Paulini

Paulini Curuenavuli, known professionally simply as Paulini, is an Australian singer who rose to prominence after competing on Australian Idol and later through her membership in the pop group the Young Divas as well as her individual releases. She entered the world in Fiji during 1982 and relocated with her family to Australia four years later. By the age of six she was already performing regularly with her neighborhood choir. Tragedy struck in 1990 when her brother was fatally shot amid a robbery. In 1997 Bankstown Girls High School identified her vocal promise and enrolled her in its specialized talent program; the added support encouraged her to enter the television competition Starstruck, which she won at sixteen. That victory led her to record “When You Believe” for the program’s accompanying CD, and her school’s music department also placed her on ABC’s annual School Spectacular live broadcasts. She formed the group MIXX with her two sisters in 2001 while simultaneously cutting solo demos that never reached the public. The South Pacific Games organizing committee in Fiji invited her to perform the opening ceremony, resulting in her recording of the official anthem “Many Rhythms, One Love,” which appeared on the compilation The Pacific at Its Best.

During 2003 she auditioned for the inaugural season of Australian Idol. Audiences were drawn to her exceptional voice and modest demeanor, and she remained a consistent favorite through each elimination round, earning consistent commendation from the judges for her interpretations of material by Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Thelma Houston, and Toni Braxton. Vote splitting with fellow contestant Cosima DeVito nevertheless caused her elimination at the final-four stage; an Australian Idol poll later ranked that departure as the second-most unexpected in the show’s history. Multiple recording offers followed, yet she ultimately signed a four-album agreement with Sony BMG.

Her debut album, recorded in 2004 under the guidance of producer Audius Mtawarira, previously known for work with Delta Goodrem, consisted largely of covers alongside the two original compositions “One Determined Heart” and “We Can Try.” The lead single, a rendition of Jeff Healey’s 1988 hit “Angel Eyes,” reached number one on the ARIA singles chart, stayed inside the top ten for nearly three months, and finished as the fourth-highest-selling single of 2004 in Australia. The full-length One Determined Heart arrived in July 2004, debuted at number one, held a top-ten position for several weeks, and earned platinum certification. Follow-up single “We Can Try” climbed to number thirty on the main ARIA chart and number nine on the urban top-forty listing. Later that year she issued the holiday EP Amazing Grace: Songs for Christmas, which peaked at number seventy on the national chart while reaching the top ten on the urban albums survey and the top five on the Australasian chart.

Eager to build on that momentum, she completed her second album, Superwoman, by the close of 2004, yet Sony BMG postponed its release for roughly eighteen months. Advance single “Rough Day” entered at number three on the dance chart and number twenty-six on the singles chart, while the subsequent track “So Over You” received strong critical notices but only modest sales, peaking at number forty-nine nationally and number thirteen on the urban tally. Superwoman finally appeared in August 2006; although it demonstrated greater artistic input from Paulini, who co-wrote several songs and handled every vocal arrangement, repeated delays fueled speculation that Sony BMG intended to drop her. The project stalled at number seventy-two and underperformed commercially. Promotional single “I Believe” received only limited distribution. Paulini then joined the Young Divas alongside fellow former Australian Idol contestants Kate DeAraugo, Jessica Mauboy, and Emily Williams; the quartet enjoyed strong domestic success before disbanding in 2008, partly because Paulini continued to pursue her solo career and songwriting. During this period she issued the charity single “Scarless,” recorded the duet “Believe Again” with Ronan Keating, and supplied material for Sasha-Lee Davids, Edurne, and Yoann Fréget. She later moved to Decca Records and released her third solo album, Come Alive, in 2015.