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.
Katherine Jenna DeAraugo is an Australian singer-songwriter who in 2005 was the third winner of Australian Idol. After Idol, DeAraugo signed to Sony BMG and released her debut single, "Maybe Tonight", in November 2005. The single debuted at Number 1 on the ARIA Charts and was certified platinum. Her debut album, A Place I've Never Been, was released in December 2005 and was also certified platinum. DeAraugo later became a member of the multi-platinum-selling girl group Young Divas, which disbanded in 2008.
Emily Williams is a New Zealand-born Australian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2005 on the third season of Australian Idol and became the runner-up of the competition. After Idol, Williams signed with Sony BMG Australia and enjoyed commercial success as a member of the Australian girl group Young Divas. The group released two top-ten albums, Young Divas (2006) and New Attitude (2007), and achieved three top-fifteen singles, including the hugely successful "This Time I Know It's for Real". After the Young Divas disbanded in 2008 and Williams' contract with Sony BMG ended, she began releasing her solo music independently. Williams' debut solo single "Spellbound" was released in 2010, followed by the release of her debut solo album Uncovered in 2012.
American singer Christina Aguilera has released nine studio albums, two extended plays (EPs), six compilation albums, one soundtrack album, 54 singles, and 17 promotional singles. To date, Aguilera has sold around 90 to 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female music artist of all time. Billboard ranked Aguilera as the 37th Greatest Hot 100 Women of All Time and the 44th Greatest Billboard 200 Women of All Time. In the United States alone, Aguilera has sold 18.3 million albums. Through the RIAA she has 16.5 million certified albums units and 10 million certified digital singles units. Aguilera is recognized as the 20th best-selling artist of the 2000s. She has also achieved 10 number one hits on Billboard's Dance Club Songs. In the United Kingdom, Aguilera has sold over 3.3 million albums and 6.1 million singles.
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.
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.
Amazing Grace: Songs for Christmas is the first extended play (EP) by Australian recording artist Paulini, released on 26 November 2004 by Sony BMG Australia. The EP was produced by Audius Mtawarira and features cover versions of popular Christmas songs, as well as guest vocal appearances by Darlene Zschech and Human Nature. Amazing Grace: Songs for Christmas peaked at number 70 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and at number seven on the ARIA Urban Albums 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.
Young Divas was an Australian pop girl group formed in 2006 by Sony BMG Australia, initially for a one-off single and national tour to promote all members as solo artists. The original line-up consisted of former Australian Idol contestants, including season one finalist Paulini, season two finalist Ricki-Lee Coulter, season three winner Kate DeAraugo and season three runner-up Emily Williams. Young Divas released a cover version of Donna Summer's "This Time I Know It's for Real" to attract attention for the tour. The song peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
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 Shannon Noll, an Australian rock singer-songwriter, consists of six studio albums, two compilation albums, thirty-five singles and one DVD. Noll came to fame in 2003 on the first season of Australian Idol and was runner-up to Guy Sebastian. He was subsequently signed to Sony BMG Australia and released the Moving Pictures classic "What About Me" which became the highest selling single of 2004. His debut album That's What I'm Talking About was a number one, multi-platinum seller, as was his 2005 follow-up Lift.
Samantha Jade Gibbs is an Australian singer and songwriter. She has written tracks for artists including JoJo and Ashley Tisdale. In 2012, Jade won the fourth season of The X Factor Australia, the first woman to win the Australian series. She subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia and released her winner's single "What You've Done to Me", which debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart.
The discography of Guy Sebastian, an Australian singer, consists of nine studio albums, one compilation album, one live album, three EPs and 54 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.
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.
Australian singer and songwriter Jessica Mauboy has released four studio albums, one live album, three soundtrack albums, one extended play, and thirty nice singles. Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol in 2006, and subsequently signed a contract with Sony Music Australia. She released her debut live album The Journey in February 2007, which features songs she performed as part of the top twelve on Australian Idol. The album debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 35,000 copies. Mauboy briefly became a member of the Australian pop girl group Young Divas later that year, before resuming her solo career early in 2008.
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.
Come Alive is the third studio album by Australian recording artist Paulini, released through Fortitude Group under exclusive licence to Ambition and Decca Records Australia on 29 May 2015. It is the follow-up to her 2006 album, Superwoman. Paulini described the album as a labour of love and her most personal album to date. She said "[it] represents my personal struggle over the past few years to find my voice, not only in music but in life". Come Alive is an adult contemporary pop album and marks a departure from the R&B sounds of Paulini's previous albums. It debuted at number 25 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
