Australian Idol is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller. Australian Idol was televised on Network Ten for its first seven series and was broadcast on the Southern Cross Austereo Radio Network between 2005 and 2007. The series returned in 2023 after Seven Network announced they would be picking up the show.
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.
Lee Harding is an Australian singer from Frankston, Victoria. He is best known for placing third in the third season of Australian Idol in 2005.
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.
Here Come the Drums is the second studio album by Australian band Rogue Traders, released in Australia on 23 October 2005 by Columbia Records. The album features the Rogue Traders with the then-new vocalist Natalie Bassingthwaighte and songs primarily in the genre of dance-pop, written by Jamie Appleby, Steven Davis and Melinda Appleby. Here Come the Drums debuted in the top ten on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.
A Place I've Never Been is the first studio album by Australian Idol series three winner Kate DeAraugo, released in Australia by Sony/BMG Australia as well as 19 Recordings on 12 December 2005. DeAraugo chose the album title from album track "The Most Beautiful Place" which is her favourite song from the album. The album has a mixture of genre between pop rock and ballad songs – some written by Brooke McClymont, Jewel Kilcher and The Veronicas. A cover version of the Bryan Adams song "Heaven" was featured on the album. The singles released from the album "Maybe Tonight" and "Faded" became top ten hits on the Australian 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.
Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem has released seven studio albums, one extended play, four video albums and thirty-eight singles and an additional five as a featured artist. Goodrem signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment in 1999 and, since then, has achieved five number one albums and nine number one songs 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.
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.
"Superwoman" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her third studio album As I Am (2007). Written by Keys, Linda Perry, and Steve Mostyn, it was released as the fourth and final single from As I Am on July 29, 2008, by J Records.
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.
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.
