Paulini

Paulini Curuenavuli was born in Suva, Fiji on 15 October 1982 to parents Isireli, a former choir conductor, and Miliana, a nurse. Her mother Miliana lived and worked alone in Sydney, Australia for two years. Paulini, her five siblings and their father Isireli moved from Fiji to Sydney in 1986, when she was four years old, to join Miliana. Their first home in Australia was a two-bedroom apartment in Randwick, New South Wales, where Paulini attended Coogee Public School. The family later moved to a south-western Sydney suburb, close to the Fijian church they regularly attended. Paulini is the youngest of six siblings; she has three brothers and two sisters. Paulini's eldest brother was shot and killed during a robbery incident in 1990. She recorded a cover of Luba's "Every Time I See Your Picture I Cry", in her brother's memory, for her third album Come Alive (2015). Paulini and her family began singing and playing instruments from a young age, despite not being classically trained in music. Their father taught Paulini and her siblings how to harmonise. At the age of 10, Paulini's father encouraged her to showcase her singing abilities at a church talent quest. It was during this moment Paulini realised that singing is "what I wanted to do with my life." Aside from singing, Paulini also had a passion for playing netball.

As a teenager, Paulini attended Bankstown Girls High School, where she was selected to perform at the Bankstown Millennium Buzz spectacular, held in 2000 to celebrate the Sydney Olympics. As a result of her performance, she was chosen to be a member of the first Bankstown Talent Advance Program (TAP), which enables students to gain confidence and learn important skills in the performing arts from an expert team. Being part of the program helped Paulini to build up her confidence because she was a shy teenager, and it eventually led to her winning the TV talent show StarStruck in 2001. Following her win, Paulini recorded a cover version of the Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey duet "When You Believe" for the show's soundtrack album. With the involvement of her high school music department, Paulini was also a participant in Sydney's annual Schools Spectacular variety show. After leaving high school, Paulini worked in a retail clothing store and became a full-time musician. In February 2003, Paulini became a member of the Fijian band Mixx. She was one of the vocalists for the band alongside her sisters Litia and Sereima, as well as other vocalists Mansus Knight, Aporosa Vakanawa and Biannca Kotobalavu. Other members of Mixx included Ben Kotobalavu on drums, his brother Rowland on bass, Jona Uluinaceva and Henry Foon on keyboards, Apakuki Nayacakalou as the guitarist, and Rupeni Davui on percussion. The band played gigs around Sydney and were even invited to perform at the opening of the 2003 South Pacific Games in Fiji. Paulini recorded the anthem "Many Rhythms, One Love" for the South Pacific Games' official album, The Pacific at Its Best. She eventually left Mixx later that year to audition for the first season of Australian Idol.