MIAMI - Laura Pausini says she turns into a grudge-holding,-revenge-seeking guided missile if somebody hurts her badly enough. "I've worked on it, and for sure I have never been violent, but I am convinced that rancor protects you from getting hurt again. You can forgive, but never forget," she said. The conversation about handling emotional pain was triggered by the story behind her new single, "El Primer Paso en la Luna."
It's a song that encapsulates the theme of broken friendships and the challenges of bridging ideological divides. It is about how it's easier to take a step on the moon than to find a solution in a relationship strained by differing beliefs. '
"I wrote it because a friendship with a person I loved very much ended after several years," she said in an exclusive interview with the Latin Times. "Because it seemed easier to take that first step on the moon than to solve the issues that made us think differently."
Pausini goes deeper than the anecdote, as she has always done. "It is also a song that reflects on how little time we dedicate to reflecting on how to heal relationships, we are always in a hurry, and by the time it hurts so much that you have to pay attention, it is often too late," she admits. The song, which comes out this Friday, is part of her album "Vidas paralelas."
The real Laura in America
The interview was done long distance and in the old-fashioned way. She was at home in Italy, and this reporter was in South Florida. We were on the phone, but, as it always happens with Laura Pausini, it was like talking to a good friend. She is warm and "normal." She often forgets she is being interviewed and chides herself for going off message or talking too much. Needlessly, of course, the real Laura is more interesting than a fake public persona who always says what she is supposed to.
That is why her enthusiasm about the next leg of her "Laura Pausini Tour," which will bring her to this side of the Atlantic, is so enchanting. "This year, 2024, falls exactly on my 30th anniversary of singing in Spanish," Pausini says. "This tour actually started in 2023, because I started my career in Italian in 1993, and that's why last year I had my concerts in Europe. I finish next week here in Europe, but the biggest celebration in Spanish starts in Chile in 10 days."
The interview was conducted prior to an incident where an individual fired 17 rounds, in two incidents, at security guards and a glass door, in an effort to gain entry without a ticket to one of her concerts in Paris. Luckily, nobody got hurt, but knowing how excited she is about her tour, Pausini must have been devastated.
The American continent leg of the "Laura Pausini Tour" starts in South America, on February 23 and 25, with two shows in Santiago. She will then go on to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo , Lima, Quito, Bogotá, San José, Mexico City, and Monterrey. Pausini will make it to the U.S. on March 21st, starting in Houston. The tour ends on April 6 in New York after shows in Los Angeles, Orlando, Miami and Chicago.
The heart of her show lies in its thematic depth and artistic presentation. "At the center of the show is the hourglass, depending on how you look at it, you see the past, present, and future. That's the concept of the entire tour," Pausini explains, describing the innovative staging. The show promises an intimate atmosphere, despite its grandeur, inviting the audience into a quarter of her home, sharing memories and dreams.
The setlist is a thoughtful selection of her career's highlights, traversing emotions and memories. "It goes through many songs, all the most important songs of my career. 'La soledad,' 'Amores extraños,' 'Inolvidable,' and others that were hits or won awards," she shares, revealing the emotional spectrum of the tour.
Pausini also delves into global issues, using her music as a vehicle for awareness and change. She repurposes "Sin," her Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated song, to discuss violence against women. Additionally, she revisits "Hermana Tierra," her 2009 song about climate change, highlighting its continued relevance.
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