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TINA ARENA BIOGRAPHY |
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Born in Moonee Ponds, Victoria, on November 1st 1967 to Franca
and Giuseppe Arena. Philipina was inspired to sing after hearing
her sister's record ' You're My World' by Daryl Braithwaite. She
quickly learned the words off by heart, and performed the song
at her cousin's wedding in the Springvale Town Hall. It brought
the house down. Her family soon realized that she had a gift. So
after a lot of nagging, Tina took singing lessons. She had a
well known teacher and often a lot of her students would go on
to compete on an Australian show, 'Young Talent Time' hosted by
Johnny Young. She changed her name from Philipina (nickname was
Pina) to Tina. At the age of 7 she performed as a contestant 4
times, winning 3 heats. Tina was then asked to be a permanent
member of the team. "Tiny Tina" became a household name. Tiny
Tina was a favorite on YTT, she was given the best work
experience possible, getting to record, release records and
perform live every week. Sadly, like any kid on TV, she had a
hard time from her classmates at school. At the age of 16, it
was a YTT policy to retire their stars, for her final
performance she sang The Way We Were and McArthur Park. Tina
completed highschool and had a go at a normal job as an
insurance clerk. This did not last long. Tina realized her
destiny was with music. In 1987 Tina released the catchy pop
tune Turn Up The Beat, but there was no follow up album. The end
of the decade saw her tour with Lional Ritchie and sing TV
commercial jingles.
During that time, Tina scored the role of Renata in ?Nine -The
Musical?, and had 1 solo song but was required on stage for the
entire show. Tina struggled to be taken seriously and shake off
the 'Tiny Tina' tag. She suffered rejection from every major
record company in Australia and was sadly advised to change her
name and lose weight. Thankfully, this was advise Tina did not
take. A small record company called 'Avenue Records' teamed with
EMI and realized her potential and gave her that long awaited
record deal.
1989 was spent performing in a 10 month stint in the David
Atkins production, 'Dynamite!' and recording her debut album.
This album was titled 'Strong As Steel' and spawned one of
1990?s highest selling singles (I bet those major record
companies were sorry now!), 'I Need Your Body'. Accompanying the
single was a raunchy video clip which left the 'Tiny Tina' tag
for dead. The song went to #3 and was then followed by the gold
certified album 'Strong As Steel'. Strong As Steel peaked at #22
on the ARIA charts. A couple more singles were released from the
album, but didn't achieve the same success as I Need Your Body.
1991 was filled with club dates around Australia and writing for
the next album in Los Angeles. Tina realized she was going
nowhere fast.
In 1992 Tina signed up with SONY Music and manager Ralph Carr.
He pointed Tina into a new direction, and initially encouraged
Tina to write her own music if she wanted to work with him.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour
Dreamcoat" show was set to hit Australian shores. Tina starred
as the narrator, hoping it would be a good career move. With the
money she earned, Tina flew to L.A. to cowrite songs and record
with some well known producers for her first SONY album. The
result was ?DON'T ASK?. Before its release, Ralph decided to
release a single before the album to bait the publics' interest.
This single was 'Chains'. A song about being driven to complete
frustration and the relationship Tina had with the music
business. And it worked. It went to #4 in Australia!!! The album
was released on November 11th, 1994 and sold out by the truck
load and went gold, then platinum within a few weeks. In January
of 1995, the second single 'Sorrento Moon' was released and
experienced similar chart success. During this time, Tina and
Ralph got engaged. Awwwww. Soon enough is was time to release
the next single, 'Heaven Help My Heart'. You could not get away
from Tina in 1995 and 1996. She was everywhere! One of Tina?s
moments of glory was definitely the ARIA awards. Tina swept up 5
awards and made history by becoming the first female artist to
win both song of the year and album or the year (check the
awards page for more details). She was ecstatic. Almost a year
later after the album was released, though it was riding high in
the charts - it finally peaked at #1 due to her frequent
appearances on Australian TV shows like Good Morning Australia,
Hey! Hey! It?s Saturday, Midday, IMT, drawing thousands of
viewers, not to mention the hype from her upcoming tour. Don't
Ask even kept Madonna's much anticipated 'Something To Remember'
album from a #1 debut. Another dream came true for Tina, was
asked to perform the national anthem at the 1995 AFL Grand Final
in front of gazillions of people world wide. But then the moment
fans had been waiting for, national tour dates went on sale! It
was to take Tina to many venues all around Oz, including many
small and large towns and many major cities. They could not have
thought of a more appropriate name - ?You Asked For It Tour...?.
