My Kind of Scene uncovers the past and present of Australian music. In this episode, we begin by discussing the thrill of Kylie's contender for 2023 Song of the Summer, but quickly pivot to explore the unparalleled career of another Aussie pop diva who's found success at home and away: Tina Arena. You might think you know her, but think again!
Find the episode playlists on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page and on YouTube. Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.
My Kind Of Scene acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the land many of us call Australia.
Sources
My Kind of Scene uncovers the past and present of Australian music. In this episode, we begin by discussing the thrill of Kylie's contender for 2023 Song of the Summer, but quickly pivot to explore the unparalleled career of another Aussie pop diva who's found success at home and away: Tina Arena. You might think you know her, but think again!
Find the episode playlists on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page and on YouTube. Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.
My Kind Of Scene acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the land many of us call Australia.
Sources
Welcome to My Kind of Scene, where we uncover the past and present of Australian music. I'm Cara Diaria, indie musician and music nerd, bringing my unique perspective to the hits and misses, the movers and shakers, the goodness and greatness that make the Australian music scene, my kind of scene.
Before we dig in, let's acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present, and future traditional custodians and elders of the land many of us call Australia.
As I write this episode, it's the early days of the American summer, a time when culture commentators are traditionally declaring the hot contenders for Song of the Summer. This is an unofficial crown for the song that's culturally and commercially dominant in the USA between May and September, often a feel-good party tune like Donna Summer's, "Bad Girls" from 1979, Los Del Rio's "Macarena" from 1996, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Crazy in Love" from 2003, or Katy Perry's "California Gurls" from 2010.
This year, 2023, rather than predicting a definitive Song of the Summer, those same commentators are bemoaning the lack thereof. It seems the monoculture has disintegrated so completely that Americans are no longer all dancing to the same beat. There's no one ubiquitous song that they can hear pumping out of car stereo speakers as they cross the street, emanating from café and bar sound systems, or eliciting hollers of delight at a pool or beach party.
But for me, they're wrong. One song has been coming up all over the place, inspiring memes and choreography videos across social media, being discussed and delighted in on no less than four of the American music and pop culture podcasts I listen to, even being performed live by the artist on the American Idol finale. In the few months since its release, it's been streamed on Spotify over 40 million times.
That's right. It's "Padam Padam" by our very own "Princess of Pop," Kylie Minogue.
If not the Song of the Summer, "Padam Padam" was certainly the Pride anthem of the year, being embraced throughout Pride Month by the LGBTQIA+ community, which has long held a torch for Kylie, but seems to particularly resonate with this eastern European-inspired electro jam, whose onomatopoeic title includes a cheeky reference to a song by legendary French chanteuse, Edith Piaf.
It's been yet another reinvention for one of Australia's most enduring pop stars, who first burst onto the scene all the way back in the eighties with a role in beloved soap Neighbours, and a string of Stock Aitken Waterman bubblegum pop hits. A reinvention that has introduced her to yet another generation of pop fans, further cementing her in the Pantheon.
But as thrilling as this viral moment is, Kylie's not the artist I want to focus on for this episode. We've already covered quite a bit of her career on this podcast. If you missed it, check out the episodes "Undercover Down Under – Part 1" and "Closer Than My Closest Friend – Part 2." I've mentioned a few times that a guest appearance on the long-running Australian kids' variety show Young Talent Time gave Aussies our first chance to hear Kylie strut her vocal stuff, was her sister Dannii Minogue's launchpad as a regular cast member from 1982-88.
But we haven't yet discussed the biggest vocal giant to have come from Johnny Young's young stable – and no, I'm not talking about Bevan Addinsal or Joey Perrone or even Karen Knowles or Debra Byrne. I'm talking about a true pop diva whose soaring vocals have helmed club hits and power ballads alike from the late eighties to today. One whose vocal talent has been recognized on the world stage. That's right, it's Tina Arena.
