Biography:
By 2004, roughly a decade after she made her recording debut at the age of 18, Laura Pausini had sold over 25 million albums worldwide, quite an impressive feat for someone who`d never really broken into the lucrative English-language market. The Italian singer (born May 16, 1974) began her career at a young age, making her live debut at only age 12. Her singing didn`t really take off until 1993, however, when she made her self-titled debut and scored a big hit with "La Solitudine." A year later -- in a practice that would come to define her career and compound her success -- she released a Spanish version of her debut, including a version of her breakthrough hit, titled accordingly as "Lo Soledad." Further albums followed for Pausini -- Laura (1995), Le Cose Che Vivi/Las Cosas Que Vives (1996), La Mia Risposta/Mi Respuesta (1998), Tra Te e il Mare/Entre Tu y Mil Mares (2000) -- each of them finding mass success in their respective markets. During these formative years, Pausini enjoyed her fame, for instance singing for Pope John Paul II at a special Vatican Christmas mass as well as at Barbra Streisand`s birthday party in 199 ...
