Tina Arena
Tina Arena in her Aimer jusqu'à l'impossible video (2005)
Background information
Birth name	Filippina Lydia Arena
Also known as	Tiny Tina, Teen
Born	November 01 1967 (1967--) (age 40)
Origin	Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genre(s)	Pop, Classical, Rock, Dance
Years active	1974 - present
Label(s)	Sony BMG Columbia (1989-2004) Columbia France (2005-present)
Website	TinaArena.com

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. She speaks fluent English and Italian, is competent in French, and has sung during her career in at least four languages: English, French, Italian and Spanish.

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 #3 Platinum selling 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 West End production of Chicago: The Musical 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

• Tina was Australia's Highest Selling Female Recording Artist. (She has long been surpassed by Kylie Minogue) ^{[citation needed]}
• She is one of only five non-French artists by her debut French single, Aller Plus Haut, to sell over 1,000,000 units in France. ^{[citation needed]}.
• Tina made the BRW Young Rich - Australia's Richest People Under 40 list.

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Tina is credited as being one of only five non French artists to achieve album sales in excess of one million units in France.
• In 2003, three performers associated with Young Talent Time were simultaneously in the United States Billboard Magazine Dance Top 10 – series regulars, Tina with "Never (Past Tense)" and Dannii Minogue with "I Begin To Wonder", along with Kylie Minogue, who had made her television singing debut on Young Talent Time with "Slow".
• Tina has frequently collaborated with fellow Australian singer/songwriter, Rick Price and has co-written songs with him. She provided backing vocals on several of his recordings - he provided backing vocals on several of hers.
• Tina was approached by Donna Summer to perform a live duet with her of "Enough is Enough (No More Tears)". Donna was so pleased by the result that it was included on her live album.

Discography

Soundtracks

One Fine Day

• Released: 1996
• Single:
  • "Loves Funny That Way"

The Mask of Zorro

• Released: 1998
• Single:
  • "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" (Duet with Marc Anthony)

Whistle Down the Wind

• Released: 1998
• Single:
  • "Whistle Down the Wind""

Notre Dame de Paris

• Released: 2000
• Singles:
  • "Live (For The One I Love)"
  • "Pagan Ave Maria"
  • "The Bohemienne Song"
  • "The Birds They Put In Cages" (Duet with Garou)

The Games Of The XXVII Olympiad 2000: Music from the Opening Ceremony

• Released: 2000
• Single:
  • "The Flame"

The Dish

• Released: 2001
• Single:
  • "The Day The World Stood Still" (with Australian Boys Choir)

Awards

The following lists some of the awards won by Arena during her career.

1983

• Penguin Award: Best New Talent
• Television Society of Australia: Special Recognition

1990

• Countdown Reader's Poll: Best New Talent

1995

• ARIA: Highest Selling Australian Album [Don't Ask]
• ARIA: Best Pop Release [Chains]
• ARIA: Song of The Year [Chains]
• ARIA: Album of the Year [Don't Ask]
• Radio Awards: Most Played Artist
• Variety Club: Entertainer of the Year
• BRIT Awards: Best International Newcomer [Nomination]
• Young Australian of the Year: Outstanding Achievement

1996

• APRA Awards: Song Of The Year [Wasn't It Good]
• World Music Awards: World's Best Selling Australian Artist
• Advance Australia Foundation: Outstanding Contribution
• Radio Awards: Best Australian Performer on Radio

1999

• Alma Awards: [I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You]

2000

• ARIA: Outstanding Achievement
• BMI Awards: For co-writing Burn
• World Music Awards: World's Best Selling Australian Artist
• NRJ: Best New International Revelation

2004

• USA Dancestar Awards: Best Single [Never (Past Tense)] [Nomination]
• USA Dancestar Awards: Best Dance Act [Never (Past Tense)] [Nomination]

2005

• Platinum Award (Australia): Greatest Hits 1994-2004

2006

• France: "La Chanson de L'annee" Song of the Year: [Aimer Jusqu'a L'impossible]
• NRJ: Best French Female Artist [Nomination]

2007

• NRJ: Artiste Feminine Francophone [Nomination]

External links

• Official website
• Tina Arena en español
• Question and Answer session with Tina on Theatre.Com

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