| Tina Arena |
Article Index for Tina |
Website Links For Tina |
Information AboutTina Arena |
Tina Arena (born '''Filippina Lydia Arena''' on November 1 , 1967 , in Moonee Ponds , Melbourne , Australia ) is an ARIA award winning singer/songwriter. Her parents are Italian ; she has two sisters, Nancy and Silvana. A child star of the pre-reality-TV generation, Tina began her career as a 7 year old, singing live on Australia’s longest running variety television show, '' Young Talent Time '' (1977-1983). Even as a tiny girl she was known for her big voice and stage presence, but Tina dropped from sight for several years following her '' Young Talent Time '' tenure, years she spent trying to get up a recording career, working the club circuit alone and in bands, and appearing in musicals. In 1990, at the age of 21, she was reinvented as a raunchy Disco diva with the national #2 single " I Need Your Body ". It gave her a successful album, '' Strong As Steel '', and more hits, but for Tina this was a momentary digression, as this was never a music style or an image she was comfortable with. After a couple years, Tina broke the stigma of a TV childhood and carved out a successful solo career with Columbia Records . The David Tyler -produced '' Don't Ask '' was Australia 's biggest selling album of 1995, and the biggest selling album by any Australian female. '' Don't Ask '' sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide and sold 10x Platinum in Australia. " Chains " scaled the charts in the UK to #4, and charted well throughout Europe, earning her numerous awards in the process. The follow-up album, “ In Deep ”, produced by Foreigner 's Mick Jones , was also a multi-platinum success. Some tracks like " I Want To Know What Love Is " and " Burn " led to minor success in some U.S airplay charts. Interestingly, Tina’s singing and songwriting abilities were particularly well noted in Nashville where a number of pedigreed country artists have since covered her songs, including Wynonna Judd ("Heaven Help My Heart"), Jo Dee Messina ("Burn"), Pam Tillis (" If I Didn’t Love You "), and LeAnn Rimes ("You Made Me Find Myself"). Tina’s collaboration with Mark Anthony , on " I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You " (from the '' Mask Of Zorro '' soundtrack), gave her a new kind of European success, tipping the scales of her success in France where both the song and the movie became Top 10 hits. She began to record in French, and Tina’s most recent French language album “ Un Autre Univers ” was yet another Platinum milestone for her there, riding high in the French Charts for well over a year and featuring the award winning single Aimer Jusqu'à L'impossible . Regardless of her recording achievements, musical theatre has always remained more than just a sideline for Tina Arena. Her performance in the Australian production of ''Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat'', while still in her teens, was hailed by the show's producer, Andrew Lloyd Webber . Tina has since made acclaimed appearances in the UK production of '' Notre Dame De Paris '', as Esmeralda , and as Sally Bowles in the Sam Mendes-directed '' Cabaret '' (2002). It’s no surprise then that the recent announcement that Tina's playing Roxie Hart in the hit '' has been greeted with excitement around the world. Having previously boasted an international cast including Brooke Shields , Alison Moyet and David Hasselhoff , the production is heading toward it’s 10th anniversary in the UK, with little sign of slowing down. “Musicals are a different world compared to that of the recording artist, basically because, it’s really hard work”, Tina laughs, “but I’m so excited to be back in the West End . I love Chicago - it’s such a fabulous show and for me, the opportunity to play Roxie and to be a part of such a great production is just awesome”. Tina has almost completed a new album in English. The album is to be a “concept album of songs written or performed by women that conveyed similar meaning - heartfelt songs about love and loss, told from a woman’s perspective”. There are at least two Dusty Springfield tracks on the upcoming album. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
TRIVIA
DISCOGRAPHY Soundtracks One Fine Day
The Mask Of Zorro
Whistle Down The Wind
Notre Dame De Paris
The Dish
AWARDS The following lists some of the awards won by Arena during her career. 1983
1990
1995
1996
1999
fdfd 2000
2004
2005
2006
2007
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|