Filippina Lydia Arena was born in 1960s Melbourne to Sicilian immigrants, and raised on a diet of Italian, Spanish, and French songs from her parents' record collection. Following a surprisingly impressive turn on the microphone at a relative's wedding, eight-year-old Filippina appeared as a contestant on the competition portion of Young Talent Time, Australia's answer to the Mickey Mouse Club, then watched by 3 million Australians every Saturday night.
Her parents noticed and nurtured her talents, driving her across Melbourne daily for rehearsals and recording sessions, as the 10-year-old became a permanent cast member in 1976. They even allowed a tweak to her name – the diminutive singer was dubbed "Tiny Tina" on the show – apparently Filippina, or Pina, as she was known, wasn't <quote unquote> "relatable" enough for the show's mainstream, majority-white audience.
It's so sad to me that something as simple as a kid's name wasn't deemed relatable enough for a TV audience, and I'm glad to say our multicultural society has progressed beyond this bigotry today.
In her 2013 memoir, Now I Can Dance, she remembers her time on YTT fondly, although it was hard work. It was almost like having a full-time job on top of school, not to mention the challenge of growing up in the public eye, the shackles of which she wouldn't cast off until much later.
Nonetheless, Arena loved learning everything there was to know about music and show business, and enjoyed the challenge of performing new songs and dance routines every week, although dancing wasn't her strongest suit. Today, she attributes the work ethic and skills developed on the show to much of her later success, and credits the seven years she spent on the show with making her who she is.
Tina Arena's cover versions of popular songs like "Funky Town," " Xanadu," and "You're the One That I Want" were broadcast weekly into Australian homes from 1976 until just her 16th birthday in 1983, making her the longest serving YTT cast member in the show's 18-year run. She often performed duets with fellow cast member John Bowles, with whom she released her first album, Tiny Tina and Little John at the tender age of 11.
As Tina grew up, her singing and stage presence matured. Hinting at what the future had in store, her powerful farewell performances of US number one hits Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" and Barbara Streisand's ballad "The Way We Were," made young viewers like me cry as hard as we did when Molly died on A Country Practice.
It was a rocky transition to adulthood for Tina Arena, whose first post-YTT single, 1985's "Turn Up the Beat" was a flop, peaking at just 92 on the charts. I have to say, as an avid Young Talent Time fan and music lover in general, it's weird that I have absolutely no memory of this song. I mean, let's be honest, it's not that great of a song, but at age six or seven, I'm not sure my music criticism skills were very finely honed. But I was very aware of pop music at the time and have a strong memory of many of 1985's top singles, including a trio of number ones for Madonna, top 10 hits for INXS, Katrina and the Waves, and the Pointer Sisters, and number one smashes by Huey Lewis and the News, Tina Turner and Foreigner. By the way, we'll hear more about this song later. And let's not forget the year's biggest song, a charity single, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and performed by supergroup USA for Africa.
Anyway, Tina Arena's single didn't find a foothold amongst all this greatness, and her planned album was scrapped. Arena gritted it out through the late eighties with advertising jingles, pub and club gigs, and musicals, with one bright spot being a support slot for the aforementioned American singer and former Commodores co-lead Lionel Richie, on his 1987 Australian tour, at the height of his solo success.
Finally, in 1990, Arena managed to shed her Tiny Tina persona, relaunching herself as, according to music historian Ian McFarlane, a <quote> "raunchy, disco diva" <unquote>.
Single, "I Need Your Body" moved steadily up the ARIA singles chart, landing at number three, where it stayed for three weeks behind big power ballads by Roxette and Heart, and high-fiving Madonna's "Vogue" on its way down from the top. In fact, Arena's music video seems to have been more than a little inspired by Like a Prayer-era Madonna – from the mysterious dancer, voguing in the shadows of an ancient church-like building, to Arena's black corset, short skirt, bolero jacket, and suspender stockings.
Despite the apparent furor at the time over Arena's ample cleavage, her outfit looks positively chaste beside Madonna's getup during the same year's Blonde Ambition tour. Remember those pointy bras?
