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 and songwriter. 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. Paulini subsequently 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 singer, songwriter and actress. 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.
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.
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.
Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem has released seven studio albums, one extended play (EP), four video albums and thirty six singles and an additional four 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 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.
"Night of My Life" is the title of the debut single of 2006 Australian Idol winner Damien Leith. This single was performed by the final two contestants - Leith and Jessica Mauboy - during the penultimate episode of Australian Idol 2006, and both contestants recorded and had their versions pressed by Sony BMG, ready for the winner's version to be released immediately after the competition.
The Winner's Journey is a live album and DVD based on Australian Idol 2006 winner Damien Leith's performances on the show. The full-length album features remastered versions of Leith's live performances from the show, along with the studio version of his debut single "Night of My Life" and two of his original tracks, "Come to Me" and "Sky". The album was certified platinum on its first week release, and was certified four times platinum on its second week. It remained the number one album on the ARIA Charts for five weeks, and remained in the top ten for a total of ten weeks.
Ricki-Lee is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist Ricki-Lee Coulter, released through Shock Records on 3 October 2005. Coulter recorded the album in Melbourne and worked with several songwriters and producers, including Audius Mtawarira, Israel Cruz, Jarrad Rogers, Hayley Aitken and Kara DioGuardi, among others. The album reached number 30 on the ARIA Albums Chart and number six on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart. Ricki-Lee was preceded by the lead single "Hell No!" in June 2005, which peaked at number five on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The second single "Sunshine" was released in September 2005, which peaked at number eight and was also certified gold. "Breathe" was released as the album's third and final single in January 2006, which reached number 14.
Delta is the third studio album by Australian singer Delta Goodrem. It was released in Australia on 20 October 2007 through Sony BMG. Goodrem began work on the album in 2006 and collaborated with several writers including Vince Pizzinga, Tommy Lee James, Jörgen Elofsson, Richard Marx, Stuart Crichton, and major contributions by Brian McFadden. The album debuted at No. 1 in Australia, making it her third consecutive chart-topping album there. The album was also released in the United States, by Mercury Records, making it Goodrem's first album to be released there.
The Journey is a live album by 2006 Australian Idol runner-up Jessica Mauboy, released on 24 February 2007 by Sony BMG Australia. The CD/DVD contains recordings of Mauboy's live performances from her time in the top twelve on Australian Idol. Upon its release, The Journey debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
Where We Land is the first studio album by Australian Idol 2006 winner Damien Leith. It was released by Sony BMG in Australia on 18 August 2007, and in Ireland on 28 September 2007. Leith produced the album for seven months and created the album entirely with acoustic songs. He wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve songs, collaborating with Alex Lloyd and his music director Paul Gray in a few songs. All of his original songs were inspired by his friends and family. Leith included two cover songs in the album, Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" from the album Rumours and the traditional Irish song "Danny Boy". Where We Land received mostly average reviews from critics. It debuted in the Australian Albums Chart at number-one and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The album spawned the singles "22 Steps", "All I Want Is You" and "Not Just for the Weekend". Leith embarked on a national tour across Australia to promote the album in November 2007.
Amy Elizabeth Pearson is an English singer-songwriter. Her debut album, "Who I Am", was released April 2008.
Natalie Rose Gauci is an Australian musician, producer and teacher. Gauci undertook music tuition at the Victorian College of the Arts, formed her own band that played gigs in Melbourne, while also working as a music teacher. After an appearance on national radio station Triple J's talent contest, Unearthed, she successfully auditioned for the fifth series of Australian Idol in 2007 and went on to win the series.
No Turning Back: The Story So Far is the first compilation album by Shannon Noll. The album includes tracks from Noll's three studio albums to date, That's What I'm Talking About (2004), Lift (2005) and Turn It Up (2008) and five brand new tracks. The album was released in September 2008 and peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Charts, becoming Noll's fourth consecutive top ten album.
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.
Tune in Tokyo is an Australia dance duo formed in 2010 by Australian Idol winner Natalie Gauci and producer Paul Brandoli. They are currently signed to Onelove Records, a dance sub-label of Sony BMG. Their debut single "Dreamer" did not appear on the ARIA Top 100, but reached #3 on the ARIA Club Charts.
