Laura Pausini will be recognized with the Billboard Icon Award at the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Tuesday (Sept. 16) in a press release. The Italian superstar will also perform during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live from Miami on Thursday, Oct. 23.
The Billboard Icon Award honors artists whose careers have not only remained relevant over the years, but also also those who have established themselves as some of the most distinguished artists in their genres, celebrated globally for achieving both musical and commercial success.
With over 75 million records sold and 6 billion digital streams throughout her more than 30-year career, Pausini is the most internationally recognized Italian voice and a global pop icon. Among other recent achievements, last November she earned her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with a version of her 1990s hit “Se Fue” featuring Rauw Alejandro. In 2023, she was honored as the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year.
Her latest release is a take of Gianluca Grignani’s classic “Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos,” the first single of her upcoming covers album Yo Canto 2, while she recently announced a new world tour for 2026. Additionally, Pausini will participate in Billboard Latin Music Week in a highly anticipated “Icon Q&A” session.
“What excites me most is that this recognition comes in a year when, even before knowing I would receive it, I had already decided to release a tribute album to the great singer-songwriters of Spain and Latin America,” Pausini said in a press release. “For the first time, I’m singing and arranging songs that are not my own or in my style, but that I interpret with my own signature, as a tribute to that emblematic repertoire of our music. And then this news arrives, just as I think: all my voice and all my heart belong to Latin music. It feels like a spark, like love at first sight… a true gift.”
Broadcasted live from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards will air on Telemundo on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. ET. Fans will also be able to watch the show live via the Telemundo app, Peacock, and Telemundo Internacional across Latin America and the Caribbean. Tickets to attend the event will be available soon.
This year, Bad Bunny leads the list of finalists with a record-breaking 27 entries, followed by Fuerza Regida with 15 mentions and Rauw Alejandro with 14. Leading the female artists is Karol G with 10 mentions, matching those of rising regional Mexican artist Tito Double P who also has 10, while Peso Pluma is a nine-time finalist.
Produced by Telemundo and MBS Special Events, the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returns to Miami Beach Oct. 20-24 with a roster of star speakers also including Kali Uchis, Daddy Yankee, Xavi, Ozuna and many more. Get your tickets today for the Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 here.