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§ Which one of your songs makes your heart jump when you hear it,... not when you sing it?
Right now, I have one that I have never performed live that I have dedicated to my father. It is called "La Meta de mi Viaje", ..." Viaggio Con Te" in Italian. I don't usually perform that song live because I just can't. I get too emotional. I tell all about of our life together,... like what I told you before. Besides, I didn't think about including it on any album.
What is the story?
It is about what we have done together since the piano bar days and throughout our lives as music lovers. He has taught me what it means to be a daughter, and I was able to learn about life thanks to him. I remember clearly that I sang that song on April 27. That night I drove all the way to Bologna where my family lives. I put the CD inside a huge box with several empty boxes in it. The song was inside the last box. It was my father's birthday on the 28th. When he found it, he played it on the CD player... I just can't find the words to talk about it. I am very glad to have given that song to my father as a present. I know you would like to hear a part of the song, but I don't know if I can sing it. At my concerts, my fans ask me to sing it, but I...
You just can't.
No, I can't sing it. It leaves a lump in my throat.
Another question?
Man: Here is another fan of yours, and his question is, "What made you name your last album that?"
Yo Canto?
Yes.
I took it... I kind of stole it from the name of a song by Ricardo Cocciante. It was the lead single.
That is the song that we heard previously on the show.
Yes. Those two words represent the meaning of my life exactly. I sing and that's it. I don't go around gossiping... I mean,... I am part of showbiz because I sing. I don't want to do anything different from that. Right now, many people have become famous in Europe just because they want to be famous,... because they get naked or whatever other reasons,... But they don't have any talent. I am interested in this art and music life because of singing. I want to improve, and learn, and focus on that. That is why the album is called that. Thanks to you.
Right now... I am being told we have to go on a break. We'll be back with more about Laura Pausini's life, stories, and music. Stay tuned.
[clapping]
I was thinking a thousand things like, "What do I have to do? Am I going fall if I wear these shoes? I was very nervous...
[clapping]
We're here on Estudio Billboard, and we continue to talk with Laura Pausini. Laura, a few months ago, you broke a record in San Siro Stadium in Milan, right?
Yes.
Tell us about it. I was told it was enormous, and that no other woman had done that before. What did you do?
I sang.
Of course.
I sang for two hours in front of a huge audience. Many people came to the concert, but it was a very strange night in Milan. It was summer in Italy, June. It was very hot. It was June 2nd, and it was raining heavily all day. I was afraid we were going to have to cancel the concert because it was very difficult for us to be on the stage but also for the audience. Everyone was soaked, so...
There were 75,000 people.
Many people. It was unbelievable.
Never before had a woman brought 75,000 people together.
No. It is wonderful for me to tell you that about my country. I was invited in 2007 to do that. I hope it means we have proven that people will go to see women perform. I hope next year the same thing happens to other Italian female singers who are worthwhile... I like the fact that women have earned a spot for us. It was amazing to see that everyone had their umbrellas, and they stayed until the end. Beautiful.
The stage was elongated. You were running the whole night.
Yes. I was a little nervous because when I sing in an arena or in a palace, I am used to moving around. That stage was pretty big. It was... How big? Seventy meters long.
You had to go to the gym for a year to get ready for that!
No, but during that concert I lost everything I had gained in the last year. I was very nervous, walking from one side to the other. I walk all the time during concerts, but I was really nervous that day because of the rain. I was thinking a thousand things like, "What do I have to do? Do I have to change? Am I going to slip in these shoes?" I was very nervous and afraid that people would leave. But it turned out great. The DVD is coming out at the end of the year. I have seen it and followed its making. It is amazing to see that the rain was around from the beginning to the very end. It was a beautiful experience.
Are you a soccer fan ?
Yes, I am a fan of...
What team?
Milan AC.
Ok!
We are not doing great this year, but...
Ok. You sing but you also write. You decided to start writing at some point. Why did you decide to do it?
I started writing for my third record. But I really wrote my first song when I was 12. I used to take flute lessons...
