘I don’t sing Bella Ciao’, which are actually questionable). In any case: paranoia and often various prejudices to explain what is much simpler: talent, work, perseverance, determination. Maybe even luck, of course. The right person at the right time.

On the contrary, when success comes from abroad, we welcome it with almost reverential enthusiasm. The foreign artist is celebrated and flattered. It is not surprising, then, that just as Pausini was subjected to criticism (even harsh ones) in Italy, Spain and elsewhere, interviews, tributes and declarations of affection towards the star were multiplying. Even on social media the climate is similar – but this deserves a separate discussion, considering that the singer’s staff sometimes responds with overly piqued tones.

But what did Laura Pausini do to you?

75 million records, more than 6 billion streams, 30 years of career

If we refer to the current Italian musical panorama, Laura Pausini is undoubtedly the most famous pop artist (female, but probably not only) abroad. It enjoys unique notoriety. His music travels across borders through foreign language versions (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese). No one but her today enjoys the same combination of: global sales, awards and worldwide popularity. Her successes speak for her. The numbers speak.

Laura Pausini has sold over 75 million records and totaled more than 6 billion streams in over 30 years of career, becoming the most listened to Italian female artist abroad. She is the first and only Italian artist to win a Grammy Award and enter the Billboard Hot 100. Not only that: she won Latin Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and received the title of Person of the Year 2023 from the Latin Recording Academy.

Many artists have collaborated with her: Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Ray Charles, Phil Collins, Johnny Hallyday, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Charles Aznavour, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Kylie Minogue, Alejandro Sanz and Celine Dion. “It was a dramatic situation, after September 11th (collapse of the Twin Towers, ed.) and Michael Jackson decided to make a song and chose some singers, for each country, and he chose me for Italy. The song then didn’t come out because he started a lawsuit with Sony”, Laura Pausini’s story to Gianluca Gazzoli in the podcast Passa dal BSMT. And perhaps this would be enough to realize that, in the world, no Italian pop singer is like Laura Pausini.

For the near future, Laura Pausini is planning a mega tour around the world. Appointment for March, immediately after the Sanremo Festival, with the debut of “Io canto/Yo canto World Your 2026-2027”, eleventh world tour. This is yet another great live marathon by Laura Pausini which will start for the first time from abroad, precisely from Spain, on March 27th in Pamplona, touching Tenerife and the cities of Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid, and then continuing in Latin America, with dates in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and landing in the United States, in the cities of Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York. And Italy? In autumn, together with Europe, in the arenas of the largest metropolises, to then land in Brazil in February 2027, and return home with a mega show in the stadiums, and a winter reprise again in Italy and Europe until the end of the year.

Who else could ever afford such a tour? Like it or not, if we talk about constant global notoriety, multilingual presence and ability to enter international pop markets, the singer from Solarolo remains a unique case in the current Italian panorama. We should remember to be proud of it.