Background
Arena was born to Giuseppe and Franca Arena, Italian immigrants living in the Melbourne suburb of East Keilor, Victoria.
Actor judge producer singer writer
Arena was born to Giuseppe and Franca Arena, Italian immigrants living in the Melbourne suburb of East Keilor, Victoria.
Music career:
1974–1983: Young Talent Time
Arena began her career as a 7-year-old, singing live on the variety television show Young Talent Time. Even as a young girl she was known for her powerful voice and stage presence, but she dropped from sight for several years following her Young Talent Time tenure, working the club circuit alone and in bands and also appearing in musicals.
1988–1991: Strong as Steel
In 1987, at the age of 20, she was reinvented as a raunchy disco diva with the national Number 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 not a music style or image with which she was comfortable with.
1994–1996: Don't Ask
After a couple of years, Arena broke the stigma of a TV childhood and carved out a successful solo career with Columbia Records. The David Tyson-produced Don't Ask was Australia's biggest selling album of 1995 and one of the biggest selling album by any Australian female singer to date. Don't Ask sold over five million copies worldwide and was certified 10 times platinum in Australia.
2000: Sydney Olympic Games
During the opening ceremony, Tina performed The Flame.
2003–2005: "Never (Past Tense)" and Greatest Hits (1994–2004)
A foray into dance music in 2003 was also successful when Arena was featured on The Roc Project's "Never (Past Tense)" which reached 1 on the United States Billboard dance Top 10. This marked the first time three performers associated with Young Talent Time were simultaneously in the chart's Top 10 with Dannii Minogue's "I Begin to Wonder" and Kylie Minogue's "Slow" also appearing on the chart. The track was also featured heavily on the US TV series Queer as Folk and on the soundtrack album. Arena performed the Tiësto remix of "Never" along with a new remix of "Dare You to Be Happy" live at the official Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras afterparty in March 2005.
2008–2009: 7 vies and Songs of Love & Loss 2
August 2008 saw Arena performing with Andrea Bocelli during his Australian tour. The two performed well received duets of "The Prayer", "Canto della Terra" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love". Prior to the tour she had been in the UK recording her eighth studio album Songs of Love & Loss 2, which was released on 15 November 2008. For this album, her vocals were recorded live with the London Studio Orchestra, again conducted by Hale.
Arena & Alison Jiear at Sydney Mardi Gras 2009.
Alongside fellow Australian singer and songwriter Darren Hayes, Arena appeared as a guest judge during the London auditions of Australian Idol's sixth season. The episode featuring Arena and Hayes aired on 27 August 2008. She again appeared as a guest judge on 16 November while she was in Australia to promote Songs of Love & Loss 2.
In March 2009, Arena toured Australia in support of her album Songs of Love & Loss 2 and also appeared as a surprise guest performer at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras party singing a medley of "Aimer jusqu'à l'impossible" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" at 3 am accompanied by Alison Jiear on the latter.
2009 also saw the release of Arena's first French greatest hits album, The Best & le meilleur, and The Peel Me Sessions, an album of original material recorded in 2003 but rejected by her label at the time Sony.
2010–present
A live CD and DVD was released in Australia on January 2010, The Onstage Collection, where the album peaked at 22 on the ARIA Top 50 Albums chart. The live record marked Tina Arena's 8th Top 10 album on the ARIA Australian Artist Chart as well. On 24 July 2011, Arena sang the Australian National Anthem on the podium of the Tour de France after the victory of Cadel Evans. Arena has been confirmed as a judge on the upcoming French version of The Sing-Off. She also appeared as a judge on the 2012 version of Young Talent Time in Australia, twenty-nine years after her final regular appearance on the original series. She has just also finished her 11-date 2012 Australian Tour to which Anthony Callea was a special guest.