Ronan & Paulini's Eurovision Duet!

File this under WHAT THE FUCK. Ronan Keating has joined forces with ex-Australian Idol contestant Paulini to cover Niels Brinck's "Believe Again" - better known as Denmark's 2009 Eurovision entry. First things first. Praise be to holy La Toya that this isn't a Delta Goodrem cover. That really would have really pushed me over the edge. Secondly, I'm ashamed to admit that I quite like it. Ronan is utterly foul but I've always loved Paulini. She's had a tough run over the past couple of years and hopefully this future #77 smash can be the start of a comeback for her. The song itself isn't half bad. I prefer the original but I am rather partial to the dated synth backing track and the interaction between the singers is surprisingly painless. I guess it doesn't hurt that Irishman co-wrote it. For once, I can't even accuse him of butchering someone else's song! "Believe Again" is the lead single from Ronan's duets album - released in Australia tomorrow - and is worth the $1.69 it will cost you to download it. Unfortunately, the track hasn't been uploaded to YouTube (or anywhere else for that matter) - so you'll have to hit up iTunes for a preview.Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/Paulini
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Ricki-Lee, Jess & Paulini

I think it's time for a long overdue update on three of my favourite Australian Idol alumni. Jessica Mauboy, Ricki-Lee and Paulini have all been regulars on this blog over the years, were all members of Young Divas and all currently have new music out. Unfortunately, for Ricki-Lee and Paulini - that's where the similarities end. 2009 has been Jessica Mauboy's year. She's released a platinum album, scored five top 20 hit singles and somehow survived wearing the most unflattering outfit in ARIA history with her reputation still intact. I love Jess and think she has almost limitless potential but Sasha Fierce via Target is not the look! Anyway, Sony has squeezed out a 6th single from "Been Waiting" and it's one of the best so far. "Let Me Be Me" is a cute, mid-tempo urban pop tune written by long-time Kylie collaborator Karen Poole and new Sugababe Jade Ewen. I'm guessing it might have been intended for Jade at one point but it suits Jessica perfectly. The lyrics are sweet and the production (courtesy of The Deni's former righthand man 'Fingaz') is slick without being sterile. The video clip completely rips off Beyoncé's "Halo" but Jess has never looked lovelier. I wouldn't be surprised if this is yet another top 20 hit.

At the other end of the success spectrum is Paulini, who was dropped by her record label and reduced to appearing in tragic gay clubs across the nation. It's a shame because I honestly believe Paulini has the best voice to come out of Australian Idol. She just hasn't had a lot of luck selecting appropriate material or marketing herself as a pop star. Unfortunately, I don't think her latest release is much of an improvement on either front. "Scarless" is a beautifully performed ballad and showcases her glorious pipes but it doesn't exactly scream hit. I know it was released independently to raise money for victims of domestic violence but it would be great to hear Paulini belt out another upbeat pop tune ("Rough Day" or "Last Love") or an urban club banger like the fabulous "So Over You". The proceeds of "Scarless" go to charity, so download it from iTunes. The film clip is a surprisingly classy affair and deserves a look. Fingers crossed that this is the start of a full blown comeback next year.

Last but not least is Ricki-Lee. There was a time when I was completely obsessed with Ricki. I loved her second album and wrote about her every other week on Pop Trash Addicts. However, my interest has really waned this year. Returning to Australian Idol as a host was embarrassing, "Don't Miss You" left me cold and her turn as a Ralph cover girl reeked of desperation. It got so bad that I didn't even bother checking out her latest track until the physical single (above) arrived in the post. Imagine my surprise when I gave it a spin and realised that it was actually a stunning return to form. "Hear No, See No, Speak No" sounds like a cross between Ke$ha and Katy Perry. It's an effortlessly catchy serve of electro dance-pop with lashings of guitar to keep things interesting. The production is top notch and Ricki-Lee tears up the vocal. Disappointingly, the song is shaping up to be the biggest flop of the diva's career - stalling at a lowly #46 thus far. I blame the hilarious dominatrix video (below). Ricki needs to save the leather corset and riding crop for her home movies! "Hear No, See No, Speak No" is a future trash classic. I just wish there were remixes.

Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/Paulini
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Before They Were Young Divas - Part 3

The third and final part of my Young Divas special will focus on the magnificent Paulini. Paulini is one of the alumni of the very first season of Australian Idol. She came in fourth after being criticised on national television by one of the judges for being too fat, which is actually quite ironic given the multitude of plus-sized women to frequent later series of Idol - including fellow "divas" Ricki-Lee and Kate DeAraugo. In fact, it seems you have to morbidly obese to even make it to the final 12 of Australian Idol these days. The controversy helped raise Paulini's profile and, as clearly the most talented vocalist to appear on the show, she was quickly snapped up by Sony.

I have already dedicated a post to Paulini's magnificent second album (or third, if you count a shitty Christmas offering), "Superwoman". That album was also recorded before the Young Divas formed but this post will focus on Paulini's number 1 debut album, "One Determined Heart". Paulini's debut single, a cover of "Angel Eyes", sets the tone of the album. "Angel Eyes" is a lovely ballad, which showcases Paulini's impressive voice. It is also pretty fucking boring. I really like "Angel Eyes" but an album of full of ballads and dodgy cover versions was never the best career move. Thankfully, there are a handful of interesting remixes.

"Angel Eyes" hit #1 on the Australian singles chart and remains Paulini's only solo top 10 hit. The follow up, "We Can Try", was written by Audius - whose dubious claim to fame is working with Dullta Good-rim. The original version of "We Can Try" is bland crap but the remixed radio version is sensational. The song made the top 30 and, in its remixed form, remains one of my Paulini favourites. It seems far more suited to "Superwoman" than "One Determined Heart" - ie. it appeals to people under the age of 90.

I hope I'm not sounding too critical of "One Determined Heart" because in comparison to the other Young Divas solo albums it is a work of unbridled genius. There are several excellent tracks and Paulini's vocals are exquisite. Another highlight of the album is the selection of bizarre cover versions. The album contains one of the strangest cover versions I can remember hearing. Paulini's version of "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" is notable for being her first cover of a gay classic and surely the only R'n'B rendition of the song. Not only has the song been turned into a mid-tempo soul ballad, it is also sung as a duet with a man - which makes some of the lyrics rather interesting! It's so wrong, it's kind of right.. if you know what I mean!

Actually, I'm mistaken about "No More Tears" being Paulini's first cover of a gay classic. I had forgetten about this live medley from Idol which includes "Don't Leave Me This Way" and "Freeway Of Love". As usual, Paulini's voice is immaculate.

It seems appropriate to finish any discussion of "One Determined Heart" with yet another cover version. The song selection is truly baffling and one of the most random choices is Phil Collins' "One More Night". Paulini's version is rather nice, although it is begging for a remix.

If Paulini rings your bell, why not keep the woman in diet pills by buying "One Determined Heart" and/or "Superwoman" at Sanity, Chaos or Australian Ebay. Both albums are recommended but "Superwoman" is infinitely superior. This ends my rundown of the pre-diva careers of Paulini, Kate, Emily and Ricki-Lee. It will be interesting to see what 2007 holds for the divas. I have a bad feeling that "Right About Now" is being lined up as single number 3. I hope not because it is one of the worse tracks on their fabulous album. I hear rumours that Sony is intent on rushing out a new album with original material in 2007. That can only be good news!Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/Paulini
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Paulini = Superwoman

Paulini single-handedly justifies the existence of Australian Idol. Without her, the show would be one long exercise in making talentless losers famous for a week, until they crash and burn back into oblivion where they belong. Such has been the fate of most contestants, particularly for those who missed being one of the two finalists. Paulini is an exception. She came fourth in the very first series of Australian Idol, yet she has managed to carve out a solo music career and become part of the surprisingly successful "Idol-reject" girl group, Young Divas. The reason is simple - unlike her embarrassing alumni, Paulini is actually talented!

From her first appearance on Australian Idol, Paulini was my favourite. She might have come across as a boring-as-bat-shit bible basher with the fashion sense of a Fijian drag queen, but the girl could sing. Unfortunately, the pimply school girls and bored housewives (who constitute a large portion of the voters) were apparently more interested in Guy Sebastian's man boobs or too busy fantasising about Shannon Noll's goatee rubbing against their clits to worry about anything as trivial as stage craft and vocal talent. The final straw came when Paulini was told she was too fat to be a celebrity and was kicked off the following week. The rudeness!


