Paulini attended Wiley Park Girls School, Bankstown Girls High School and later Bradfield College (all in Sydney). As a teenager she had already impressed many people with her naturally powerful and tuneful voice, even scoring an official mention in Parliament.
Paulini’s involvement in school performances began when she auditioned for the Bankstown Buzz in 1999.
The audition panel were so ‘blown away’ by her voice that they recruited her as a soloist in the show.
She was then brought into the NSW Talent Development Program (“TDP”) along with several other talented students.
TDP is ” — a vocationally oriented public education program designed to develop the best of the best musically talented high school students in NSW… it’s…a joint venture combining the practical experience of the broader entertainment industry with the development and teaching aims of the NSW Department of Education and Training.”
Paulini won critical acclaim for her rendition of Berstein’s “Somewhere” at the 2000 Schools Spectacular (organised by the TDP) and went on to win the 2001 Star Struck television competition.
This show resulted in her first recording – she sings “When you Believe” on the Highlights of Star Struck 2001 CD (an mp3 of this recording is available to registered members).
Paulini was also featured on the ABC’s televised “Rising Stars” program the same year as one of Australia’s most promising talents.
In December 2001 Paulini headlined the Wesley Mission’s Darling Harbour Christmas event – a premier community event in Sydney.
Still in 2001, Paulini also again performed as a special guest in the Schools Spectacular, televised by the ABC. Critics in the entertainment industry were lavish with their praise of the “big-voiced” youngster and her performance of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus in Gospel style. She also performed the song “Rising Star” written by John Foreman as well as a group rendition of “Teach your children well”.
Around this time, Paulini was also commissioned to record a track for a QANTAS airlines promotion.