Anyway, it seems many Australians who'd watched Tiny Tina grow up in their homes got their knickers in a knot over a little bit of cleavage on the now 23-year-old, not helped by an admittedly pretty funny Gina Riley parody video on sketch comedy show Fast Forward. If you ask me in the "I Need Your Body" video, Tina Arena looks spectacular, and it's a huge shame she was ever made to feel anything but.
In her biography, Arena reflected on how she didn't have the confidence at the time to assert her opinions on song choice or image. All she knew was that she wanted to, <quote> "explode once and for all the image of that cute little girl that seemed to be everyone's idea of who I was" <unquote>. Subsequent debut album, Strong as Steel, made it into the Australian top 20 and spawned a couple more top-40 singles, but critical opinion was that Tina hadn't found her groove yet.
Returning to LA she felt driven to write about the frustrations of being <quote> " shackled to her past," <unquote> and focused on this in a session with songwriting team Pam Reswick and Steve Werfel. The resulting song turned out to be the icing on the cake of her pile of demos, and she spent the next six months in the studio recording alongside producer Dave Tyson who'd produced Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet," and an incredible lineup of session musicians, including Australian singer-songwriter Rick Price; bassist John Pierce, who's played with Donna Summer, Fleetwood Mac and Celine Dion; guitarist Bob Mann, who's played with James Taylor, Barbra Streisand, and Cher; guitarist Tim Pierce, who's played with Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Elton John; and drummer Pat Mastelotto, who's played with Patti LaBelle, the Pointer Sisters, and Hall & Oates.
That song about the need to break free, "Chains," was issued as the lead single in August, 1994, to critical acclaim. Larry Flick from US industry magazine, Billboard, described it as a <quote> "immediately memorable, lyrically smart rhythm ballad," <unquote> and praised the smooth build of the arrangement from <quote> "a subtle, finger-snappin' pop groove to a dramatic, rock-edged climax." <unquote> He compared her vocals to a diva hybrid of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Olivia Newton-John.
This time, Arena took control of her image, opting for a muted palette and casual outfit for the single's music video, and a simple-but-effective close-up of her naturally styled face for the album cover.
Despite the strong reviews, "Chains" took a little while to gain momentum in Australia, initially finding popularity in Greece of all places, Arena's first taste of European success. Ultimately it gained radio rotation at home, peaking at number four on the ARIA charts. It also made the top 10 in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, and scraped into the US top 40. The song set the tone for the more mature, soulful, and confident album to come and Don't Ask went on to be 1995's highest selling album in Australia, and peaking at number one on the ARIA album chart, where it remained in the top 50 for 83 weeks. In her memoir, Arena likened the making of the album to, <quote> "falling in love for the first time," <unquote>.
The album has now sold over 2 million copies worldwide, and was certified 10 times platinum in Australia in 2011.
Don't Ask spawned five more singles, most of which have become part of the Australian pop vernacular. This one even went on to be a Billboard Country hit for US singer Wynonna Judd.
One of those Don't Ask singles has been on my mind a lot lately – probably because my parents recently moved to the location of its inspiration, Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. Like many Melburnians, myself included, Arena spent summers on the peninsula's beautiful beaches, at places like Rosebud, Rye, Portsea, and Sorrento.
"Sorrento Moon (I Remember)" was a head scratcher for the Sony executives at first – they weren't too sure whether its slightly Latin flavor would resonate with Australian audiences, but soon their heads were bopping to the Samba beat, and a top 10 single it became.
Tours of the UK, Europe, and the US followed the album's release, as well as an extensive, near-sold-out Australian tour.
In 1995, Tina Arena won four ARIA awards – including the first Album of the Year gong awarded to a solo female artist – cementing her transition from cute kid performer to serious adult pop star. She'd taken control of her sound and also her image, and emerged as a fully realized R&B pop diva.
