Italian icon Laura Pausini was honored with Billboard Italy’s prestigious Global Icon award on Wednesday (Nov. 12) during a historic Vatican ceremony with Pope Leo XIV. As part of Billboard Italia Women in Music 2025, the ceremony also emphasized the vital role of amplifying women’s voices in the music industry, with the Pope receiving a commemorative plaque underscoring this mission.
Pausini’s remarkable career and humanitarian efforts continue to elevate Italian music on a global scale.“I’m very excited and honored to have received the Global Icon award in the presence of the Pope,” Pausini tells Billboard Italy. “It was a moment and an encounter that I will remember forever. I wanted to offer Him what represents my very soul, my voice and my music.”
