Laura Pausini

Laura Pausini (born May 16, 1974, Solarolo, province of Ravenna) is an Italian pop singer who is popular in Italy and other Latin countries, famed for her soulful voice, her romantic ballads and love songs, though she has also dealt with other subjects such as poverty, war, and racism, among other social issues. She has made records in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, and recently a duet in French.

Laura was born in Faenza (province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, in Northern Italy), and was raised in Solarolo (Ravenna). She started to sing in local piano bars with her father when she was 8. In 1993, her career was launched when she won the prestigious Italian Sanremo Music Festival with one of her best known songs, "La Solitudine". The song also has an English version with lyrics written by Broadway composer Tim Rice.

In 1994, she released her first Spanish album, Laura Pausini, a compilation of adapted versions in this language from her first two Italian CDs, Laura Pausini and Laura. The album was very successful that made her a household name in the Hispanic and Latin world.

In 1999 she recorded a song titled "One More Time" written by Richard Marx for the sountrack of the hollywood movie "Message in a Bottle" (with Kevin Costner and Paul Newman). In 2000 she participated with the theme "The Extra Mile" for the soundtrack of the movie "Pokemon 2000: The Power of One".

She released her first full album in English, From the Inside with Atlantic Records in 2002, working with producer Patrick Leonard, among others.

Pausini has sold over 26 million records and has over 160 Platinum Albums and one Diamond Album.