Thankfully, the news wasn't all bad. Paulini used her Idol notoriety to score a record deal and hastily released her rather boring debut album, "One Determined Heart". The album and her debut single, a cover of "Angel Eyes", both made #1 on the ARIA chart. Watch the video for Angel Eyes here. The album was an all filler, no killer collection of ballads and mid-tempo rubbish. A further single was released, but the album quickly disappeared. Paulini's career appeared to be going nowhere very fast when she made a special guest appearance on "Home & Away" and released a Christmas album. Her career nadir followed shortly after, when she turned up as a contestant on Celebrity Overhaul and got into trouble for sneaking chocolate into the house and was berated for her poor attitude towards exercise. It was around this time that I really started to enjoy Paulini as a celebrity. She did have some kind of trashtastic edge, after all!


Paulini made her musical comeback this year with the song "Rough Day", which surprised everyone by being very good. Paulini had finally been given material worthy of her vocal ability. The song was popular on radio and Paulini promoted the song relentlessly, with promo performances in gay clubs and on breakfast television. Watch the video clip for "Rough Day" here. The follow up to "Rough Day" was better yet, "So Over You" shows Paulini in full urban diva mode and the hilariously cheap video shamelessly rips off Beyonce's "Crazy In Love". Sadly, the song just scraped into the top 50 despite being a favourite on music video channels. The failure of "So Over You" on the charts turned out to be a bad omen for Paulini's third album, "Superwoman", which was released in August and made #72.


I find it so incredibly depressing that talent free zones like Ciara and Cassie sell well in Australia, while someone local releases an album as hot as "Superwoman" and people run away in droves. "Superwoman" is a great R'n'B album from beginning to end. There is the sufficient quota of pop, a couple of hot ballads and some funky R'n'B beats thrown into the mix. You can buy this gem online from Sanity or Chaos.

Around the same time that Paulini released "Superwoman", she announced that she would be part of an ex-Idol girl group, to be called Young Divas. Despite the crap name, Young Divas' debut single (a cover of Donna Summer's 80s classic "This Time I Know It's For Real") turned out to be excellent and surprisingly successful, making #2 on the Singles Chart and staying in the top 10 for months. Watch the video here. Given the success of the single, it was no surprise when the record announced that the Young Divas would be staying together and releasing an album.
I imagine that Paulini is a bit torn over the band's success. It must be nice having hit singles again but it spells the end of her solo career for the time being. In fact, Sony has pulled the plug on the third single from "Superwoman". "I Believe" was scheduled to be released in September and despite Paulini filming a video clip and remixes being commissioned, the single remains unreleased. Watch a live performance of "I Believe" here.

Young Divas' second single was released last Monday and is another cover of a Stock Aiken Waterman classic, Lonnie Gordon's "Happenin' All Over Again". The track remains faithful to the original and is another slice of pop heaven in the gloomy world of Australian music. The single debuted on this week's Singles Chart at #12. You can buy the single from Chaos and watch the video here.

The girls are releasing their self-titled debut album next week, and the tracklist is so gay it hurts. The album appears to be made up exclusively of cover versions, ranging from The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men" to Laura Brannigan's "Gloria". It looks like a lot of fun and I have already pre-ordered it but I wonder if singing gay classics with a bunch of ugly no-hopers is the best case scenario for Paulini's long term career. Whatever the answer to that may be, the album itself looks delicious. Order it online from Sanity or Chaos.




I should finish up by saying how pleasantly surprised I am by Paulini's dramatic personal life. Ok, she's no Lindsay Lohan, but she has made her fair share of gossip columns recently due to her relationship with her footballer boyfriend. Firstly, there were rumours that Paulini was being bashed (not funny at all), then rumours that Paulini got it on with one of his team-mates as payback (more amusing!) and now it seems they are back together. Only, her boyfriend looks like he's going to prison after driving without a license. How ghetto, I love it!
I've included some tracks for your listening pleasure. If you like what you hear, please buy the respective album!

You might also enjoy watching Paulini's national embarrassment when her microphone malfunctioned while singing "So Over You" live on breakfast television and a beautiful live rendition of Superwoman's title track. Watch a clip of Young Divas covering ABBA's Supertrooper and Paulini singing ABBA's Knowing Me, Knowing You with fellow Young Diva, Ricki-Lee, both from the recently televised "Abbamania".
Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/Paulini
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