Australian singer Tina Arena speaks frankly about youth and the obsession with the selfie culture

AUSSIE icon Tina Arena self-funded her last music tour and thinks there’s not enough pop music for people over 30. Oh, her view on selfies also.

WHEN tallying up her studio albums to factually christen her new release, Eleven, Tina Arena did not write her very first release out of her history.

That was 1977’s Tiny Tina and Little John, released at the start of her six-year stint on Young Talent Time.

“John Bowles and I are really, really good mates to this day,” Arena adds. “That man has been a pillar of strength for me. He was like my brother on Young Talent Time and he still is now we’re in our late 40s.”

Now 47, Tina Arena has clocked up four decades in the music industry thanks to that as-seen-on-TV early start.

“I’ve done this for 40 years but I never think I know everything. It’s a growing experience all the time.

“In that 40 years, there’s been a lot of times I’ve wanted to walk away, lots. There are philosophies that are hard to adhere to, but there’s still something to do and I’m proud of where this has gone. I have no clue where the future goes though.”

Self-funded ... Arena made enough money off her last album, Reset, to finance a music tour. Picture: Andrew Tauber

The future is a constant theme for Tina Arena. Her son, Gabriel, turns 10 in November and she’s still trying to give him an organic upbringing between her homes in Paris and Melbourne with partner Vincent Mancini.

Eleven’sUnravel Me tackles Arena’s confusion and fear about the state of the world in general and social media in particular.

“Social media preys on people’s lives. And people invite that in willingly,” she says.

“I’m quite bewildered by how much the human being has changed. How disconnected and isolated we’ve become. It saddens me. Part of the light in human beings has gone.”

While her team post on her behalf on social media for business reasons, she finds the era of the filtered selfie problematic.

“It’s so narcissistic. It’s highly perturbing. It’s hugely detrimental long-term. People are unbelievably obsessed with the superficial and don’t understand what goes on internally.

“There’s an enormous loss of empathy which is really scary. As soon as the human being loses his or her empathy there’s nothing left. There’s a lot of apathy, but no empathy.

All ages: Tina Arena says people over 40 still buy new music. Picture.Andrew Tauber

“There’s a culture of being famous for the sake of it on reality TV and they’ve done the same thing in music,” she continues. “It’s not the right education. I don’t know who Kim Kardashian is. She’s probably a lovely woman. But the fact is it has become a circus and biblical for a generation that’s stopped reading books. You can’t talk to them, they have these short attention spans. Where are we going? Someone tell me.

“We have crossed the line where we’re desensitised, we don’t give a shit anymore. People are so used to violence. Films teach people how to kill and be aggressive. Drugs are worse than ever in Australia.

“I don’t know what’s going on, I’m perplexed and I don’t know what the solution is. I stay in my art, that’s almost the safest place I can be. And I encourage people to be creative, it’s important to read, to listen to music. New music.”

More diversity ... “Pop doesn’t always cater for people over 30 or 40. It’s an age gap that’s quite ignored. There’s so many more of us.” Picture: Andrew Tauber

Arena is on a creative roll. 2013’s Reset, her first original album in 11 years, went platinum in Australia (a rarity these days) and spawned a successful tour she self-financed (a DVD with concert footage and a documentary is looming).

The album’s success vindicated Arena, using smart TV placement to expose her new music to the masses and music-oriented stations like smoothfm 95.3, who still saw her as a viable creative force despite being past the age of 40.

“Music is served and consumed in new ways,” she says. “It’s not the world I grew up in. I’m slowly adjusting. And it’s an enormous adjustment. People love dysfunction. People have been educated to love it. Someone who lives a normal life isn’t considered anywhere near as interesting as a trainwreck.”

“Pop doesn’t always cater for people over 30 or 40. It’s an age gap that’s quite ignored. There’s so many more of us. It’s only occasionally an Adele comes along with that understanding and that many layers. But she’s still a young woman. We need the Annie Lennoxes still.

“The music industry or radio doesn’t see it as viable and I think that’s a huge mistake. I think there’s a real generation of people that are ignored. I’m just doing what a 40-plus woman in the music industry would be doing. I’m doing my job. My job is to write a record that hopefully women of my age and younger will be bothered to listen to.

“I still believe people like to listen to new music, no matter their age, especially if it talks to them and their lives.”

Famous friends ... Arena has worked with artists such as Tania Doko (above) from band Bachelor Girl. Picture: Jeremy Williams

She agrees with Madonna’s theory that being ignored by radio is down to ageism, despite claims their music doesn’t fit formats.

“Madonna is absolutely right. Totally. It affects a lot of women. It shouldn’t just be young women on radio. Women in their 40s have philosophical things to say that need to be heard. I’d support Madonna 100-per-cent on that. Madonna has never bulls---ted, whatever you think of her.

“I’ve always loved that about her. She’s a highly intelligent and referential woman. I credit her with a lot of females feeling they can express themselves without being terrified.”

As well as Jon Hume and producer Youth, Eleven sees Arena write with an array of interesting women, including Hayley Warner, the Idol star turned songwriter, and well as Bachelor Girl’s Tania Doko.

There’s also a surprising — but logical — collaboration with Kate Miller-Heidke on two album highlights, Not Still In Love With You and When You’re Ready.

“I love Kate. She’s a highly intellectual woman. We’ve both got a theatrical pop sensibility. Working with another female who speaks the same language as I do, literally, was really stimulating. It’s important women show a sense of collaboration and support. We’ve only got each other,” she said.

Respect ... Tina Arena on singer Kate Miller-Heidke: “She’s a highly intellectual woman”. Picture: Tara Croser

“We fight so hard in this country to be recognised. I want the support of my female peers, and my male peers. It’s a really important time for women, we’ve got a lot of important things to say in a very empathetic and loving way. We’re in a time where we need that.”

Eleven is out November 13.

Single I Want To Love You is out now
Tina Arena performs on Dancing With the Stars on September 6.

Originally published as Australian singer Tina Arena speaks frankly about youth and the obsession with the selfie culture