Arena sang the Australian National Anthem and "Waltzing Matilda" in front of a hundred thousand footy fans at the MCG, and 60 million viewers worldwide, right before my family's beloved team, the Geelong Cats sadly got absolutely slaughtered by my now-husband Adam's team, the Carlton Blues in the Australian Rules Football Grand Final. At the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo, she shared a makeup artist with supermodel Naomi Campbell, and sang "Chains" for an audience that included Michael Jackson and Celine Dion. It was a true Cinderella moment.
Following up a blockbuster hit album is never an easy task. Back in LA, Arena got back to writing and recording, working hard to recreate the magic of Don't Ask. She co-wrote 11 of 12 songs for the Australian version of the new album, again, writing and recording with some of the best in the biz, which this time included Mick Jones, guitarist and founding member of American rock outfit, Foreigner. It took a little convincing, but eventually Jones gave Arena his blessing to include a cover of Foreigner's hit, " I Want to Know What Love Is," and even pulled in other members of Foreigner to guest on the song.
The resulting album, 1997's In Deep debuted at number one on the Australian charts, knocking kid brother band Hanson from the top spot, and was certified three times platinum. I'm shocked to say, close to the dawn of the new Millennium, Arena was the first ever female Australian artist to have an album debut at number one.
Single "Burn" debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. However, it didn't resonate the same overseas, failing to make the top 40 in the UK and not charting at all in the US. Sidebar – this song also later became an American country hit, this time for singer Jo Dee Messina.
The international versions of In Deep included "If I Was a River," penned by songwriting royalty, Diane Warren, author of such masterpieces as Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" and Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" amongst many, many more top 10 hits. This came about due to Sony boss, Tommy Mottola – at the time, married to another Sony diva, Mariah Carey – and his special interest in Tina Arena's career.
He commissioned Warren to write a big ballad that would hopefully bring about US success for Arena, enlisted top producer Walter Afanasieff, and sent Tina off to Egypt to shoot a big budget clip on the Nile. But despite Mottola and Sony's efforts, the single didn't hit as hoped and her US run was halted.
As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. Before recording "If I Was a River," Arena had had the chance to duet with up and coming Latin star, Marc Anthony on the James Horner-written Jim Steinman-produced signature song for the Hollywood movie, The Mask of Zorro, which starred Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Now, Horner and Steinman had been separately responsible for some of the biggest and most cinematic hits of all time, including Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell," so expectations were high. I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" didn't catch on in the US, but it did chart across Europe later the same year, " The song " spent weeks in the top 10 in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, was still in the charts five months later. And at the same time, Arena's Foreigner cover was making its way up the French charts, ultimately reaching number 13.
Suddenly, Tina Arena was France's "next big thing." It was the beginning of a new chapter in her career.
Arena credits much of her European success to two inspiring and supportive French women, Columbia Records execs, Virginie Auclair and Valerie Michelin. They saw her potential as a chanteuse who resonated with the French market, encouraged her to start singing in French, a language, she didn't speak. While Italian was her first language, and she had recorded a version of "Sorrento Moon" in Spanish, she felt <quote unquote> "terrified" about the transition to French. She couldn't speak or understand the language, and felt it might impact her ability to connect with the songs she was singing.
Her first conquest was – and I apologize if my high-school French doesn't quite cut it for the remainder of this episode – "Aller Plus Haut," which means to go higher – exactly what she was trying to do at the time. And go high she did, all the way to number two on the French charts and number one in Belgium. She also recorded an updated version of the Edith Piaf classic " Les Trois Cloches," or the Three Bells, which also went to number one in Belgium and top five in France.
She began performing sold-out shows in Paris and appearing on French TV shows. The French release of In Deep stayed in the charts for 88 weeks.
After a chance meeting, Arena had the opportunity to tread the boards once again, this time in a lead role in the West End production of the hit French musical, Notre-Dame de Paris a love story about Quasimodo, the hunchback who falls in love with the beautiful gypsy girl, Esmeralda.
