Pauline Curuenavuli, known professionally as Paulini, is a Fijian-Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. Born in Suva, Paulini moved to Sydney with her family at the age of four. She rose to fame in 2003 as a contestant on the first season of Australian Idol and placed fourth in the competition. After Idol, Paulini signed a recording contract with Sony BMG Australia and released her debut studio album One Determined Heart (2004), which debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum. The album included the platinum single "Angel Eyes", which spent three consecutive weeks at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. Paulini received two ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards for both the album and single.
American singer Alicia Keys has released nine studio albums, eight live albums, one remix album, six reissue albums, three extended plays, seven box sets, 46 singles as lead artist, and six promotional singles. Throughout her career, Keys has sold over 65 million records worldwide. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Keys is the top certified female R&B artist of the millennium, with 20 million certified albums and 38 million certified digital singles in the United States. Billboard ranked her as the second top female artist of the 2000s decade, fourth top R&B/hip-Hop female artist of the 2010s decade and the 60th Greatest Artist of all time.
Superwoman is the second studio album by Australian recording artist Paulini, released through Sony BMG Australia on 5 August 2006. It is the follow-up to her 2004 debut album, One Determined Heart. Paulini recorded Superwoman in Sydney, London, Los Angeles and Barcelona, and worked with several songwriters and producers, including Matthew Gerrard, Fingaz, Ray Hedges, Colin Emmanuel, Steve Kipner and Jarrad Rogers, among others. The album failed to achieve the commercial success of its predecessor, debuting at number 72 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Its first two singles, "Rough Day" and "So Over You" both performed moderately on the ARIA Singles Chart.
"Rough Day" is a song by Australian recording artist Paulini, taken from her second studio album, Superwoman (2006). It was written by Bridget Benenate, Matthew Gerrard and Franne Golde, while the production was handled by Audius Mtawarira. "Rough Day" was released physically on 22 January 2006, as the lead single from the album. The song peaked at number 26 on the ARIA Singles Chart and number three on the ARIA Dance Chart. The retro style-themed music video was directed by Jonathan and Josh Baker.
"We Can Try" is a song by Australian recording artist Paulini, taken from her debut studio album, One Determined Heart (2004). It was written by Jeneya Carr and Audius Mtawarira, who also produced the song. "We Can Try" was released physically on 4 October 2004, as the second single from the album. The song peaked at number 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The music video was shot in a sepia tone.
One Determined Heart is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist Paulini, released through Sony BMG Australia on 23 July 2004. The album produced by Audius Mtawarira and recorded by Louise Wheatley, mostly features cover songs by Jeff Healey, The Tymes, TLC, Brownstone, Four Tops, Barbra Streisand, Jeff Buckley, Bonnie Raitt, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston. One Determined Heart debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipments of 70,000 copies. The album was preceded by the lead single "Angel Eyes", which peaked at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was also certified platinum. Paulini earned ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards for both "Angel Eyes" and One Determined Heart. The second single "We Can Try" was released in October 2004 and peaked at number 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
"So Over You" is a song by Australian recording artist Paulini, taken from her second studio album, Superwoman (2006). It was written by Nigel Butler, Paulini, Ray Hedges, Andy Love and Jarrad Rogers, while the production was handled by Hedges. "So Over You" was released as a CD single and Digital EP on 13 May 2006, as the second single from the album. The song peaked at number 49 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Jonathan and Josh Baker, and features scenes of Paulini at an outdoor basketball court.
"Angel Eyes" is a song written by John Hiatt and Fred Koller and produced by Greg Ladanyi for the Jeff Healey Band's first album, See the Light (1988). It was first released in the United Kingdom as the album's second single in April 1989 and was issued in the United States several weeks later. The song peaked at No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart. In 2004, "Angel Eyes" was covered by Australian Idol series one contestant Paulini and became her first No. 1 single in Australia.
American singer Usher has released eight studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 80 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 23 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 100 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified four-times platinum in the US for sales of 4 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
Damien Leo Leith is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol in 2006. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of which peaked in the top two of the ARIA Charts, including two number ones. He has been awarded seven platinum and one gold certification for albums and singles by ARIA, which equates to sales of just over half a million.
Australian Idol was a televised talent contest, screened on Channel Ten for seven seasons between 2003 and 2009. Several contestants were signed to record labels, while others released their music independently. Since 2003 Australian Idol acts have placed well on the Australian music charts, with 35 number ones and 158 platinum and 41 gold certifications. Eight Idol releases appeared in the 2000 – 2009 ARIA End of Decade Charts, and 24 releases have been nominated for Highest Selling ARIA Music Awards. Idol contestants have also been nominated for 33 ARIA Awards in public vote categories, where the nominees are most commonly selected from the highest selling acts of the year. There have also been 48 industry judged ARIA Award nominations. To date there have been 11 wins in sales and public vote categories, and in 2013 season one winner Guy Sebastian and season four runner up Jessica Mauboy became the first Idol contestants to win industry voted ARIA Awards.
