With her third World Music Award in the bag, Italian pop princess Laura Pausini heads for Las Vegas this week where she could win another Latin Grammy.
Pausini, 33, picked up a World Music Award in Montecarlo on Sunday evening on the merits of her single Io Canto (I Sing) which has now sold two million copies around the world.
"This is my third World Music Award but I still think I'm here because of the people who love me and support me," she said before receiving the prize.
The singer may perform the song, a cover of a classic hit by Italian singer/songwriter Riccardo Cocciante, during the Latin Grammy awards on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
As well as being a guest star at the ceremony, Pausini has been nominated for her second Latin Grammy for her latest album, of which Io Canto is the title track.
She won her first Latin Grammy in 2005 for her album Escucha, becoming the only Italian female singer ever to do so. The same album earned her a regular Grammy in 2006.
Although relatively unknown in Britain and the US, her distinctive voice and song-writing skills have made her hugely popular in Europe and South America. She has sold over 22 million records worldwide.
Pausini exploded onto the Italian music scene in 1993 when, at the age of 18, she was the surprise winner of the prestigious Sanremo music festival.
The album Io Canto, her ninth, consists entirely of covers. It spans three decades of Italian pop music history.
She said she chose the songs on it because they were "tunes that have taught me how to feel, how to love music beyond genres and styles".