The turn of the Millennium was a particularly special time in Australia, which was sizzling with anticipation of the Sydney 2000 Olympic games. Following john Williamson, Human Nature. Julie Anthony, John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, and Vanessa Amorosi, and in front of an estimated audience of 3 billion people, Tina Arena sang "The Flame" right before soon-to-be-legendary Australian athlete Cathy Freeman lit the Olympic flame.
The same year, Arena received an Outstanding Achievement award at the ARIAs, for selling in excess of 1 million albums across Europe. She released Souvenirs, a compilation album of highlights from her overseas career, which was certified gold.
Tina Arena's fifth Australian studio album, 2001's Just Me, saw her collaborate with more top songwriters and producers, including Desmond Child, who among others, wrote hits for Kiss, Bon Jovi, Cher, Bonnie Tyler, Aerosmith and Ricky Martin; and Chic founder Nile Rodgers, who'd worked with Madonna, Diana Ross, David Bowie, and INXS, to name a few.
Strings were arranged by Simon Hale, who was known for arranging Jamiroquai's distinctive strings.
The album's first two Australian singles, "Soulmate #9," and "Dare You to Be Happy," were both produced by Rogers, but unfortunately didn't do as well as expected on the charts. It's weird because I remember the latter being ubiquitous on radio and music video station Channel V, but it didn't even crack the top 40 in Australia. It seems these songs just weren't as strong as those by fellow Aussie hit makers, Kylie Minogue Kasey Chambers, or international artists, LeAnn Rimes, Shakira or Vanessa Carlton. Either that, or up-and-coming pop superstar Delta Goodrem was sucking up all the air in the Sony boardroom.
French single "Tu es Toujours Là" did better, reaching number 11 in France, and then fourth single, "Symphony of Life" finally cracked the ARIA Top 10. Co-written and produced by former Jethro Tull keyboardist, Peter Vettese, who had worked with artists like the Pet Shop Boys, Annie Lennox, Dido, and several Spice Girls, the track had a more modern, fresh sound venturing into new electronic territory.
The album went gold in both Australia and France – not a smash hit, but a continuation of Tina Arena's evolution.
Next came Arena's most demanding theater role yet, that of the lead, Sally Bowles, in the 2002 Sydney production of the musical, Cabaret.
Soon after she had a club hit in the US with American electronica outfit Roc Project, and a remix was featured on the US prestige drama series, Queer as Folk. A live album followed, released in Europe, and a Greatest Hits, which reached the top 10 in Australia and concluded her contract with Sony.
Fortunately, the visionary ladies at Columbia Records in France saw an opportunity, and signed Arena on for a three album deal.
Un Autre Univers, or "another universe," was Tina Arena's debut French-language album, with all 13 songs recorded in French. Lead single, "Aimer Jusqu'à L'impossible," roughly meaning, "love till it's impossible," debuted at number three on the French charts, and the album spent 62 weeks in the top 100, peaking at number nine in November, 2006.
Second single "Je m'appelle Bagdad," or "my name is Baghdad," a song about the destruction of the city during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, also did well on the European charts, reaching the top 10 in France and Belgium.
In 2007, Arena returned to the theater yet again, this time in London starring as Roxy Hart in the West End production of Chicago.
The same year, she recorded an album of covers, Songs of Love and Loss, featuring mainly torch songs, originally recorded in the sixties and seventies by songstresses like Diana Ross and Dusty Springfield, which reached number three in Australia. The tour for this one included a 35-piece orchestra, and prestige venues like Melbourne's Hamer Hall and Sydney Opera House.
The following year, she dropped a sequel, Songs of Love and Loss, Volume 2, this time, covering a wider range of artists, including Blondie, Alice Cooper, Tim Finn, and Elton John. In between, she somehow also managed to put out her second French-language album, 7 Vies meaning "seven lives," whose lead single "Entends-tu le monde," or "do you hear the world?" again reached the top 10 in France. Cementing her position as France's favorite Aussie chanteuse was her 2009 compilation album, The Best & le Meilleur, meaning "the best and the best," which peaked at number two on the French compilation albums chart.
