“This is my second home, I love it,” celebrated Laura Pausini (Faenza, 1974), under the sky of Madrid, during the presentation of her single Chao, last September. She did it while standing on the second floor of a tourist bus, where she acted as the best host and guide possible, touring the streets of the city and catching the gaze of passersby who, up there in the hustle and bustle, discovered the artist. It was the way the singer chose to present a song that, although not originally planned for release, demanded its place."
“I was planning to finish the tour for my latest album, Almas paralelas [released a year ago], in December and focus on writing other things. However, in August, this song from Sam Smith unexpectedly arrived, and I couldn't resist. Digitally, we have added it to the rest of the album's songs,” she explains.
Madrid means meeting with friends who are part of my incredible family”
That September day, at the silent party we were invited to on that bus, we listened to (and sang and danced to) their new song. Chao talks about change and also about freedom, about the moment you realize you can let go of the person you no longer share anything with. It happened to me recently with a friend. It's a “chao,” not a definitive goodbye. It's like wishing someone happiness, even if you don't live it together and go down separate paths," shared the Italian, who has joined her own path to the city of Madrid.
Part of a dream
The first time Laura Pausini set foot in the capital city was thirty years ago in the month of November. “In 1994, when I released my first Spanish-language album. An album that, to this day, remains the best-selling album in Spain by a foreign artist. It was also a piece of work that completely changed my life and allowed me to live a dream, which is why Spain is a very important part of this dream,” she emphasizes. That's why the singer only has beautiful words for a city that she already feels like her second home. Her main home is in Rome.
Laura Pausini at the presentation of her song 'Chao'
“Madrid means meeting up with friends who are part of the incredible family I have built throughout these years all over the world. At the same time, it is a place that makes me feel free, uncensored, allowing me to be myself. It's something special,” she shares. This love has also been instilled in her daughter. “In recent years, I have had the opportunity to spend longer periods here, especially when I was recording La Voz or The X Factor, which has allowed me to get to know the city much better, enjoy it, and savor it. I have many memories here, many of them with Paola, who accompanied me for a long time. She also likes Madrid.”
A perfect day
Laura Pausini is seduced by the city in all its possible facets: cultural, gastronomic, and recreational. That's why, when time allows her to plan a perfect day, the program is defined right away. “I like to wake up in the late morning, have breakfast in bed, go for a walk in El Retiro Park, and enjoy a good meal on a terrace in Madrid, if the weather is nice,” she explains. “In the afternoon, I love to have time to read or enjoy a good conversation with friends.” To end the day, a movie and off to sleep.
Retiro Park, Madrid
From her gastronomic agenda, the singer does not choose a restaurant, but the home of her good friend Alejandro Sanz. For shopping, she succumbs to Serrano Street and its luxurious boutiques, right in the Golden Mile of Madrid. “I love to go shopping! Who doesn't, right? Time always flies by so quickly, doesn't it? But I also really enjoy when I go to see a new exhibition. I love art!” she exclaims. It's in the endless corridors of the Prado Museum where she likes to lose herself. Although she doesn't give up a stroll in another place that enchants her, surrounded by nature: the Royal Botanical Garden, a living museum with more than two centuries of history.
Image of the rooms of the exhibition “Sigmar Polke" .©National Museum of the Prado
“If Madrid were a song, what title would you give it?” we asked Laura Pausini. Without hesitation, she replied, Y si fuera ella (by Alejandro Sanz). Later, the artist talks about the future. “I have countless moments lived in this city, and I am sure that there are many more memories to add. Madrid has always brought me luck.”