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Now I Can Dance
The updated edition of the national bestseller, celebrating Tina Arena's extraordinary 40 years in the music business.Honest and intimate, funny and frank, Now I Can Dance is the long-awaited memoir from the very special, much-loved singer, songwriter and pop diva, Tina Arena. Over the course of her extensive career, starting as an eight-year-old star of Young Talent Time, Tina has amassed a cache of amazing stories. the artist who gave us 'Chains', 'Sorrento Moon' and 'Symphony of Life' has sold eight million albums, won a swag of awards, encountered extraordinary people, fallen in and out of love, and experienced incredible highs and lows. through it all, Tina has sung her heart out, and her songs have provided the soundtrack to our lives. Almost four decades in music has seen Tina on a journey - a journey of self-discovery and self-fulfilment. Hers is a truly joyful and inspiring story of a woman achieving success on her on terms, in her own way. And now she is sharing her life, for the very first time, with us. Now I Can Dance is an uplifting story of love, family, laughter, determination and - of course - song.Now, the national bestseller is fully updated, covering her recent move back to Melbourne, being inducted into the ARIA's Hall of Fame, new music, and much, much more ...
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 15, 2025
A delightful fast-paced memoir, befitting the many and extraordinary achievements of this beautiful and charming Italo-Australian diva.
Confessing, from the outset, that my knowledge was very limited surrounding the career and accomplishments of Tina Arena. But, recognising her as a true icon of Australia’s music scene for decades, was encouragement enough for me to want to understand more about her life.
I discovered an incredible salt-of-the-earth human being, who cultivated an incredible talent through persistent and diligent work. I also discovered an incredible career, including stellar successes in Europe (particularly France), a trove of awards and a multitude of stars she has met and performed with along her professional journey.
Tina has truly embodied the adage: “the harder I worked, the luckier I got”.
Congratulations, Tina, on an amazing career. Thanks to your book, I now have a better idea of your outstanding contribution and achievements in music and the performing arts. And a genuine appreciation for your beautiful family.
Confessing, from the outset, that my knowledge was very limited surrounding the career and accomplishments of Tina Arena. But, recognising her as a true icon of Australia’s music scene for decades, was encouragement enough for me to want to understand more about her life.
I discovered an incredible salt-of-the-earth human being, who cultivated an incredible talent through persistent and diligent work. I also discovered an incredible career, including stellar successes in Europe (particularly France), a trove of awards and a multitude of stars she has met and performed with along her professional journey.
Tina has truly embodied the adage: “the harder I worked, the luckier I got”.
Congratulations, Tina, on an amazing career. Thanks to your book, I now have a better idea of your outstanding contribution and achievements in music and the performing arts. And a genuine appreciation for your beautiful family.
November 25, 2013
It was very good - honestly insightful towards the life and times of our Fillipina over her forty or so years of recording, travelling and performing. I never expected her to reveal a scandal... oh hell, yes I did... and no she did not do that. Not even the 'Imbruglia Incident' was enough to shake the pages. If the book secretly revealed anything about her it would be that she's a lady, private, respectful, dedicated to the craft, and grateful to everyone she has ever worked with, including her ex-husband and the messy mess left after their protracted break-up.
January 3, 2015
I really enjoyed this biography, Tina speaks so honestly about her time with Young Talent Time and her subsequent recording career both here in Australia and overseas. She also tells a lot about her personal life including her wonderful Italian/Australian family and her marriage to her former manager Ralph Carr. I did not realise how talented she is, with her musical theatre performances in many shows here in Oz and in Paris and London. She is a real all-rounder who is still writing and recording today with her latest album coming out in 2013. I have a lot of respect for her and loved reading about her life.
November 25, 2014
I wanted to like this book for pure nostalgic reasons. I grew up watching Australia's Young Talent Time , the TV variety show which launched Tina Arena's career.
While I respect Tina Arena as an artist and she appears to be a likeable person, her memoir was superficial in the sense that it essentially recounts the songs she wrote and sung,and all the famous people she met in her career. I wish she would have delved deeper into her emotional journey.
