Tina Arena is one of Australia’s national treasures, cementing her place in music history across her career with over 10 million records sold worldwide. In fact, every album in her career has gone gold, platinum or multi-platinum. Her 1994 album Don’t Ask is still one of the highest selling Australian albums of all time, not to mention her success in France where she’s sold five million albums there alone. Being inducted to the ARIA hall of fame is just another feather to add to this golden girl’s cap. But amongst all these achievements and recognition, Tina has been stirring the pot, gearing up for her next year ahead filled with music, tours and everything in between.
“This year I’ve finished my new French language album, which is my first there in quite a few years and I’m really happy with it,” she reveals. “I’ve also released an English language Greatest Hits album [featuring all Tina’s hits and new versions of her songs by Jessica Mauboy, The Veronicas, Jimmy Barnes, Katie Noonan, Kate Miller-Heidke, Ben Abraham, Ainslie Wells, Morgan Evans, Dannii Minogue etc]. I’m about to do a national tour in September and October which I’m really excited about – so a quiet year,” Tina laughs.
Born with a natural flair for music, Tina’s career and passion was never “a conscious decision,” and started organically when she was only seven years old. “I think singing and being a musician was just what was meant to be for me,” she explains. Little did this seven-year-old know the extent that her 40-year long career would become, describing her most incredible and memorable experiences being the opening of the Sydney Olympics, the ARIA Hall of Fame and getting Order of Merits in Australia and France.
Despite the joy of the touring and seeing thousands of fans worldwide each year, tackling challenges and adversity is something that doesn’t come easily in an industry that is forever changing.
“Of course it’s not all smooth sailing,” she says. “There have been quite a few low-points in the past 40 years and you do need to be strong in this business. I think the best way to tackle the adversity is to be mentally prepared, have a good team of people to support you and don’t be afraid to take risks.”
To challenge this, changing up between genres and ideas is something frequently trialled by Tina, alternatively posing that you “need to stimulate yourself creatively, it’s virtually impossible to earn a living from music sales alone,” regularly encouraging upcoming and growing artists.
“Be in it for the right reasons: a love of the craft not a desire for fame, work hard, hone your skills, have good management and collaborators and always get legal advice on contracts,” she explains.
Just ahead of her upcoming Australian tour, Tina has stunned crowds at Splendour In The Grass. A surprise performance alongside triple j favourites Client Liaison, performing their track in which she features -‘A Foreign Affair’, her worldwide hit ‘Sorrento Moon’ and Womack & Womack’s ‘Teardrops’ to a crowd of 25,000 festival goers on the main stage. Tina has yet again established her place as a diverse Australian pop treasure, her reign now stretching across decades.
Although festivals are not the usual scene set for Tina, this experience was definitely one to remember. “It was great. Not a “typical” audience for me, but the crowd were great – I think festival crowds are generally really cool – music lovers, open to new experiences. Client Liaison are so strong live, they’re perfect for that environment. Visually and sonically they’re great, and I love their sense of humour. Splendour was great,” she described. Adding that Splendour was a spur of the moment idea.
“It was pretty organic. I arrived in Australia a few days before the festival and we did a run though in Byron on the Friday for a few hours and then performed on the Sunday. We wanted it to feel pretty free and spontaneous. It was a lot less pressure for me than doing my own show. We did three songs. I’d never sung Teardrops (Womack & Womack) before but always thought it was a killer tune,” Tina laughs.
Selling fast, Tina’s latest tour ‘Innocence To Understanding’ is set to hit Australian shores in September, a celebration of her discography filled with hits from both past and recent releases. However, with so many loved songs and golden oldies, picking the set list is not an easy task.
“I know those oldies have a special place in the audience’s heart so we do perform them, sometimes in a slightly updated way. Choosing the set-lists for tours is actually very hard but I just have to go with what feels right.”
Supported by a full band, playing the hits that we all know and love, Tina explores the idea that this tour is here for the fans, and for everyone to enjoy themselves.
“I’m really excited. These will be my last concerts for quite a while so I’m going to make the most of it,” she says, “We are doing all the hits with a few surprises. I have a new band who are amazing, the production and fashion are great, I just want everyone to come and have a good time.”
When & Where: Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – September 13 & Costa Hall, Geelong – September 17.
Further information and tickets available via the website.
Written by Sophie Barker