April 22, 2025 • 6 mins
Tina Arena joined Smiley to chat about her upcoming show at the Riverside Theatre this weekend. They also spoke about Tina's time on Young Talent Time, recording albums in 4 different languages and performing with Kate Perry at last year's AFL Grand Final.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tina Arena at the Riverside Theater this weekend, and Tina,
a very good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning to you, Smiley. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I very well. Can I say I grew up watching
you on Young Talent Time back then you were tiny, Tina,
And even then I thought you were destined to be
a star.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
And what age getting your age away?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Maybe I am, But what a privilege to have been
part of such an iconic show.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, it was an absolute privilege to be part of
an iconic show. It's something that taught me so much
and I think gave people so much joy in much
happier times. So yeah, looking back now, I've always looked
back very fondly, smiling. I've never not had a positive
(00:45):
sort of outlook on it. I've always been very grateful
for that experience. It was the most wonderful childhood and
apprenticeship that anyone could could ever ask for.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Absolutely, I know Johnny Young lives in Perth these days.
When you get a chance to get with Johnny this weekend.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I most likely will. I usually ninety nine percent of
the time when I'm in Wio do catch up with him.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Absolutely, you're celebrating thirty years since the release of your
incredible album. Don't ask did you have any inkling when
you were making that album just how big it would be?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
No, No, I didn't. I knew. I knew the song
was I knew the songs were great. That's the only
thing that I knew at that time. I didn't really
expect that the adventure would be what it was. It
was just one of those things. I think it's probably
pretty safe to say I was very lucky. It was
a time. It was a time where you know, ossie
(01:44):
artists were really really supported on radio and in all
mediums back then, so it was a very different time.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
I can still remember playing Sorrento Moon on the radio
when it was a brand new song, such a timeless song.
Do you have a favorite song from that album?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Tina, I don't know if I have a favorite song
as such. I mean, Chains is obviously the iconic piece
of music that it is. It resonated very loudly with
people back then, and I think it probably resonates even
louder now.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Well. Chain's recently added to the National Film and Sound
Archives Sounds of Australia Collections. Tina, congratulations, what an honor.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, that's an amazing honor when you when it hits there,
you know that it's made a pretty massive indentation. But
all those you know, those songs from that radio represent
different feelings and different little encounters and so forth, and
they make me happy. It was as difficult to time
(02:51):
as it was because it was so much work, in
unbelievable work. It gave me an opportunity to learn about
so many things, not only about me husk and everything
that comes with that, but it gave me an opportunity
to learn about life. So I'm very grateful to that
body of work for having taught me and given me
the experiences that I had, and the Australian public, you know,
(03:14):
loving it as much as what they have and they
continue to do so, was only just an absolute bonus.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And Tina, you've sung and recorded in English, Italian, French
and Spanish such an incredible righte What for you is
the hardest language to sing it?
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I don't know, I actually am. I'm currently in the
studio at the moment. Not anybody who really knows this,
but I'm in the studio at the moment, and I'm
recording a song in Italian and a song in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
And I love venturing out into that world because it
is very stimulating. It gives me an opportunity to go
somewhere mentally and spiritually that you don't normally go in too.
So I love, I love that challenge. I just I
just do. And you know, my first language is Italian smiley.
(04:08):
I started to speak. I learned English when I went
to school when I was five years old, so that's
where I learned the English language. But I'm not clearly
a language as fan, so I you know, I just
I just love the challenge of it. I love the
sensibility and when you have an understanding of another language
and you're able to sing and emote in that language,
(04:31):
it's just the greatest gift that it can be given.
So for me, it's just like it's a tick tick
tick tick tick all round.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Seen you perform with the Grace Andrea Bcelli recently. What
an incredible experience that must have been.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
He's a beautiful man. I was lucky enough to work
with him a long time ago. Actually, probably one of
his first adventures into Australia. If it wasn't his first,
it may have been actually because I think it was
twenty years ago. He is a very gentle, measured, funny,
intelligent kind man to work with. He's just lovely. Everything
(05:11):
about him is lovely and it's a privilege for me
to have been able to have worked with him. I've
sung with him now probably five or six times with
all the shows that we've collectively done together, and he
was just he's just a gentleman, you know, he's a gentleman.
He was very gracious on stage, he was very happy
to collaborate with me on stage and we both really
(05:34):
had a beautiful time at the Sydney Cricket Ground together.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Fantastic tea. We saw you a light up the stage
it last years AFL Grand Final, alongside Katie Perry, who
we recently saw flying the space. Have you stayed in
touch with Katie and would you ever do something as
wild as that yourself?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh? Look, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't
been in touch with Katie since last year. She actually
is a really she's an interesting young woman. I don't
know her very well, but the couple of days where
I spent a few hours with her over those two days,
I liked the woman that I met. You know, what
(06:12):
you see in front of the camera is it's a
part of her. It's not all of her. Like all
of us, what you see of us singing our songs
or doing our work or whatever it is, is one
aspect of us. It's not our entirety. So she's interesting,
she's funny, she's quirky, she's smart. Yeah, and she went
to space. Good for her. Would I go? I don't know.
(06:35):
There's a lot of things I'd like to do on
Earth before. Perhaps I would contemplate going shooting up in
a rocker Tina.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
We are so looking forward to seeing your concert Sunday
night at the Riverside Theaters, celebrating thirty years of Don't
Ask and Tina many thanks for your time this morning, no.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Worries, Thank you. Smiley, come along, We'll see you there.
