17c起草社区

IT鈥橲 no secret that Tina Arena has performed at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party a few times 鈥� four occasions, to be exact.

Not that she鈥檚 complaining: the pint-sized singer-songwriter loves every minute of it.

鈥淭here鈥檚 always an incredibly loyal, wonderful, well-dressed and colourful crowd,鈥漵he told the聽17c起草社区.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e just fun, they鈥檙e unbelievably receptive.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 the element of surprise and the fact they鈥檙e always up to doing something a little bit different, there鈥檚 always a bit of a twist, whatever it may be… people go out with the intention of celebrating and having a really good time.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a performer you can鈥檛 really ask for a better crowd.鈥�

Last year was a big year for Arena. Within a period of a few months, she competed in Dancing With The Stars, released her 11th studio album Eleven, her musical legacy was recognised with an induction into the prestigious ARIA Hall of Fame, and she moved back home to Melbourne after nearly 20 years abroad.

As one of Australia鈥檚 most-loved singer-songwriters, she has sold millions of records both here and abroad, won seven ARIA Awards, has been awarded the French National Order of Merit, and more recently, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

This year will mark her fifth appearance at Mardi Gras, and while she won鈥檛 perform at the party, she has two other intimate shows lined up. The first is a concert at Mrs Macquarie Point as part of the The Harbour series on February 25, while the other is at the State Theatre on March 4 as part of her national tour.

For an audience of no more than 1000, Arena鈥檚 harbourside concert will feature a stage custom-built for Mardi Gras with the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge as a backdrop. Her State Theatre concert will host a different set list, but she wouldn鈥檛 reveal any more details about both performances.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 like to let the cat out of the bag,鈥� she joked.

Arena experienced a surge of goodwill late last year after she used her ARIA Hall of Fame acceptance speech to criticise the ageism of commercial radio.

While she predominantly spoke about women, she said her sentiments could resonate with singers and musicians who are of diverse sexuality and gender.

鈥淲hy they do it, I don鈥檛 really have an answer, but… I think it鈥檚 really silly to not add music that comes from women that have something very honest and progres- sive to say,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly sad that commercial radio just targets a specific demographic, when it鈥檚 pretty much proven today that radio formats that are a collective, that play a聽spectrum of music, tend to have a lot more success.鈥�

With Arena鈥檚 Italian cultural background in mind and many European countries currently undergoing selection processes for their Eurovision 2016 representatives, the 17c起草社区 asked if she would consider representing Australia when聽it competes in the song contest for the second year in a row.

鈥淚 probably wouldn鈥檛 close myself off to something聽like that, but, you know, it鈥檇 be very dependent on the situation and the song,鈥� she said.

But for now, she was looking forward to some down- time once her national tour ends:

鈥淚鈥檓 going to take a break, I鈥檓 really looking forward to it.鈥�

Tina Arena will perform at The Harbour on February 25 as part of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Details:

For details on Tina Arena鈥檚 national tour, which ends March 12, visit

This article was written with Alistair Kitchen and Cameron Colwell.

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The 17c起草社区 is a proud media partner of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

For all of 17c起草社区鈥檚 Mardi Gras coverage,

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**This article was first published in the , which is available now. 聽in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

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