In 2012, Arena embarked on a highly successful Australian national tour, backed by various symphony orchestras, with fellow Italian-Australian TV pop sensation, Anthony Callea as special guest. The Tour spawned a live album, Symphony of Life, and a series of encore concerts the following year. A pair of original English-language albums in 2013 and 2015 each took Arena back into the top five of the Australian albums chart.
In November, 2015, Tina Arena was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. This was an honor bestowed on only 10 women before her, and more than 180 guys, an inequality, which unfortunately hasn't gotten much better since.
Systemic inequity aside, it was a fitting tribute with previous inductee, Kylie Minogue paying her respects to Tina's talents: <Quote> "I remember being blown away when she sang "MacArthur Park" on Young Talent Time, and I tried countless times to try and sing that song the way she did it and couldn't do it. She has the pipes. She could teach us all a lesson." <Unquote>
Arena used the podium moment as an opportunity to thank all those who had helped her along her journey, and to call out the sexism and ageism that permeates the music industry, and demand radio play music for its quality, not the age of the artist.
At the ceremony, Arena performed her blockbuster ballad, "Chains," with a little help from the next generation of Australian female pop stars, The Veronicas and Jessica Mauboy. Their version included a symbolic lyric change at the end – " I'm no longer in these chains" – and made its way to number 14 on the ARIA singles chart, Arena's highest position there since 2002. I dare you to watch this performance on YouTube and not get chills!
Just a couple of months later, Arena was recognized in the Australia Day Honors, being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her contribution to the arts, representing Australia on the world stage, and philanthropic work.
2017's double compilation album, Greatest Hits and Interpretations, marked the singer's 40th year in music, and 40th anniversary of her first album, Tiny Tina and Little John. As well as featuring Arena's most popular English-language hits and some covers, it included a selection of interpretations of her songs performed by other, mostly Australian, singers. Okay, you know, I can't resist an interpretative cover. Let's hear some!
· Country stars, Morgan Evans and Claire Bowen, the latter of which you may remember from the soapy American drama Nashville.
· Folk singers Ben Abraham and Ainsley Wills interpreted, "Wasn't It Good."
· French Canadian singer, David Thibault with a Motown take on Arena's raunchy breakout single, "I Need Your Body."
· Aussie stalwart Jimmy Barnes seeming frankly a little out of place, on "When You're Ready."
· Ethereal vocalists, Katie Noonan on "Burn" and Kate Miller-Heidke on "Heaven Help My Heart."
· And, most thrillingly, especially for my 10 year old self, a duet with the only other artist from the Young Talent Time stable who has approached anywhere near Tina Arena's level of success. Yes, Ms. Dannii Minogue on "Sorento Moon."
Not one to rest on her laurels, Arena spent 2018 popping out a third French-language album and starring as Argentine political figure and spiritual leader, Eva Peron in an Australian revival of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice's musical Evita, A role for which, Arena received a Helpmann award nomination.
Before I wrap up, I want to leave you with some of the extraordinary, pinch-yourself moments of Tina Arena's career:
Dueting on "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" with her disco idol Donna Summer, at the Hammerstein Theater in New York, singing what was originally Barbra Streisand's part, for Summer's live album and TV documentary.
Supporting another of her idols, the Bee Gees, for their epic 1998, 'One Show Only' 30th anniversary concert at London's Wembley Stadium.
Getting to jam on stage with soul legend, Stevie Wonder, in Melbourne, after a personal invitation from Wonder, who was a big fan of Don't Ask and "Chains" in particular. It was an offer she couldn't refuse, and ended up dueting on four songs and receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
Performing multiple times at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and becoming a firm favorite of the Australian LGBTQIA+ community.
Playing renowned English theater composer Andrew Lloyd Weber's 50th birthday celebration at London's Royal Albert Hall, alongside Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman, Glenn Close, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Julian Lloyd Webber and Bonnie Tyler.