While I respect Tina Arena as an artist and she appears to be a likeable person, her memoir was superficial in the sense that it essentially recounts the songs she wrote and sung,and all the famous people she met in her career. I wish she would have delved deeper into her emotional journey.
September 11, 2014
Having grown up watching Young Talent Time each week, I was very interested to read Tina Arena's autobiography. Being one of the few who successfully made the transition from child entertainer to extremely successful recording artist, her story was an interesting and entertaining read from start to finish.
Perhaps one of the most significant facts I learned about Tina was that her name is in fact Fillipina and she was (and still is) known to her friends and family as Pina. The name Tina was adopted when she started on YTT. Tina grew up in a very normal household in Moonee Ponds in Melbourne, the middle daughter of two hard working Sicillian immigrants. From a young age she loved to sing and entertain and as we know he big break came when she joined the Young Talent Team. Tina speaks fondly of her time on the show and has only kind words to say about host Johnny Young and her fellow team members. I thought this was refreshing in an age where many people like to dish the dirt on former castmates whenever the chance provides itself.
It was also interesting to read about the crazy rehearsal and performance schedule the Young Talent Team kids worked under, fitting in school and family life around hours of work each week. I suspect it would not be allowed in this day and age. Tina readily acknowledges the show was her launching pad, although by age sixteen she was ready to move on and start the next phase of her life and career.
The early years of her adult recording career were not easy ones for Tina and she really paid her dues, working away tirelessly writing and recording songs with only moderate success until her big break came. While she enjoyed much success, Tina also endured heartbreak along the way, with a public and bitter marriage break up and the burnout that many performers suffer due to the overwhelming demands of life in the public eye. Fortunately for Tina she healed and built a new life with her French partner and their son in London and Paris.
I got a really good sense of Tina throughout her story. Through all her success she has remained grounded and very close to her family and friends in Melbourne. Although now living in Paris, she returns home often and reiterates her identity as a proud Australian throughout the book. She also has a good sense of humour and this also shone through as she shared various stories.
Now I Can Dance is well written, it is easy to read and doesn't get bogged down with too much factual information about recording contracts and the like. It is Tina's story, told with honesty and a sense of fun and should inspire those who also seek to live out their own dream of making music on the world stage.
Perhaps one of the most significant facts I learned about Tina was that her name is in fact Fillipina and she was (and still is) known to her friends and family as Pina. The name Tina was adopted when she started on YTT. Tina grew up in a very normal household in Moonee Ponds in Melbourne, the middle daughter of two hard working Sicillian immigrants. From a young age she loved to sing and entertain and as we know he big break came when she joined the Young Talent Team. Tina speaks fondly of her time on the show and has only kind words to say about host Johnny Young and her fellow team members. I thought this was refreshing in an age where many people like to dish the dirt on former castmates whenever the chance provides itself.
It was also interesting to read about the crazy rehearsal and performance schedule the Young Talent Team kids worked under, fitting in school and family life around hours of work each week. I suspect it would not be allowed in this day and age. Tina readily acknowledges the show was her launching pad, although by age sixteen she was ready to move on and start the next phase of her life and career.
The early years of her adult recording career were not easy ones for Tina and she really paid her dues, working away tirelessly writing and recording songs with only moderate success until her big break came. While she enjoyed much success, Tina also endured heartbreak along the way, with a public and bitter marriage break up and the burnout that many performers suffer due to the overwhelming demands of life in the public eye. Fortunately for Tina she healed and built a new life with her French partner and their son in London and Paris.
I got a really good sense of Tina throughout her story. Through all her success she has remained grounded and very close to her family and friends in Melbourne. Although now living in Paris, she returns home often and reiterates her identity as a proud Australian throughout the book. She also has a good sense of humour and this also shone through as she shared various stories.
Now I Can Dance is well written, it is easy to read and doesn't get bogged down with too much factual information about recording contracts and the like. It is Tina's story, told with honesty and a sense of fun and should inspire those who also seek to live out their own dream of making music on the world stage.
