Many artists who have lasted 40 years in show business are winding down their recording careers, on the RSL club circuit or retired.
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But this is not the case for Tina Arena.
After blossoming as a live performer before a national television audience on Young Talent Time, Arena conquered Australia with two number one records, 1994’s Don’t Ask and 1997’s In Deep, and then found fame in Europe with number one singles in France and Belgium.
For more than 12 years Australia has shared one of its favourite pop stars with England and France - the latter where Arena lives with her partner, artist Vincent Mancini, and nine-year-old son Gabriel.
But now the songstress has returned to home soil for a national tour in support of Reset, her first English-language originals record since 2001’s Just Me.
The album is a rich pop production and a grand statement from the 46-year-old.
“I’m resetting my life – I’m totally resetting my life,” Arena says from Melbourne, where she is in pre-production for her tour.
“I’m trying to untangle complicated webs that were weaved many, many years ago.
“I just look for simplicity and transparency in everything I do.
“I just try to keep it simple– which isn’t always easy.”
This desire is reflected in both the direct lyrics on Reset and also her candid, honest responses in interviews.
“I’ve never been one to beat around the bush,” Arena says.
“I don’t mince my words – I just tell it how it is.
“I think there are a lot of people today who appreciate that.”
Arena’s sincere personality extends to her career choices, which are dictated by well-reasoned and pragmatic decisions.
When asked why it has been 13 years since she last released an album of original music in English, the reason given is an economic one.
“I started thinking about doing an originals record and then the GFC hit and I went ‘right, it’s not time to do a record’,” Arena explains.
“All of our heads were spinning and it just didn’t feel right.
“To produce something and have it fall through the cracks is not the objective of what [singers] do.
“I felt people were perturbed – I was perturbed, so I thought if I’m feeling this way no doubt I’m not alone in my thoughts.
“Hence the reason why [Arena’s 2007 covers record] Songs of Love and Loss came out because I felt
people at this point in time need a sense of familiarity and security.
“I think that album resonated and took people back spiritually and psychologically back to times in their life when things were easier.”
The success of Reset, which spent three months in the ARIA Top 20, confirms that Arena chose the right time to release a new collection of original music.
“I’m a very instinctive woman – I think people are starting to understand that about me now,” Arena says.
“I think it is time to [release Reset] – I feel comfortable and confident.
“I’ve had a public that have been so incredibly faithful and loyal in all my musical adventures. I really am one of the lucky ones – I know that.”
Arena’s upcoming tour is self-promoted by the singer and her team, and shaping up to be a dazzling production.
The Reset tour will have the artistic vision of producer Bruce Ramus, who has helped build and design tours for U2, R.E.M. and David Bowie.
Arena explains that shows will have a strong visual element and feature footage from throughout Arena’s 40-year career.
“It’s going to be an interesting live show – it’s certainly a different show for me,” Arena says.
“I’ve spent the last five years doing symphonic shows that have been hugely successful, and I’ve loved
collaborating with the producer of those shows, Tim Woods.
“But this is an elegant pop tour, which is why I’ve chosen Bruce to come on board.
“Bruce has a discography of wonderful work; his production interpretation and perspective is something I’m a big fan of.
“I felt it was time to collaborate with a man who was going to bring a
dimension to my shows that I haven’t had before.”
Fans can expect to hear many of the tracks from Reset, plus a selection of Arena’s classic hits like Chains, Sorrento Moon, Heaven Help My Heart and Burn.
Arena might even perform one of her French-language originals, from the two records, 2005’s Un autre univers and 2008’s 7 vies, that cemented her fame in Europe.
The singer moved to the UK around 2001 and lived there for about eight years, but had spent time promoting her music in France before her relocation.
“In the late ‘90s I spent a lot of time promoting in France, because my second record, In Deep, was a monster success there,” Arena says.
“I sold a million copies of just the [In Deep] album alone, but that’s not to mention what I had sold with the French singles I had recorded.
“My first French single did over a million units, the second single did over a million units – just in [my] French repertoire, there’s about three-and-a-half million units sold.
“It was great – it was much easier to go to England and just be a train ride away.
“I wasn’t fluent in French then and I was working, and I wasn’t in a relationship.
“It wasn’t until 2000 that I met Vince and that we started dating.”
Arena believes it is her passion for performing that has seen her win universal appeal.
“I am what I am – I do not go in and play a role,” she says. “I play myself and do things because I want to do them.
“As a performer of nearly 40 years I’ve been able to refine my craft to become a storyteller.
“The French love stories, they’re really good at them – and they identified with me.”
Tina Arena plays Newcastle’s Civic Theatre on Sunday, September 7.
Tickets are available now through Ticketek.
Alive has two double gold passes to give away to the show.
For your chance to win fill out the coupon ni today's Maitland Mercury and return it to the Mercury’s office by noon next Wednesday.