The discography of Guy Sebastian, an Australian singer, consists of nine studio albums, one compilation album, one live album, three EPs and 53 singles, including six as a featured artist and four charity singles. Sebastian won the first series of Australian Idol in 2003, and gained a record deal with Sony BMG. He has released ten albums which peaked in the top six of the ARIA Charts, including three which reached number one. The first seven achieved either platinum or multi-platinum certification. He has also released twenty three top twenty singles in Australia, with fourteen reaching the top ten, including six number ones. Sebastian is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number-one singles, and is third overall for all Australian acts with only Kylie Minogue and Delta Goodrem having achieved more. He has also reached the top ten of the New Zealand charts with an album and six singles, including two number ones. Sebastian has sixty-nine platinum and seven gold certifications in Australia, the highest number for an Australian Idol contestant. "Battle Scars", a collaboration with Lupe Fiasco, spent 20 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 71 and achieving platinum certification. It also reached number 2 in Norway.
The first season of Australian Idol was produced by Fremantle Media subsidiary Grundy Television in association with UK company 19TV, and was broadcast on Network Ten for 19 weeks in the latter half of 2003. The judges were Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Ian "Dicko" Dickson.
Been Waiting is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy, released on 22 November 2008 by Sony Music Australia. While Mauboy was still a member of the girl group Young Divas, she began to work on what became Been Waiting. She co-wrote several of the album's songs and worked with many songwriters and producers, including Israel Cruz, Cutfather, Audius Mtawarira, Michael "Fingaz" Mugisha, Kwame Holland, Jonas Jeberg and Adam Reily, among others.
Fijian-born Australian singer and songwriter Paulini has released four studio albums, one extended play, nineteen singles, and twelve music videos. Paulini placed fourth on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003, and subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony BMG Australia. Her debut studio album, One Determined Heart (2004), debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, where it remained for two consecutive weeks, and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 copies. Its lead single "Angel Eyes" remained at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks and was also certified platinum, while the second single "We Can Try" peaked at number 30. Paulini followed with the release of her debut EP, Amazing Grace: Songs for Christmas (2004), which peaked at number 70.
The discography of Young Divas, an Australian pop girl group, consists of two studio albums, one compilation album, four singles, two album appearances and four music videos. The group was formed in 2006 by Sony BMG Australia which included previous Australian Idol contestants Ricki-Lee Coulter, Paulini, Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams. Young Divas released their self-titled debut album in November 2006, which debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipments of 140,000 copies. A cover of Donna Summer's "This Time I Know It's for Real" was released as the album's lead single and peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart. The song was certified platinum by the ARIA, for shipments of 70,000 copies. The second single was a cover of Lonnie Gordon's "Happenin' All Over Again", which peaked at number nine and was certified gold for shipments of 35,000 copies. A cover of Hazell Dean's "Searchin'" was released as the third and final single from the album, and peaked at number 40.
"Unbroken" is a song performed by Australian-New Zealand recording artist Stan Walker. Written and produced by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, the song was released by Sony Music Australia on 12 April 2010 as the lead single from Walker's second album, From the Inside Out. Walker felt privileged to record a song written by Tedder and complimented him, "He's the man, one of the best songwriters and producers in the world. I am so blessed." The piano-based pop ballad received a mixed response from critics.
"Galaxy" is a song by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy featuring Stan Walker. It was written by Richard Vission, Ferras Alqaisi, Brett McLaughlin, Dominique Calvillo, Chico Bennett and Brad Ackley. Production for the song was handled by Vission, Bennett, Ackley, Braddon Williams, Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. "Galaxy" was released digitally on 28 October 2011, as the fifth single from Mauboy's second studio album Get 'Em Girls (2010). It peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart and number seven on the ARIA Urban Singles Chart. "Galaxy" also became Mauboy's first charting release in New Zealand, where it reached number 36.
English-Irish boy band One Direction have released five studio albums, ten extended plays, seventeen singles, two video albums, and seventeen music videos. They signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records after being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of British television singing competition The X Factor in 2010. They subsequently signed in North America with Columbia Records. One Direction: This Is Us, a 3D documentary concert film was released on 29 August 2013 in the United Kingdom and 30 August 2013 in the United States. The film captures the band on the road during the Take Me Home Tour and documents their origins and rise to fame.
Australian children's musical group Hi-5 released fifteen studio albums, three compilation albums, two reissues, and three singles. Five of the group's albums were certified by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) as gold, platinum and double platinum. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