All tickets sold out, and then encore performances, 'You Asked
For More ... The Encore' were announced at 3 capital cities. All
shows sold out once again. During the tour, Wasn?t It Good was
released including 3 live tracks from the tour. Finally, Tina
married her manager (name one singer who hasn?t?) Ralph Carr.
The wedding was meant to be a secret, but Ch.10 news managed to
catch Tina going into the chapel. To cap off 1995, Tina was
announced as Australia's highest selling female artist in
history baby! And Don't Ask was the highest selling album of
1995 & 1996. Her last performance in Australia was at the
Australia Day Concert before packing her bags to head overseas.
After the HUGE success of Don't Ask in Australia, it was time to
crack Tina into the overseas market. First stop was England.
After her performance on the legendary British show Top Of The
Pops, 'Chains' charted at #6 in Britain, and made the top 10 in
Ireland and Holland. Her performance was one to remember, most
artists on the show mime to their tunes, however Tina showed she
could cut it live and done just that.
Next stop was the United States. After an exclusive showcase,
SONY America announced they would make Tina their priority
artist. Chains became the most added song to radio in US history
making some 200 stations in its first week. However, due to lack
of promotion it and consequently low single sales, it only just
managed the top 40. SONY urged Tina to record a cover of 'Show
Me Heaven,' specifically for the US market, but sadly it didn't
make a dent in the charts.
But back in Australia many radio stations were playing imported
versions of 'Show Me Heaven', yet Sony refused to release it
there because it was only for the US market. It was a fantastic
opportunity missed. To cap this era off, Tina released a home
video called ?Don?t Ask - The Shortfilms,? annotated by Tina,
takes you on her journey, through the success and the video
clips. The video achieved Gold status. Tina flew back to Europe
to attend the World Music Awards where Tina was awarded the 'Highest
Selling Australian Artist' (in history!) After a long wait,
talks of the next album were amounting. The only release in
sight was a song on the 'One Fine Day' soundtrack which featured
the song 'Love's Funny That Way'. Much talk and hype was
circulating about Tina's next album.
. . . Those rumors finally amounted to something, and a new song
called 'Burn' was released to the air waves. It was picked up by
every major radio station in the country, making history ...
again! (due to its Pop/Adult Contempary cross-over). The single
debuted and peaked at #2, Tina's highest position on the singles
charts, thus far. And it would have reached #1 any other week if
Hanson's MMMBop wasn't happening. Soon, the single generated
enough hype and the release date for the album, 'In Deep', was
announced. After a postponement in August ?97, the long awaited
follow up to Don't Ask was released. It had been 4 years since
the last album. ?In Deep' was definitely a Tina album, with a
mixture of big ballads, light rock songs and folksy pop tunes.
12 tracks listed, plus a hidden one; Stay. The album entered the
charts at #1 and went Gold on pre-orders alone, another record
set by Our Tina. In Deep was the first album by an Australian
female artist to debut at the top of the charts, and signified a
change in the music industry. No more would albums and singles
have to slowly rise to the top spot, which was something we had
come to expect, that big names, a lot of publicity can gain
debut at #1 now. In Deep was produced by the legendary talent of
Mick Jones, who also had the early 80?s hit, ?I Want To Know
What Love Is? which consequently Tina did a slightly more up
tempo remake of. After a ridiculously long wait, the 2nd single
?If I Didn?t Love You? was released. This proved to be a bad
mistake, it barely dented our charts and wasn't a favorite
amongst fans. Another tour was announced, ?In Deep Live?. Not to
the scale of 'You Asked For It', however it proved yet another
sell out! The concert was televised on Channel 9, and was overly
edited. Then the Official Tina Fan Club got the fans hyped up
about an In Deep Live video, which never happened. Now I Can
Dance was the third single from In Deep and surprisingly
performed much better then the second single, peaking at #13. In
Deep was now 4x platinum, thus solidifying her place as
Australia's highest selling female artist. Leaflets appeared
throughout all SONY Music home videos, and included a picture of
In Deep Live. Now you explain that one??? Mistake #3!
