Sanremo 2026, Grignani and Pausini trade barbs: the reasons behind the row

New sparks between Laura Pausini and Gianluca Grignani. At the Sanremo Festival, the singer from Romagna joins Carlo Conti in introducing Luchè's duet with Grignani on "Falco a metà", but she doesn't stay on stage once the performance ends. The flowers, handed out to all the evening's guests, are given to the singer-songwriter by Conti alone. And it's at that very moment that Grignani, taking the bouquet from the artistic director's hands, remarks sarcastically: "Is Laura Pausini's number in there too? So I can call her."

The response comes the next day, at the press conference. "He has my number, I've never changed it. I'm waiting for whatever he wants," says Pausini. She then adds: "I'm a singer, I sing songs and I try to do my best," putting the matter to rest.

The friction between the two dates back to summer, when Pausini recorded a cover of "La mia storia tra le dita" for the album "Io canto 2". Grignani had criticised her on social media for not making the song's authorship sufficiently clear. According to the singer, his colleague had slightly altered the lyrics, distorting their meaning. "The writers Gianluca Grignani and Massimo Luca, having noted the distortion of the song's original lyrics and the resulting reversal of meaning, have instructed lawyer Giorgio Tramacere to protect the integrity of their work by every available means," reads an official statement. Speaking to Il Messaggero, Grignani added that he was sorry but had no choice: "I'd like it known that I'm sorry, but I was forced to do it. I'm not a combative person, but I had no alternative." According to Grignani, in fact, Pausini's Spanish, Portuguese and French covers had stripped the song of its original meaning.

The controversy had led Laura Pausini to call the accusation "ridiculous", but she later removed the track from the album anyway. A rift that was never mended.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google