Tina still shows heart and craft
“Someone might be pretty and be able to sing in tune so they think ‘that’ll work’, but they don’t survive — they haven’t been given the tools to survive in that cutthroat world.”
But Arena is a survivor, and in April marked her 40th anniversary in the music industry by releasing the double-album Greatest Hits and Interpretations, which debuted at No.2 on the ARIA charts.
Disc one, subtitled Retrospective, contains all Arena’s greatest hits, such as I Need Your Body, The Machine’s Breaking Down, Chains, Sorrento Moon, Heaven Help My Heart, Wasn’t It Good and Burn.
Disc two, subtitled Reimagine, features a selection of Arena’s songs re-recorded by a diverse array of other artists — from big names such as Jimmy Barnes, Jess Mauboy, The Veronicas and fellow YTT alumni Dannii Minogue to some of Arena’s favourite emerging stars, including Clare Bowen, Morgan Evans, Alex Hope, David Thibault, Ben Abraham and Ainslie Wills.
“Music is music,” Arena explained. “Whether you’re a rock singer, a punk singer, totally alternative or as mainstream as mainstream, for me it doesn’t really matter — we all share the love of music. I love seeing people come together from different worlds and create magic together. I think it’s beautiful.
“When we put the list [of potential collaborators] together I was very nervous initially, not knowing the kind of reaction it would receive. I was a little trepidatious, but then everyone started flooding in, saying that they really want to do it.
“And as an audience member, I know what it’s like when artists come together from two different worlds — there’s always magic created, so why not create more magic? That’s what the whole journey was about, and I’m incredibly delighted with the results.
“I was overwhelmed by the response of the artistic community. We probably could have done another two CDs of it.”
Now Arena is taking the greatest hits part of Greatest Hits & Interpretations to her thousands of fans across the country, embarking on the Innocence to Understanding national tour next month.
“What I care about is,” she said, “if people buy a ticket to see my show, that when they walk out that door they go ‘God I enjoyed that.
“Then they go to work the next day with a smile on their face, thinking ‘I went back through my childhood last night, listening to her’.
“I care that we all come together and share something, we collectively experience something. That’s what motivates me.”
Tina Arena brings her Innocence to Understanding tour to Tasmania for two shows: at Launceston’s Princess Theatre on September 26, and at Hobart’s Theatre Royal on September 27. Tickets to the Hobart show start at $119, go to or phone 6233 2299 for bookings.