December 23, 2020
I skimmed the last half. I really wanted to find out about Tina Arena and her life and why and how she did things instead it seemed to be a name dropping exercise.
June 30, 2021
I regard Tina Arena as an Aussie National Treasure for all that she has given to the music industry and beyond. And it hasn't been easy for her but at no time in this very good and easy to read autobiography does she complain or whinge about her struggles. In fact, she acknowledges them and in some ways they've made her even more determined to work hard and keep refining her craft and giving back to her fan base.
She started as a youngster in Young Talent Time (YTT) and she shares how that started, her enjoyment of it and the pressures it placed on her parents, in particular. Breaking out of the 'Tiny Tina' mould was a challenge for her, well for the industry, and she describes this challenging season. I was interested that Arena chose not to focus on issues of misogyny within the industry which I expect she would have confronted.
She writes a lot about each of her various albums, the songwriting process and the reasons for songs, album titles and such like. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. Her adoption by the French and meeting Vincent, her long term partner, was a delightful read. This came at a time when Sony chose not to renew her contract here in Australia which required her to look further afield for work.
Motherhood, family and her long time friends are very important to Arena which is lovely to read about. But she continues to be someone who seeks to write more great songs, perform more great shows and realise all that life has available to her. It's at times very inspirational.
I look forward to reading Part 2 whenever she gets around to writing that one in the future.
If you enjoy Arena's music, you'll find this a very enjoyable read.
She started as a youngster in Young Talent Time (YTT) and she shares how that started, her enjoyment of it and the pressures it placed on her parents, in particular. Breaking out of the 'Tiny Tina' mould was a challenge for her, well for the industry, and she describes this challenging season. I was interested that Arena chose not to focus on issues of misogyny within the industry which I expect she would have confronted.
She writes a lot about each of her various albums, the songwriting process and the reasons for songs, album titles and such like. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. Her adoption by the French and meeting Vincent, her long term partner, was a delightful read. This came at a time when Sony chose not to renew her contract here in Australia which required her to look further afield for work.
Motherhood, family and her long time friends are very important to Arena which is lovely to read about. But she continues to be someone who seeks to write more great songs, perform more great shows and realise all that life has available to her. It's at times very inspirational.
I look forward to reading Part 2 whenever she gets around to writing that one in the future.
If you enjoy Arena's music, you'll find this a very enjoyable read.
May 19, 2020
I grew up with Tina Arena always somewhere in the background In the tracks to my life- she was the kid on YTT with the big voice, the young adult trying to find her place in the workplace as she guested on Hey Hey and Bert Newton’s GMA, the hit song writer playing on the loud speaker at HMV in High Street Kensington when I lived in London, and then somewhere I lost track of her. I heard Vague whispering that she was big in France, And has big roles in the west end but essentially, she had disappeared from my life. I thought I should read this book to see how and where she ended up since I had lost sight of her last.
Tina talks a lot about work - the book details one work project after another, she will tell you who she worked with, their name, who else they have worked with and then pretty much nothing else. I never got a real feeling for her relationships with anybody. There was a LOT of name dropping, she really has worked with some of the greats. What was evident was her work ethic and her passion for music. It was nice catching up with Tina, I always thought she deserved success but I found the book lacked a little something I cannot quite put my finger on. I did enjoy it none the less.
PS I still fully support and advocate for Tina to release “MacArthur Park” on an album sometime soon, and have said this since she and I were both kids. PLEASE Tina, just do it.
Tina talks a lot about work - the book details one work project after another, she will tell you who she worked with, their name, who else they have worked with and then pretty much nothing else. I never got a real feeling for her relationships with anybody. There was a LOT of name dropping, she really has worked with some of the greats. What was evident was her work ethic and her passion for music. It was nice catching up with Tina, I always thought she deserved success but I found the book lacked a little something I cannot quite put my finger on. I did enjoy it none the less.
PS I still fully support and advocate for Tina to release “MacArthur Park” on an album sometime soon, and have said this since she and I were both kids. PLEASE Tina, just do it.
