This gorgeous soul singing diva has never had any formal training believe it or not! This didn't stop the 20-year-old from getting to the Final 4 before being voted off and winning a lot of the nation over. Since Idol Paulini has done a few performances but has also done quite a few fashion shoots with magazines like Girlfriend.

Paulini was born in Fiji but when she was four they moved to Australia. At home her family, her mum, dad, two brothers, and two sisters (Paulini is the youngest and says she is also probably the most spoilt!) tend to speak Fijian instead of English and they are often the hosts of large traditional Fijian parties. The food is traditionally cooked lovo style, which means underground.

Paulini has been singing since she was a teenager and she spends a lot of her spare time writing music, practicing her vocal chords or rehearsing her singing. She is a full-time musician in her band “Mixx” who regularly do gigs around Sydney. Paulini’s main goal is to “be the best entertainer and vocalist in the world”. She says confidence is one of her main stengths and that she is good at going after what she wants, once she works out what she wants! Paulini is a natural talent as she has never had any formal voice training. She loves to muck around on the piano and knows some amazing tunes by heart.

To relax and unwind Paulini can often be found running up and down the netball court in her favourite position, goal keeper. The games are generally pretty friendly but she says they can get - “lively” and a little bit competitive. She also spends a lot of her time listening to soul, hip-hop, R&B and funk and says her favourite singers and influences as Elton John, Stevie Wonder,  and Whitney Houston.

Paulini is a real cruiser who pretty much runs on Fijian time meaning all things will be done in their own sweet time. Don’t rush, don’t stress, take things easy! She describes herself as a down to earth, quite simple girl. “I’m not a loud mouthed person who’s looking for attention!”

Her family is very close-knit and they go to church pretty regularly. Music has always been a part of her life and it was when Paulini was sixyears old that Paulini’s mum first realised her daughter had the voice of an angel when Paulini sang during church and made everyone cry. When she was ten, Paulini told her parents she wanted to be a singer and since then she has been working towards that goal!

Paulini has often wondered whether the music industry’s obsession with image has slowed her progress in securing a record deal because she doesn’t fit the blonde, pretty, girlie mould which she believes has become the standard for the industry. She reckons it's easier to get a record deal if you “look good for the camera!” Because of this she was genuinely surprised to have make it through to the finals.

Life at Idol HQ was very different from Paulini’s usual life at home and she says she gets feeling that she's living in a dream because the house is so big and plush. And to add to that people have been recognising Paulini on the street when she's out. Occasionally they even scream when they see her at the local shops and she admits that she gets a bit excited about that!

Whenever it is that Paulini gets rich and famous, all she wants is to buy a nice, posh house with an in-built recording studio. And I reckon she'll be rich and famous sometime, although unfortunately she didn't score a recording contract but has done some modelling and we hope to see more of her around!

As expected Paulini was apart of the Australian Idol tour and this wonderful diva as usual astounded us with her songs. To check out what ones she sang look at the 'Songs Paulini Sang On Australian Idol' link.

Songs Paulini Sang On Australian Idol