Tina Arena divides fans with controversial Covid confession

She’s never hidden her views about Covid lockdowns, but Tina Arena’s revelation in a new interview has proven especially divisive.

Australian singer Tina Arena has courted controversy over her comments about Melbourne’s Covid lockdowns in a recent interview.

Arena sat down for a feature-length interview with The Weekend Australian, published Saturday, ahead of the release of her new studio album Love Saves on July 14.

In the interview, the always outspoken star, who lives in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, revealed that she was strongly opposed to the city’s lengthy Covid lockdowns.

“I didn’t hear anybody complaining ­during lockdown other than me: ‘Why are we locked up? Where’s your science? What? Why?’ The fear was so much for me; it was choking me, I was like, I can’t cope with all of you being so fear-driven like this, and compliant,” she told The Weekend Australian.

Arena will release her new album Love Saves this Friday. Picture: Claudio Raschella

Arena also revealed that she deliberately broke the “five kilometre radius” rule, which saw residents confined to within 5km of their homes.

“And why can’t you drive more than five kilometres? Guess what – watch me. So I did. I drove past my five kilometres. Am I a criminal now? You want to pull me up? Pull me up. You want to fine me? Fine me. I’m not the one with the issue here. The issue is, there is no logic. You have no right to do that. You are fining me. This is totalitarian. We don’t work like that.”

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Arena talks about her decision to leave her record company, the end of her 17-year relationship with her son’s father Vincent Mancini, and her new relationship with Swedish songwriter Mattias Lindblom.

But it was those few sentences about Covid lockdowns that caused a stir on social media, with Arena’s name trending on Twitter over the weekend as people expressed their strong opinions either in support or opposition to her views. While some derided her views as “selfish,” others declared they had new respect for the singer:

Tina Arena's self indulgent narcissism is astounding, does she think she was the only person feeling fearful, locked up & battling mental health issues during the pandemic.

Boasting about floating the restrictions, complaining & moaning about her circumstances.#Auspolpic.twitter.com/ZPaeVKJsyn

— ☮️💧 Sleeping Giants Oz 📣 (@slpng_giants_oz) July 8, 2023

Today I became a Tina Arena fan. pic.twitter.com/MRpOmg37nB

— Beyond Jaded (@JeffreyKrupa) July 8, 2023

Tina Arena - just another ignorant, selfish, fearful individual who was unwilling to comply with lockdown orders at the height of a deadly pandemic before vaccines were available. Yes ‘deadly’! I have zero sympathy for those ppl who blatantly ignored the restrictions.

— Sue Roberts (@sueroberts7) July 8, 2023

Tina Arena is just the Pete Evans of Music.

— Bradley (@BradSabbath) July 8, 2023

Very selfish of Tina Arena. Hundreds of healthcare workers were f***ing exhausted, ppl with disabilities and severe health conditions were (and still are) living in fear of getting sick and she decided the rules wouldn't apply to her. Very disappointing.

— IndyJoy (@IndyJoy10) July 8, 2023

Tina Arena is now legend. pic.twitter.com/C3gkr5Z72Z

— Byron the Badger (@lane_byron) July 9, 2023

Arena previously spoke out about the lack of support for arts industry workers during lockdowns in an explosive appearance on Studio 10 in September 2021.

“I’ve really struggled, and I’m comfortable in saying that. I’ve had a very difficult time, like many people. I’m profoundly against being locked up – the injustice is too much,” Arena said of life in Melbourne under lockdown.

Interviewer Angela Bishop noted that various large scale music events had been cancelled at short notice during the pandemic, “but never the footy match”.

“That’s a categoric disrespect,” Arena said.

“I’m sorry, that’s rude, disrespectful, and shouldn’t be at all allowed to play out. Never, ever silence an artist – we play an important role in the social fibre of any country. It’s freedom of expression, and I’ll fight for it until the day I die.”

Arena's controversial 2021 Studio 10 appearance.

“If anything goes wrong, the artistic community has always lifted their sleeves up. We’ve gone in there and done what we needed to do. We’re very happy to play that role to help people – it’s what we do,” Arena continued.

“Now we’re in trouble, is someone helping us? No. It’s amazing how people just fly away and disappear, however they’re very quick to ask us to work for free, to relinquish any kind of renumeration from sales of record.

“You know what? DONE. We’re done, and now we’re saying it. Just stop this ridiculous, preposterous behaviour. It’s got to stop.”

Later that same day, she encouraged her followers to vote out Victorian Premier Dan Andrews as she sipped from a martini during a lengthy Instagram Live video.

“If any of the states think they have the jurisdiction to continue to lock people up in 2022, there’s something very, very wrong in this country. It’s something that’s completely unrealistic,” she said.

“I really hope Victorians really take the time to think about that over the next 12 months before we go to the polls, because I will be going to the polls with a much different intention.”

Labor won the 2022 Victorian state election, winning 56 of 88 seats despite a 6.2% swing against the party.