Traverse flute.
Yes, traverse flute. I composed the music, recorded it, and then I added the lyrics. When I started, I was very nervous. I really was... I didn't trust my abilities very much so I used to tell my stories to professional composers.
And they told that story in a song.
Yes.
But they were your stories.
Yes, yes. When recording the third album, one of the co-writers told me, "Don't be afraid. Why don't we write this together? I'll help you if you want." We wrote the song "Las Cosas que Vives" that day. It talks about friendship. I dedicated that song to him because he gave me strength to write some more things after that. But I don't write all of the songs.
Just the lyrics.
L.P: Yes...Some of them... the ones that I feel good about writing. I don't sit and write just because I have to do it. If it comes out, I write it. Otherwise...
Do you write the lyrics with the music, or do you write the lyrics and give it to a composer so that he...?
It depends. Normally, I write the music, and then I add the lyrics. But sometimes, it happens that I write the lyrics without the music. I turn it in to the two or three guys who I work with, and they write the lyrics.
Right now, you are going to perform another song for us. Tell us about what you are going to sing.
I will sing something that is one of my all-time favorites. It is called "Como Si No Nos Hubiéramos Amado." It was written during a very difficult personal time in my life. I was just discovering my strength. During that same time, I discovered that the person who I had loved me for many years had cheated on me. What happened? Musically speaking, I think it is a beautiful song. Well, I better sing it.
Yo ayer he entendido que desde hoy sin ti comienzo otra vez. Y tú algo ausente, casi como si yo fuese transparente. Alejándome de todo, escapar de mi tormento, pero me quedo aquí sin decir nada, sin poder despegarme de ti y eliminar cada momento que nos trajo el viento y poder vivir como si no nos hubiéramos amado. Eeeeh. Eeeeh. Como si nunca te hubiera amado.
Good.
[clapping]
This obviously happened before Paolo.
Yes.
Listen, how did it...? I don't usually talk about affairs or things like that. But in your case, romance obviously affects your music and your music affects romance. How did you two meet?
I was looking for a new guitar player for my band, and I had been hearing about him for many years. He had been on tour with Eros Ramazzotti and some other important Italian singers. I had heard about him, and we asked him to go on tour with us. During the tour... I mean... we didn't notice each other because everyone was doing their thing. Besides, he was new in the band, and I didn't have much to say to him. I had some... I felt more confident when talking with the others. By the end of the tour, we realized... we were starting to appreciate each other. We had started to talk and learn about each other. And later...
The rest is history.
History.
Ok. Stay tuned. We'll be back with more Estudio Billboard.
[clapping]
I raise my hands and I surrender 'Cause your love is too strong and I can't go on Without your tender arms around me.
[clapping]
We continue here on Estudio Billboard, enjoying the company of signorina Laura Pausini.
Molto bene, dear.
Ok. I am going to put you up against the wall right now. This is our Billboard Top 20.
Ok.
I ask a question, and you have to answer quickly. No thinking.
Are you sure?
Yes, automatically. Ready?
Yes.
What poster did you have in your room when you were a teenager?
Eros Ramazzotti.
Brad Pitt or Russell Crow?
My boyfriend is right here, so...
[laughing] It would be pretty... Russell Pitt.
[laughing]
Ok, ok. Well, I have another question... Marlon Brando or Cary Grant?
Cary Grant.
What do you keep in the drawer of your nightstand?
A CD, a book which I depend on, water. That's it.
What is the strangest rumor you have heard about yourself?
That I have several children. That is because every year someone says I am pregnant. It's just gossip.
[laughing]
What is the biggest lie you have ever told in an interview? Don't you tell lies?
No.
Ok. Alright.
Later on, someone will judge me, so I always tell the truth. Besides, I might forget about it. Then when someone tells me I said that, I have to say, "No, that is not true".
Describe your perfect night.
I am boring. At home, I take a bath, possibly with candles. I go to bed, I watch "Lost"... "24" would be ok, too. And later...
Whatever.