Playing Prince Charles' charity fundraiser show for around 150,000 people in Hyde Park, alongside Tom Jones, Shania Twain, and country-mate, Natalie Imbruglia, and a few years later performing at the Prince's Foundation Gala Dinner, the next night being invited to an intimate dinner with his Royal Highness and then-companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, who was a fan of the musical Notre Dame de Paris.
Performing "The Prayer," " Canto della Terra," and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli during his Australian tour in August, 2008.
A spontaneous a capella rendition of "Advance Australia Fair" on the podium at the Tour de France winner's ceremony following Aussie Cadel Evans' historic victory.
Being the first Australian to be awarded a Knighthood of the French National Order of National Merit, for her contributions to French culture in 2011. Yeah, that's right. Tina Arena is a knight.
Performing The Beatles' classic, " Come Together," with English R&B superstar Craig David at the Paris Live 8 concert, a poverty awareness initiative led by Irish singer-songwriter and political activist Bob Geldoff. Remember those "Make Poverty History" bracelets everyone had for a minute?
And a full circle moment; appearing as a judge on a 2012 reboot of the show that launched her career, Young Talent Time, almost 30 years after her original appearance on the series.
Now, I've been listening to Tina Arena's catalog for the past month while researching this episode, and certainly finding a new appreciation for her pop sensibilities and soaring vocals than perhaps I had in real time, as steeped as I was in the world of indie and alternative music in the nineties and two thousands. The woman can sing! Crank up her greatest hits in the car sometime... you won't be sorry!
But maybe because of the length of her four-decade career, I was operating under the assumption that her catalog was in the past.
So you can imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when my Spotify release radar turned up a brand new Tina Arena song.
I guess it makes sense. A prolific artist like Arena is always going to be compelled to make music and share it with the world. It just surprised me, tucked in there between Boy Genius and Caroline Polachek, to hear this voice so familiar from the past. In contrast to most of Arena's previous releases, each of which were a potpourri of collaborations with various writers, 13th studio album, Love Saves, was written with a stable crew of songwriting partners, including Swedish songwriter Mattias Lindblom at the production helm, young Aussie jazz pianist, Jack Earl, singer songwriter Tanya Doko, best known for being one half of the duo Bachelor Girl, who found success in the late nineties with their top-five platinum-selling single, "Buses and Trains." Doko also performs backing vocals on the album.
Other guest artists include Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, and Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Jack Jones, a.k.a. Irwin Thomas, of Southern Suns fame.
Love Saves hasn't set the ARIA charts on fire, but I get the sense it was necessary therapy for Arena, working through the trauma of the past few years in the way she knows best. In Arena's words, <quote> "Love Saves is more than a new chapter in my career, it marks the beginning of an entirely new book! It represents a re-birth, a renaissance of sorts, a musical journal of my life during the pandemic... From rock bottom, I ran the gauntlet of human emotion. I faced my own demons, emerging the other side transformed, triumphant, renewed, and at peace." <Unquote>
The legacy of Tina Arena looms large on the Australian cultural landscape, and also on that of her home-away-from-home, France. The French willingness to embrace this Australian chanteuse is remarkable for a culture so protective of its language and music. Her achievements in the pop and music theater realms will be surpassed by few. And her outspoken, matter-of-fact nature and desire to challenge the status quo have helped open doors and break down barriers for many a pop diva behind her.
The hardworking little girl from Moonee Ponds, whose name was too ethnic for Aussie audiences, has become an absolute staple of Aussie life – her voice as recognizable to most of us as any of the greats. And I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before Tina Arena, like fellow diva Kylie, enjoys her own viral TikTok moment and is discovered and embraced by a whole new generation of pop fans.
Thanks for listening to My Kind of Scene. This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Cara Daria. Theme music by Cara Diaria. Source links are in the episode description, and you can also find links to Spotify and YouTube playlists of all the songs we played. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us and tell your friends.