With Mother’s Day just around the corner we caught up with Tina Arena on the eve of her Enchanté: The Songs of Tina Arena national tour, who shared with us the impact her incredible career has had on her son.
Do your family ever get to join you on tour?
No, not really. You know family’s in a routine and those routines shouldn’t really be disrupted. I’m a great believer in that.
How does your son feel about your music and career?
I think what’s probably been difficult for my son is understanding as he’s gotten older what I have done. He doesn’t really talk about it. And I don’t really talk about it. I’m his mum at the end of the day, I’m like everybody else.
It’s just what I do for a job, I jump up on stage, I do a show and that’s what I do whether I’m doing a theatrical show playing Eva Peron or Sally Bowles or whoever the character. I’m fortunate enough to play. It’s a job.
I do my job and when I get off, I’m Mum. That’s it and that’s the way I want it to be.
I don’t want any other complications. Because of the internet and so forth, he’s been privy to see things and learn things about me rather than me sitting down and telling him. But it is what it is, you know, and he’s found himself having to defend me too at times because kids can be really cruel and I’ve always just tried to teach him to say look, they ultimately don’t understand so you can’t hate somebody else for that.
You can’t dislike somebody else for that. You just got to walk away, be dignified even if you are hurt or say to somebody, look, “that’s my mum”. So, I don’t appreciate what you’re saying about my mother. Just let it go, but that is the price that you pay and that your family does pay when you are a public figure. It’s a pretty big bill I might add.
Has he shown any interest himself in like a musical career?
No, not really. He’s very sporty thought, so he’s a very, very good athlete. I just always say to him that a purpose is vital and that whatever it is that you want to do in life, if you want to be really good at it, you’ve got to work your backside off. There’s nothing in between, don’t bother intellectualizing it, in out, upside down, it is what it is.
I’m a mum, dealing in a world where these children are completely hijacked by social media. It’s just rubbish. It’s very difficult for them to understand the beauty of a childhood that we had, which didn’t consist of that level of toxicity that they are bathing in today.
We’re excited about your upcoming tour, one of the first since we went into lockdown. What can your fans expect?
Well, I don’t know…To be taken on a journey, which is something that I try and do each and every time I go out, I’ve never really been good at rehashing anything. That’s just not a part of my spirit. So don’t expect things to be rehashed because they won’t be, but they’ll be taken on a journey without a doubt and then the new music, I think, will very much inspire them. It’s very lyrically driven and sonically they’re jewels. So, I’m really looking forward to them discovering that, be looking into the importance of the stories you’re telling, those lyrics, those concepts, food for thought, things that make people feel something.
Is there something special you like to share with your mum?
For the first time this week I perform a song in Italian for my parents during the Enchante´ production rehearsals and it was so very special to us all. It’s a song dear to my heart and something I hope my fans enjoy during the tour.
Tina Arena’s Enchanté: The Songs of Tina Arena national tour commences Wednesday 5th May at Aware Super Theatre Sydney, before heading to the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra. Tickets on sale now!