Oscar 2021: Io Sì, the song with which Laura Pausini aspires to the golden statuette after 3 decades of success (and the occasional disappointment)

The nomination adds to a long list of hits the singer has recorded since she debuted at the age of 18 at the famous San Remo Song Festival in Italy in 1993.

But in the interviews she gave after the nomination, Pausini also remembered a bitter episode: the moment when her label didn’t think she could win the Grammy for which she was nominated and the way she retaliated after won the Golden Globe.

Based on the novel by Romain Gary, the film “Life Ahead” tells the story of Mrs. Rosa, an elderly prostitute and Holocaust survivor, who ends a relationship with a 12-year-old orphaned immigrant from Senegal.

The film stars Sophia Loren, who returned to the screen after 10 years, and was directed by Edoardo Ponti, the actress’ son.

Seen, a theme from the soundtrack of the feature film, was originally written in English by Diane Warren, previously nominated for an Oscar 11 times for plays such as I don’t want to lose a thing, played by Aerosmith for the film Armageddon.

As the film project unfolded, Pausini was about to record a new album, but had to suspend his plans due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“I felt scared and depressed, as I’m sure most of us do,” Laura Pausini told Leila Cobo, the magazine’s vice president of Latin music. Panel, in early March, after winning the Golden Globe.

Until Warren and Ponti called her to write the Italian version of the song. Seen For the movie.

“I listened to the song in English and I immediately felt a very strong connection. I felt like I came back to life. I felt good doing that, because the message behind the song was very uplifting and necessary,” Pausini told Cobo. from Panel , and also the author of the book “La Fórmula ‘Despacito’: the hits of Latin music told by its artists”.

In an interview with the channel E! Entertainment, the artist said that the project gave her “the strength to start over” and that she hopes “to be the only person they have [Warren y Ponti] in mind”.

“I wanted to spread the meaning of the song, it’s very emotional,” he added.

Pausini translated the song in Italian with Niccoló Agliardi, under the title of do (“Do”)and also adapted it in Spanish, Portuguese and French.

The Spanish version of the song has lyrics such as “When the words are missing the most // I am, I am // When you do not appreciate what you achieve // ​​I am, I am”; “If no one sees you // I do // If no one feels you // I do” “And no one believes her // Moreover, I believe.”

“I can use my voice and platforms to continue to spread the message of love that the song has,” Pausini added. E! Entertainment. “It’s amazing how much we still have to remind people in the 21st century to be kind regardless of race and culture. We have to love.”

Before the news of the Oscar nomination, Pausini shared his emotion on social networks.

“I still can’t believe it. Being part of a project as special as “Life Before” with Edoardo Ponti and Sophia Loren, I already consider it one of the best gifts that life has given me. Now I know that I am nominated because the Oscar exceeds any goal or expectation I have ever dreamed of in my life. It is something that my being still does not understand and I can only thank the Academy for taking into account “Io Sì” and its message, “Pausini wrote on Instagram on the same day that the award nominees were announced.

“An Italian song is nominated for an Oscar !!!! How proud I am to represent my country at one of the most important awards in the industry!”

Leila Cobo, de Panel, told BBC Mundo that “having an Oscar nomination is very important for any artist’s career” and that “whether he wins it or not, the nomination is a very important achievement, in addition, because he was the first Italian ( in this category), is extremely important. ”

Despite the attention she received for her Oscar nomination – and which she received throughout her career – Laura Pausini said in several interviews that as a child, she did not dream of being famous, but only of singing in a “piano bar”.

But his life changed at the age of 18, when he had the opportunity to sing at the famous San Remo Song festival in Italy in 1993.

Your song Loneliness (who will soon become famous in Latin America under the name “La soledad”) led her to win first prize in the new artist category in the competition.

After the triumph he recorded his first album in the same year and entered the Spanish market in 1994, with successive hits such as “Se fue”, “Listen to your heart”, “Amores extraños”, “Las cosas que vives” or “I want to tell you. that I love you ”, among others.

By 2004, it had sold more than 25 million records worldwide., details the magazine Panel.

“A surprising achievement for anyone, much more for an artist excluded from the lucrative English-speaking market,” the magazine said in a 2014 article about Italian.

As Leila Cobo told BBC Mundo, Pausini “is a musical superstar, both in Italian and Spanish”.

“The fact that he has such a long career speaks to his position in the music world in general. He has a very special, very recognized sound, a divine voice and that has allowed him to last far beyond any fashion,” he added. Cobo.

He has also won four Lo Nuestro Awards, a Billboard Award, a Grammy and a Latin Grammy four times. Although the last time she won this award, in 2018, the label she worked with did not seem to have much faith in it, according to her.

In an interview with Leila Cobo, from Panel, in 2014, after two decades of professional career, Laura Pausini said: “I am not one of those who revolutionized music in 20 years and I am very happy to say it in the sense that many people love over the years […] experience new sounds. Of course, I have changed as a person from 18 until now, but I feel very similar to what you knew from the beginning. “

But in 2018, when she was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Album, with the album “Make You Feel”, her label did not seem to trust so much in the validity of her music, according to Pausini in a interview with the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, published in March.

“I tell you something: two years ago I was nominated for a Latin Grammy for the song” Make yourself feel. “I called my company and they said, ‘With your age and the music that works now, we think you won’t win. No, let’s pay for the trip. “I was so surprised that I came to tears. My parents suggested I take a family trip to Las Vegas, and if I won, at least that memory would remain. […]. Now they sent me flowers for the Golden Globe and I gave them back … “, Pausini told La Vanguardia.

However, a few days later, Pausini spoke with his record label, according to a statement sent to BBC Mundo by his US publicist. The situation has been remedied and he continues to work with the company.

“Today I spoke with the president of my record label in Italy, which created an unpleasant situation related to the Latin Grammy in 2018, which hurt me a lot. I was happy to receive his call and I have the opportunity to clarify everything. […]”Pausini wrote on one of his Facebook accounts.

“Being able to finally clarify everything and receive your apologies made me feel understood and now I have more energy than ever … We started at full speed for everything that awaits us … together,” he said. she said.

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