Who is Tina Arena?
Tina Arena is an Australian singer from Melbourne, born in 1967, known for the 1994 hit Chains. She first became famous as a child performer on the TV talent show Young Talent Time.
Arena joined Young Talent Time in 1976 at the age of eight and stayed for several years, earning the nickname Tiny Tina. Her powerful voice made her one of the show's best-known stars.
Her 1994 album Don't Ask became one of the best-selling albums by an Australian female artist, with the singles Chains, Sorrento Moon and Heaven Help My Heart. Chains became an international hit, charting in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Success in France
In the late 1990s and 2000s, Arena built a successful career in France, recording songs in French and becoming a major star there. She was awarded the French honour of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.
She has also performed in musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Evita, and sang at the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.
Arena was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2015. Her later albums, including Eleven, released in 2015, returned her to the top of the Australian charts.
Did You Know?
Arena's family is of Sicilian heritage, and she grew up in Moonee Ponds in Melbourne.