You fall asleep. What are you thinking?
Me?
No... Me? Of course, you fall asleep.
Two records you would take to a desert island.
The Best of George Michael, and everything I can find on a single album by Tom Jobim.
What song makes you cry?
The one I wrote for my father.
Ok. What do you spend your money on?
Clothes.
What would you give Juan Luis Guerra as a present?
Te regalo una rosa, la encontré en el camino.
David Bisbal?
An iron.
[laughing]
Do you sleep with or without pajamas?
I wear a T-shirt and shorts.
What is it that men will never understand about women?
That we are number 1.
[laughing]
Your worst fault?
Telling everything about myself.
Your best virtue?
Telling everything about myself.
Most treasured possession?
Non ho capito.
Something you own that you value.
Oh! I thought you said "position"!!
[laughing]
I have to learn to parlare in Spanish.
No, no. So, the possession...
The most treasured possession.
My sister.
Ok. What are you afraid of?
Not being able to give everything I want to give to my family.
Something you always carry with you?
Where is it? Here! This.
Ah, ok. Something you can't stand in a person.
I can't stand several things. Should I mention only one? A person who controls others, who tells me what I need to do...
Bossy.
Bossy, yes.
Ok. What do you do right before going on stage?
I turn the lights off. I am all alone for 10 minutes, and I... shake.
Finally, your favorite vice?
Making love.
[laughing]
[clapping]
Laura, you are obviously a star in Latin America and with all of the Hispanic audience, but you have also sung in English. Tell us about the album that was released here in the United States and was very successful. What has happened with your career in English?
It is a special story because I accepted the invitation of my record company to make an album in English. I was asked to do that several years ago. I wanted to take some time to learn English better and be able to write the proper songs. When the lead single was on the radio in a Pop-dance remixed version, many people liked it. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, especially because nobody had asked me about doing it, and I wanted...
They were bossy.
Yeah. That was a difficult time... I didn't know what to do in that situation because all of a sudden I was #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. Madonna and Justin Timberlake were on the charts, too. I thought, "Wow"! But on the other hand, I didn't want to be known like that by the American audience or those who didn't know my music in Spanish. That style resembled Cher. I have fans mostly in Europe and Latin America. They had given me the chance to be able to record an album in English. I respect that. Having done that would almost be like betraying my past. I told the company I wanted that remixed version off the air, and that I wanted to release the second single, a ballad called "If that's Love". In some other places it was called "I Need Love". It was remixed again. So I packed my luggage, and I left for Italy. I abandoned that project. However, I really love that record in its original version. For example, in the concert in San Siro, I sang "Surrender" which was the first single in a completely new version. It was like I would sing it, and not a remixed version. If you want, I will sing a little part of that song for you.
Well, we'd love that because the show is about to end. We'd love for you to say goodbye with that song. Who knows? Maybe in the near future, you will be singing in English again.
No... I don't want to be so unfriendly so as to say... I will sing my songs if people are interested in me singing my own songs in English, just as Latin people asked very tactfully and respectfully. They made me translate my songs into Spanish. In that case, I would love to do it. But if I have to change my style just to be known by Americans, I am not interested.
We are going to listen to Laura Pausini singing in English, in her own style.
I can't pretend anymore That I am not affected, I'm not moved I can't lie to myself that I'm not always thinking of you You make me strong You show me I'm not weak to fall in love When I thought I'd never need Now I can't Now I can't get enough I always made it on my own, I always thought that I would keep control You changed everything I believe in, And now I just can't fight this feeling baby I raise my hands and I surrender 'Cause your love is too strong and I can't go on Without your tender arms around me, I raise my hands and I surrender I don't wanna resist 'cause your touch and your kiss Have shattered my defenses I surrender Oooh...
Bravo!
[clapping]
I like that!
Laura, thank you very much. It has been an honor...
Thanks, Leila.
...having you here with us. Thanks to you for being here with us today. Thanks for tuning in. See you next week.
THE END
Laura Pausini in Estudio Billboard [1] [2]
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