Renowned artist Paulini Curuenavuli, originally from Fiji, celebrated the launch of her debut Fijian single last month, paying tribute to her late father who passed away from prostate cancer four years ago. The single was launched to coincide with Father’s Day, a significant event in Fiji.
Paulini has been active in the music industry for the past 20 years. She was born in Suva and later moved to West Sydney. In an interview, she recalled her rise to fame as a contestant on the inaugural season of Australian Idol in 2003. From a young age, Paulini was drawn to music and singing, encouraged by her parents to join the church choir, where she sang weekly for many years.
Reflecting on the release of her debut single, Paulini expressed mixed emotions. Despite her pride in the accomplishment, she acknowledged it had taken a long time to release a Fijian single, given her 20-year career in Australia.
The idea for the single, titled “Tamaqu,” began before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which subsequently delayed the project. Following her father’s death, she resumed work on the song upon her return to Fiji with Vude Prince, Savuto Vakadewavosa, who had been in Australia for work. It was during their flight back to Fiji that they completed the composition of the song, which Paulini aimed to maintain as an authentic representation of Fijian sound, recorded in Fiji.
Paulini expressed her excitement about the release, hoping that her music resonates with the people of Fiji. She noted that the songwriting process is complex and took almost two weeks of studio work in Fiji, leading to more Fijian singles that will likely form an EP in the near future.
For the successful launch, Paulini collaborated with Savuto and renowned queen of Vude, Laisa Vulakoro. She emphasized the importance of working with local artists, which enriched her understanding of Fijian culture and traditional sounds in her music.
The song “Tamaqu” serves as a heartfelt tribute to her father. Paulini shared the emotional impact of transforming personal experiences into song and expressed her wish to convey gratitude and love to her father one last time. Overall, she found the project to be a smooth journey, though she faced challenges understanding the translations of the lyrics in iTaukei.
As an experienced artist, Paulini advised emerging composers to seize every opportunity and emphasized the importance of maintaining creative control over their work to grow as artists. Despite her success, she highlighted that the love for music, rather than the pursuit of fame, should be the primary motivation for aspiring musicians.
Savuto expressed his admiration for collaborating with Paulini, noting it was a dream come true to work alongside someone he had long admired. He praised Paulini for empowering fellow artists in Fiji and emphasized the significance of creating authentic Fijian music.
“Tamaqu” is now available across all music platforms.