October 21, 2023
I'm a big fan of Tina Arena's music, but because she was never particularly popular in the US, I never knew anything about her story. She's led quite an interesting life. But I didn't enjoy the way this book was actually written. It was a little stiff and very repetitive in parts. She overly explains people and songs that you'd have to be living under a rock to not know already ("The Titanic soundtrack went on to become another of the biggest-selling albums of all time"), and she glosses over obscure cultural references that only an Australian would know! The book also ends incredibly abruptly, which is especially awkward when at this point it's already a decade old. It needs a sequel!
April 16, 2023
An amazing read about a trailblazing life (so far!)
Everything you thought you knew about our national treasure and how she paved the way for transformation in an industry that needs it. Well done Tina!
Everything you thought you knew about our national treasure and how she paved the way for transformation in an industry that needs it. Well done Tina!
March 3, 2019
Like a lot of others, appreciated more in another country than the one that she grew up with...
May 10, 2019
An entertaining and informative look into the life and career of one of Australia's best pop stars
June 22, 2021
Unlike a social butterfly.
April 6, 2024
A 5 because she is Tina! I've been a huge fan since she and I were 8 years old 😍
October 5, 2025
Always enjoyed Tina Arena's music and hearing her story behind the music and her life was just wonderful to read.
January 28, 2016
I've been a fan now for 20 years, and a fairly devoted one. As an Australian artist, her work rarely touched US shores - only twice, in fact, in the mid-to-late 90s - so I would get all the scoop I could from the Internet and, on one joyous Christmas day, was able to purchase the bulk of her imports from Amazon. Thanks to this dedication, I've always thought of her as something special, and her voice cuts through me so deeply and has for so long now, that listening to her always makes me feel at home. So, anyway, I finally got around to reading her autobiography and it was lovely. She comes across as very relatable and unpretentious and shares enough of herself that you do end up both understanding her better and feeling a bit closer to her.
January 27, 2014
I have always admired Tina Arena as an artist, from the first time I saw her on Young Talent a Time. I have found her memoirs to be a true joy. From beginning to end, Tina's story has kept me enthralled, and in both fits of laughter, and, at time, shedding a few tears.
I look forward to enjoying the next chapter in Tina's amazing career. She is a true Australian talent.
I look forward to enjoying the next chapter in Tina's amazing career. She is a true Australian talent.
March 16, 2014
Brilliant insight into the music industry during the 90's followed by the vast changes with the digital age in the new millennium. I have longed since been a fan of Tina Arena and spent many hours dancing around to her music trying to get babies to sleep or just trying to relax a very busy life. This book is a wonderful journal of her musical story and her life and a very interesting read.
September 13, 2018
I grew up with YTT and like many kids my age back then I enjoyed watching Tina Arena perform. Now some 40 years later, living abroad having discovered her book was utter joy. I am a big fan of hers second time over. Wonderful book, well written. Makes you more proud of being a child of immigrants and an Aussie. Good on ya Tina mate!!!!!!
August 13, 2016
Having been a big fan of Tina Arena when I was a teen, I liked the nostalgia of this easy read. It was simple, honest and gave some good insight to the local and international music scene. A pretty pedestrian bio though.
December 27, 2014
I was glad to read an honest account of an Australian woman, who has always expressed herself through her craft. Her truth is in her lyrics - and her power is in her voice. This book is compelling and inspiring.
March 17, 2014
A really nice book to read about the life of Tina Arena.
Read
January 13, 2014Received as a gift- it was ok
January 20, 2014
Wonderful ♥
March 3, 2014
I really enjoyed Tina's book and admire her as an Australian and I think I will enjoy her music even more, now that I know and admire her story.
March 31, 2014
This book really inspired me to pursue my dreams, no matter what. Tina's book is based on her life up until now and the roller coaster ride through fame and fortune.
Love this book.
Love this book.
January 17, 2016
In summation, LOVED it. Bloody Brilliant
April 25, 2016
As a fan I thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing. Thanks for the memories. An enjoyable book.
November 22, 2015
A great book about a wonderful Australian musician. Highly recommend.
December 7, 2015
Love this book, especially the insights on each album and the honesty that comes through this book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews