A Journey Through Aussie Pop

It wasn't a given that Deni Hines would pursue a career a music. Despite her mother, Marcia Hines, being one of the most recognisable pop stars in Australia, Deni had other interests and suffered from performance anxiety in her younger years. But her vocal talent soon got her snapped up as a backing singer for artists like Wa Wa Nee, Peter Blakeley and Kylie Minogue. It was her voice that also saw her hired as the latest frontperson for funk/dance band Rockmelons. In a frank and unflinching interview, Deni shares exactly what she thought of their collaboration and the hits that ensued. She also recalls guesting on "Not Enough Time" by INXS and what Michael Hutchence was like to work with in the studio. Then, after a solo deal in the US fell apart for reasons beyond her control, Deni landed at Mushroom Records and scored a top 5 hit with "It's Alright". She describes the process of putting together her debut album, Imagination, in London and follow-up singles like "I'm Not In Love" and "Delicious", a duet with Don-E that was added to the UK version of the album (retitled Pay Attention). When her time at Mushroom came to an end — following early 2000s single "Frenzy" — Deni went independent, and she talks about her various projects over the past couple of decades, including Water For Chocolate, The Soul Sessions and her upcoming album, due in 2024.

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Born to parents who both worked in the entertainment industry, Dannielle Gaha grew up surrounded by singing and dancing, training and helping out at the talent school run by her mother, Janice Breen. She made her first steps into the industry herself by appearing on TV talent contest Star Search, which led to ongoing singing work with judge Glenn Shorrock and, through that, her big break — being picked to record duet "Communication" with John Farnham. Dannielle, who now goes by her married name DeAndrea, recalls those early stages of her career and what it was like performing with the biggest male singer in the country on the anti-drugs hit. She also discusses the music she released as a solo performer, Australian single "I Like It" and the three tracks through her deal with Epic Records in the UK: "Stuck In The Middle", "Do It For Love" and "Secret Love", most of which involved input from Wa Wa Nee's Paul Gray. Although that solo pop career didn't take off as she hoped, she landed on her feet in the mid-'90s with an ongoing gig as one-half of The Nissan Cedrics on Roy & HG's series, Club Buggery, and since then has carved out a diverse career in a range of musical styles.

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It was inevitable that singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rick Price would forge a career in the music industry, but rather than jumping at any offer of a record deal that came his way, he took his time to ensure the situation was just right. Before signing to Sony Music and releasing debut album Heaven Knows in 1992, he worked for many years as a session singer, appearing in a national ad for Australia's Bicentennial in 1988 and on charity single "You're Not Alone" by Australian Olympians. He was also involved in the early stages of Girlfriend's career as a songwriter. When his own deal did fall into place as he wanted it to, he hit the ground running with back-to-back top 10 hits "Not A Day Goes By" and "Heaven Knows". Ever conscious of doing things his way, Rick switched up his sound for second album Tamborine Mountain — and he talks about his label's response to a less commercial approach and how they convinced him to come back to pop for third album Another Place. Rick also discusses his more recent independently released albums, his move to Nashville and collaboration with fellow early '90s star Jack Jones.

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In 1983, synthpop bands were big business on the Australian music scene, with Kids In The Kitchen snapped up by Mushroom Records imprint White Label Records. The band's singer, Scott Carne, and drummer, Bruce Curnow, discuss how weekend jam sessions quickly led to gigs and that record company interest. Hits followed, with "Change In Mood" and "Bitter Desire" both reaching the top 20, but a dispute over the music video for the latter led to two original members being asked to leave. With replacement members in position, more hits (including "Something That You Said" and "Current Stand") and platinum-selling debut album Shine made KITK one of the hottest bands in the country. But then the wheels started to come off, with under-performing singles ("Out Of Control", "Say It" and "Revolution Love") from second album Terrain, which was released after a disastrous trip to the US. Following the demise of the band, Scott was involved in two very different musical projects, but now, he and Bruce reunite with other KITK members for occasional concerts (including an upcoming show at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne).

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Despite a background on Melbourne's dance music scene and no intentions of being a pop star, Katie Underwood did just that, becoming one of the most recognisable members of Bardot and given prominent lead vocals on all three singles from the self-titled debut album, "Poison", "I Should've Never Let You Go" and "These Days". In an extensive interview about her music career, Katie explains her motivations for being part of the Popstars girl group and what brought about her decision to leave Bardot during recording for second album Play It Like That. She also discusses the various musical projects she has been involved in since then, including her collaborations with Disco Montego, Mr Timothy and former Bardot band-mate Belinda Chapple as Ka'Bel. Katie also reveals how her solo career, which was kicked off by 2003 single "Danger", was dealt a blow when her record company dissolved, but how she now is in complete control of her musical output.

