Laura Pausini had pending in his more than 30 years of career to pay tribute to Spanish music, a debt that pays off with ‘Yo Canto 2’, an album of versions of classics and modern songs in which he dares with ‘Turista’ by Bad Bunny and ‘Por qué te vas’ by Jeanette with a reggaeton base.
“I’ve learned more from my Latin American and Spanish family than from the others, because I’ve lived there longer,” he justified in a conversation with EFE after the release of the album, “a tribute” to the singer-songwriters who have left a “mark” on him, with songs from each of the Spanish-speaking countries through which he passed with his first album.
From “Yo Canto” to “Yo Canto 2”: the twist that redefined Pausini
The seed is in ‘Yo canto’, which he released just 20 years ago and in which he reinterpreted classics of Italian music in Spanish to make it known to the world.
With the same motivation, he began working on this sequel.
“I realized something wasn’t working, I felt unsatisfied,” she confesses.
Before relating that during a car trip Bad Bunny’s ‘Turista’ was played and the project took a turn.
“I wanted to make a demo (of that song) thinking it would never come out, but then I realized that in ‘Yo canto’ I had wanted to pay homage to the singer-songwriters whose music I had grown up with.”
“But actually, since I was 18, I’ve been more influenced by others,” explains who in 2023 became the first Italian to be honored as Latin Grammy Person of the Year.
An ‘indie’ Pausini by Izal
One of the greatest curiosities of the repertoire of ‘Yo Canto 2’, in which Laura Pausni tackles ‘Mariposa Teknicolor’ by Fito Páez, ‘Hasta la raíz’ by Natalia Lafourcade’, ‘Hijo de la luna’ by Mecano or ‘Cuando nadie me ve’ by Alejandro Sanz, is her version of ‘Por qué te vas’ that José Luis Perales wrote for Jeanette.
“It was one of the few songs I didn’t know before making the record,” he notes.
It was a “friend from Madrid” who recommended her to him and he started working with her.
“Respecting the original version, but trying at the same time to make it more contemporary, with a touch of Latin sound.”
After trying several sounds, her husband, producer Paolo Carta, showed her a version with a “60’s” guitar, but with a reggaeton rhythm.
“I must say that, although I’m not a big fan of that style, there are songs that have an impact on me and I love this version,” she adds, “very happy also with Jeanette’s reaction.”
Surprise with indie sound
“She was very sweet, very affectionate with me and I hope to be able to sing it live with her very soon,” he stresses.
Another of the surprises of ‘Yo Canto 2’ is that Laura Pausini sings a Spanish indie song like ‘Pausa’ by the group Izal with its vocalist and author, Mikel Izal.
A theme that she discovered during her participation in the ‘X Factor’ contest in Spain.
“It’s one of my favorite songs of all the Spanish repertoire in the world and it’s my favorite song on the album.”
He highlights a song with which he also shows himself “a little indie and at the same time a little rock”.
“Because that represents a very true part of my soul,” he assures.
As another tribute to Spain, for the first time he will start in this country the world tour in which he will sing these songs and his greatest hits.
Speechless at Eurovision
After several offers and never feeling “up to the task”, she finally agreed to host the Sanremo Festival during its five nights in 2026.
The same festival that made her famous at the age of 18 with ‘La soledad’.
But in which there is “a very strong pressure”, so he turned to Pippo Baudo, who was the presenter and artistic director of that edition, for advice.
“Why are you wondering? You’re ready, you have to do it,” replied Baudo, who passed away just a few months later.
“He was my godfather and I felt I had to do it for him; every night I felt like his hand was touching my hair, something typical of him,” she says.
Laura Pausini had already presented in 2022 another great festival, Eurovision.
Although at the time the spirit of this contest, felt by many as a safe space of tolerance, was very different from what seems to be in the air for the next edition with the departure of Spain and other countries due to the permanence of Israel despite the genocide in Gaza (Filed as: Laura Pausini Yo Canto 2).
I realized that something wasn't working
Laura Pausini
Music as a union
Has that spirit been broken? “The year I submitted it, Russia was not included.”
“We have already lived that experience. It’s very difficult to answer because you can cause controversy with anything you say and I’m presenting an album whose main phrase is.”
‘We make music and not war,'” she replies cautiously.
“I don’t want people to hear from me something that might upset them.”
“And I’m not saying that because I don’t want to take a position.”
“When I’m asked things like that there’s always a side that believes the opposite and I can’t stand hatred between people anymore, I don’t want to be the one who believes it,” he adds.
Pausini adds in this regard that, for her, “music is the strongest bond to generate love.”
“So, leaving music behind is wrong, but at the same time there are people dying.”
“It’s a really difficult question,” says the Italian singer, who is hard to leave speechless (Filed under: Laura Pausini Yo Canto 2).
With information from EFE
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