Tina Arena at the Riverside Theater this weekend, and Tina,
a very good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning to you, Smiley. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I very well. Can I say I grew up watching
you on Young Talent Time back then you were tiny, Tina,
And even then I thought you were destined to be
a star.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
And what age getting your age away?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Maybe I am, But what a privilege to have been
part of such an iconic show.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, it was an absolute privilege to be part of
an iconic show. It's something that taught me so much
and I think gave people so much joy in much
happier times. So yeah, looking back now, I've always looked
back very fondly, smiling. I've never not had a positive
(00:45):
sort of outlook on it. I've always been very grateful
for that experience. It was the most wonderful childhood and
apprenticeship that anyone could could ever ask for.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Absolutely, I know Johnny Young lives in Perth these days.
When you get a chance to get with Johnny this weekend.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I most likely will. I usually ninety nine percent of
the time when I'm in Wio do catch up with him.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Absolutely, you're celebrating thirty years since the release of your
incredible album. Don't ask did you have any inkling when
you were making that album just how big it would be?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
No, No, I didn't. I knew. I knew the song
was I knew the songs were great. That's the only
thing that I knew at that time. I didn't really
expect that the adventure would be what it was. It
was just one of those things. I think it's probably
pretty safe to say I was very lucky. It was
a time. It was a time where you know, ossie
(01:44):
artists were really really supported on radio and in all
mediums back then, so it was a very different time.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
I can still remember playing Sorrento Moon on the radio
when it was a brand new song, such a timeless song.
Do you have a favorite song from that album?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Tina, I don't know if I have a favorite song
as such. I mean, Chains is obviously the iconic piece
of music that it is. It resonated very loudly with
people back then, and I think it probably resonates even
louder now.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Well. Chain's recently added to the National Film and Sound
Archives Sounds of Australia Collections. Tina, congratulations, what an honor.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, that's an amazing honor when you when it hits there,
you know that it's made a pretty massive indentation. But
all those you know, those songs from that radio represent
different feelings and different little encounters and so forth, and
they make me happy. It was as difficult to time
(02:51):
as it was because it was so much work, in
unbelievable work. It gave me an opportunity to learn about
so many things, not only about me husk and everything
that comes with that, but it gave me an opportunity
to learn about life. So I'm very grateful to that
body of work for having taught me and given me
the experiences that I had, and the Australian public, you know,
(03:14):
loving it as much as what they have and they
continue to do so, was only just an absolute bonus.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And Tina, you've sung and recorded in English, Italian, French
and Spanish such an incredible righte What for you is
the hardest language to sing it?
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I don't know, I actually am. I'm currently in the
studio at the moment. Not anybody who really knows this,
but I'm in the studio at the moment, and I'm
recording a song in Italian and a song in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
And I love venturing out into that world because it
is very stimulating. It gives me an opportunity to go
somewhere mentally and spiritually that you don't normally go in too.
So I love, I love that challenge. I just I
just do. And you know, my first language is Italian smiley.
(04:08):
I started to speak. I learned English when I went
to school when I was five years old, so that's
where I learned the English language. But I'm not clearly
a language as fan, so I you know, I just
I just love the challenge of it. I love the
sensibility and when you have an understanding of another language
and you're able to sing and emote in that language,
(04:31):
it's just the greatest gift that it can be given.
So for me, it's just like it's a tick tick
tick tick tick all round.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Seen you perform with the Grace Andrea Bcelli recently. What
an incredible experience that must have been.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
He's a beautiful man. I was lucky enough to work
with him a long time ago. Actually, probably one of
his first adventures into Australia. If it wasn't his first,
it may have been actually because I think it was
twenty years ago. He is a very gentle, measured, funny,
intelligent kind man to work with. He's just lovely. Everything
(05:11):
about him is lovely and it's a privilege for me
to have been able to have worked with him. I've
sung with him now probably five or six times with
all the shows that we've collectively done together, and he
was just he's just a gentleman, you know, he's a gentleman.
He was very gracious on stage, he was very happy
to collaborate with me on stage and we both really
(05:34):
had a beautiful time at the Sydney Cricket Ground together.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Fantastic tea. We saw you a light up the stage
it last years AFL Grand Final, alongside Katie Perry, who
we recently saw flying the space. Have you stayed in
touch with Katie and would you ever do something as
wild as that yourself?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh? Look, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't
been in touch with Katie since last year. She actually
is a really she's an interesting young woman. I don't
know her very well, but the couple of days where
I spent a few hours with her over those two days,
I liked the woman that I met. You know, what
(06:12):
you see in front of the camera is it's a
part of her. It's not all of her. Like all
of us, what you see of us singing our songs
or doing our work or whatever it is, is one
aspect of us. It's not our entirety. So she's interesting,
she's funny, she's quirky, she's smart. Yeah, and she went
to space. Good for her. Would I go? I don't know.
(06:35):
There's a lot of things I'd like to do on
Earth before. Perhaps I would contemplate going shooting up in
a rocker Tina.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
We are so looking forward to seeing your concert Sunday
night at the Riverside Theaters, celebrating thirty years of Don't
Ask and Tina many thanks for your time this morning, no.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Worries, Thank you. Smiley, come along, We'll see you there.
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