Soon it was off to Europe and America to promote In Deep. In
England, Tina did an interview with a UK Men's magazine and was
quoted on some comments she made about the other female Aussie
singer Natalie Imbruglia. The Australian press soon picked up on
it and conveniently quoted Tina out of context, to create a
scandal between the stars, generating a lot of negative press
for Tina. The next single released was the Mick Jones's cover
which did even worse in the charts. This song would have had a
better chance if Sony promoted it and bothered to put more
effort into the video clip. 'If I Was A River', a new song
penned by Diane Warren was recorded, and Sony had to (ironically)
foot the bill of $1million for its video clip. The clip was shot
along the Nile River in Egypt (for you quick ones, that?s why it
was so expensive) and was directed by long-time RCM (Ralph Carr
Management) art-director, Pierre Baronie.
While in Europe, Tina was asked by James Hornor and Will
Jennings (of Titanic fame) to sing the theme song with Ricky
Martin for the movie 'The Mask Of Zorro'. Ricky Martin was said
to be really looking forward to working with Tina, but
unfortunately had to back out due to his commitments with the
success of his World Cup soundtrack. Marc Anthony replaced him.
Tina has remained coy about the situation, suggesting something
more occurred. The single REALLY took off in Europe, and
particularly became a colossal hit France. The single went to #3
there, #5 in Holland, while the soundtrack went to #7 in France,
and soon everyone became interested in Tina. Sony decided to
concentrate their efforts of Tina's new found success in France,
and Tina choose to commit with the release 'I Want To Know What
Love Is' which experienced even more success. Tina made quite a
name for herself over there, and became in demand on every
French TV show and radio station. France was now a priority
market for Tina, and followed her instincts to give this country
what they want! She treated them to 2 French tracks (included on
In Deep), 'Aller Plus Haut' (I Want To Go Higher) and 'Les Trois
Cloches' (Three Bells Ringing - Edith Piaf cover). Aller Plus
Haut was the first French single and just missed the top spot,
but still reached platinum status, while Les Trois Cloches
experienced similar success. Surprisingly, both tracks made it
to #1 in Belgium. In Deep went on to sell 1 million units in
France alone, making her one of only five Anglophone artists to
achieve this level of sales. With her continually growing fan
base in France, Tina played 2 shows in Paris. This ultimately
caught the eye of the Notre Dame de Paris organizers, and they
offered her the part of Esmeralda in the English version of the
musical - without an audition! Opening night seemed to be a show
stopper, Tina receiving rave reviews and standing ovations
throughout. Tina said they received a standing ovation every
night, except once, this fickle audience were critics - need I
say more!
During this successful time, Tina and Ralph filed for divorce.
The news was broken through Australian trash mags 'Woman's Day'
and 'Who Weekly'. Tina avoided talking about this matter,
because it was obviously very painful for both of them. She
briefly referred to this time (in a Channel [v] interview) as
being very unhappy, stressful and dark. While Tina completed her
stint in Notre Dame de Paris, she began writing for the next
album.
Once again, Tina was invited to attend the 2000 World Music
Awards. She performed 'Live For The One I Love' from Notre Dame
de Paris and won 'Highest Selling Australian Artist' (again) due
to the 1 million in sales in France. Her performance remains one
of the best yet! While the prospect looked very dim for her to
sing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, it finally became a very
real reality on August 9th! She flew in from London to attend
the press conference, with fellow Aussie stars, Olivia Newton-John,
John Farnham, John Williamson, Julie Andrews & Vanessa Amorossi.
Tina's song, "The Flame", which was penned by John Foreman (the
musical director of Good Morning Australia) had been secretly
recorded to be released on a special Olympic CD compilation,
along with the other singers, and would be released on September
15th. Tina flew back to England to finish her run in Notre Dame
de Paris (before Dannii Minogue took over her role). Tina's
performance was amazing, and her dress received just as much
attention. It was designed by Australian designer Fiona Scanlan.