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For Sally Polihronas, the Bardot experience had its ups and downs. On the plus side, being part of the girl group allowed her to really hone her vocal skills — something she wanted to focus on after more than a decade as a dancer and performer in Adelaide — and took her into the studio with producers around the world. She also got to have her "Madonna moment" in the "These Days" video and has many cherish memories of Bardot's achievements. But there were drawbacks, too. In an exclusive in-depth interview, Sally reveals what made her think about quitting Bardot long before the group disbanded in early 2002 and why she stuck around until the (literally) bitter end. She also sheds new light on the discord within the band about things like the division of vocals and what she describes as "mean girl" behaviour. With a couple of decades of perspective, Sally can also rationalise why Bardot's time was brief, citing a number of external factors that contributed to the group's collapse.

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In early 2000, reality TV juggernaut Popstars changed the pop music landscape in Australia forever. Launched by the show, Bardot were an instant phenomenon, shooting to number 1 with debut single "Poison" and their self-titled album. Comprised of Belinda Chapple, Sophie Monk, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and Tiffani Wood, the five-piece girl group encountered ups and downs during their relatively short career, many of which are recounted in Belinda's book, The Girl In The Band. In this first part of a Bardot special, Belinda joins us to talk about the experience of being in the group and how it culminated with a shock betrayal as her pop music career was unexpectedly taken away from her when the band was dissolved. Bardot's six top 20 singles and two albums are discussed, as well as pivotal moments like Katie's decision to leave as recording was underway for second album Play It Like That. Belinda also shares her experience in the industry after Bardot and what brought her and Katie back together as Ka'Bel.

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From their beginnings holding warehouse parties in Sydney's inner city to their string of chart hits in the late '80s and early '90s, Rockmelons always stood out from the rest of the Australian music scene by championing genres that few others did — and taking them mainstream. Formed by the core trio of Ray Medhurst and brothers Bryon and Jonathon Jones, the funk/soul/R&B/hip-hop/dance-influenced band also welcomed a series of regular and guest vocalists to their line-up, including John Kenny (the singer of "Rhymes" and "New Groove", among others), Sandi Chick, Peter Blakeley, Wendy Matthews and Deni Hines (who fronted "Ain't No Sunshine", "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" and "It's Not Over"). In an in-depth interview, Bryon and Ray recall the hurdles they surmounted on first two albums Tales Of The City and Form One Planet — lack of radio support, friction with certain collaborators, recording delays — and their against-the-odds success. They also talk about 2002's comeback album, Rockies 3, and the spanner in the works that prevented that enjoying a higher profile. 

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As vocalist of Do-Ré-Mi and as a solo artist, Deborah Conway has received critical acclaim and mainstream success, but in this wide-ranging interview, the singer/songwriter reveals her music career hasn't always been smooth sailing. From the unexpected success of Do-Ré-Mi's debut single for Virgin Records, "Man Overboard" — a song without a chorus — to the detour into a solo dance project that mostly remains locked away in the record company vault to that time in the early 2000s when she and musical and life partner Willy Zygier played in fans' lounge rooms, Deborah's story is one with surprising twists and turns. For every up, like her ARIA Award win for debut solo album String Of Pearls (which included hits "It's Only The Beginning" and "Under My Skin"), there's the tale of Do-Ré-Mi being pressured to go more pop on second album The Happiest Place In Town (which featured top 30 single "Adultery"). It's all delivered with Deborah's renowned dry wit and sharp sense of humour.

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A song that was originally intended just to be used in a dream sequence on soap opera E Street became the highest-selling Australian single of 1991 when it was released as the debut for then-teenage actress and singer Melissa Tkautz. That song was "Read My Lips" and in a frank and at times raw interview, Melissa reveals her naivety about the track's sexual overtones and how its success took everyone by surprise. She also talks about follow-ups "Sexy (Is The Word)" and "Skin To Skin", recording debut album Fresh and how she juggled her TV work with her music commitments. Melissa opens up about some of the experiences she had as a young pop star that were less than enjoyable and how she would have liked more creative input and control over her recordings — something she was able to achieve with her music comeback in 2005 with the Lost And Found album and her remake of "The Glamorous Life". As well as touching on personal tragedy and lessons learnt during her decades in the entertainment industry, Melissa celebrates her pop star experience and the whirlwind she was unexpectedly swept up in.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]