Unfortunately, NBC in America edited out Tina's performance to
fit the Olympic Ceremony into their 2 hour telecast, which is
really sad as that may have been her big break there (mistake
#4). While in America, Tina was approached by an American
country singer called 'Jo Dee Messina' who had already recorded
a demo of 'Burn'. She asked Tina for permission if she could do
a cover of it. Lucky Tina said yes, because it gave her an
American #2!
After a wave of success overseas, the Australian market had been
greatly lacking. Tina thought it was time to show Australia what
she had been doing for the past 3 years. Souvenirs, a collection
songs that were released to overseas markets only. It included
fantastic cover art, multimedia and track listing. The tracks
were divided into 3 sections, Film/TV, Live/Stage and Overseas.
Souvenirs debuted at dismal #37 and only lasted in the charts
for 3 weeks. This album was for the fans though. We also got a
string of in-store sign-ins! Tina was announced to be the
Australian ambassador at Melbourne Fashion Week. Her duties
included wearing nice clothes, attending fashion parades and
doing interviews on radio, TV and in magazines.
Tina took time out for a well deserved break. She flew to LA to
write more songs and start recording for the next album. This
album was set to take Tina in a different direction. She wrote
some songs with Desmond Child (Ricky Martin fame) and it was
produced by Nile Rodgers (Madonna: Like A Virgin fame). Come
September 2001, and the new song 'Soul Mate #9' was released to
radio. SM9 was a dancey, catchy pop tune, perfect for radio
today, but radio thought otherwise. It debuted at #54 on the
national airplay chart and gained momentum very slowly in the
lead up to the release. Tina performed SM9 on the 15th Annual
Aria Awards and Rove [live], and appeared on The Panel, Today
and the Ray Martin Show. The single debuted at #22, which is
very out of fashion for a Tina Arena lead-off single, but was
still very good considering the slow momentum of airplay.
However, the album, Just Me, debuted at #7 on the ARIA charts in
a tough week for releases, and #47 in the French charts, with no
single, airplay or advertisements. This was Tina's first album
of new material in more then 4 years, and took an intentional
shift in style. While it was critically acclaimed by reviews,
Tina was snubbed by the ARIA Awards committee. Nominations for
best female artist included Holly Valance and Nicole Kidmen -
hello?!? Did someone mention credibility?
Tina scored the role of saucy Sally Bowles in the Australian
revival of Cabaret. She starred alongside Human Nature's Toby
Allen as The Master of Ceremonies, both achieving rave reviews.
Tina's role was only for the Sydney leg, from August 15th until
November 22nd. Upon the hype of this show, Sony released a third,
and final single from Just Me, "Symphony Of Life". Tina
originally wanted this song to be the first single, as it was a
good and logical bridge between the old music and the new music.
A Melbourne newspaper devoted a large double-spread story to
radio "banning" Tina, upon the lack of support for the last few
singles. Nova claimed they "had not received one single request
for Tina since they went on air". (This is complete bullshit,
because I request on the very first day, for the first week to
no avail.) Despite this, Tina scored her biggest hit since Now I
Can Dance, Symphony Of Life debuted and peaked at #8, and FM
radio grudgingly started playing the remix.
During early 2003, Tina met DJ Ray Roc at a New York nightclub.
Introduced by a mutual friend, he wasted no time asking her if
she would lend her vocals to a song he penned called "Never (Past
Tense)". Soon, cult US gay show, 'Queer As Folk' picked up the
track for their 3rd season, and Never was to start an amazing
journey. Released in May in the UK, by June it was gaining an
underground following in the USA and reached it's 'peak' of #4
on the Dance Charts, by import only. Come November, and Never
suddenly rebounds onto the Dance/Club play charts hitting #1,
and finally debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 at #97!
Mid-November, Tina quickly returned home to perform some theatre
Australian shows. 'An Evening With Tina Arena' was Tina's first
tour in five years, in Sydney and Melbourne. She gave a dynamic
performance, belting her way through hits from Don't Ask to Just
Me, with a couple of new songs along the way. One of these is
called 'Talk To Me'. A classic Arena-style rock ballad,
reminiscent of Chains and No Shame, with more dramatic rock
production. An expected early 2004 release, this song will be
THE comeback to look out for! Says I! |
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