MARCIA HINES

In the early 1970s, Marcia Hines moved from Boston to Australia to embark on a role that would change her life forever. 22 albums later, countless chart‑topping singles, and the coveted title of Australian Idol's favourite judge, she's only just getting started.

The Australian music icon hits Darwin town, with a show celebrating 50 years of making music. Lisa Pellegrino sat down with her to chat about her shining career and to receive some wise life advice.

Five decades in the business, how does an artist achieve such a successful and enduring career?
I think it's very important to have people that care around you, starting from family and then management. I think a large part of being in this industry is learning to listen to people who mean you well, and I've had good people around me.

At just 16-years-old, you moved from Boston to Australia after landing a role in the musical Hair. How did that change your life?
How could it not? I had no idea what I was doing, except that I'd gotten a gig in Australia … and I didn't really even know where Australia was at that point in time. I had sung around Boston a bit, but it was actually a chance to sing on a proper stage, in a proper musical … which was here! I took the challenge and I'm so pleased I did.

What made you decide to make Australia home?
I had a child not long after I got here. My daughter was born in 1970 and I had other women around me who had children too. And we do tend to take care of ourselves, women. So I just stayed as most performers do, where the work is … and the work kept coming, which was great.

And you had your beautifully talented daughter, Deni Hines.
Thank God! [laughs]. Wouldn't it have been a mess if she wasn't ? [laughs]. Seriously, she’s one of my favourite singers. She’s brilliant.

What have been some of your career highlights?
Getting the gig in Hair, and then I got a call from producer Harry Miller, who asked me to play Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar. That was a real big turning point in my career. Just before Superstar closed, I was asked to travel to Russia to represent Australia musically with a band called The Daly-Wilson Big Band. Then, when I got back home, I started to get all these great accolades, like Queen of Pop.

In the 1970s, you were on top of that disco ball, metaphorically speaking. What was the disco scene like in Australia?
It was just as fantastic here as it was in America. The disco scene came out of the Vietnam War, which was very heavy for us all … and then this incredible thing kind of mushroomed, called the Disco era. You were allowed to be incredibly creative. The music was kind of crazy. The fashion was terrible. But it was fun, and it was joy. And I think whenever there is joy, it's a very important thing for us all to experience.

You learnt to sing in church and continue to sing gospel music today. What do you love about gospel music?
I just think when you praise, you sing from a different place. I hear some people hit notes that I think, wow, if they weren't singing in church, I wonder if they could hit those notes in a normal situation.

Also, it's a community. What church taught me as a kid was how important it is to be humble, to be gracious, to be thankful, and to know that we're all in this thing together. One of the greatest things I learned in church was ‘Do unto others’. And be kind … it's so easy to be kind.

In 2003, you became a judge on Australian Idol, which you’re doing again today. What was that experience like?
The first time in 2003 was really hard, and then I kind of worked out what it is I was supposed to do. People refer to me as the kind judge. I think if I'm going to criticise someone, I'm going to give them constructive criticism so they can take it away and try and work it out.

I think it's not an easy industry but it's one of those industries if you persist, and you believe this is the one thing that you want to do in your life, nobody should change your mind. Doesn't matter how famous you become or how you're just singing in your neighbourhood or in a pub. It doesn't matter, as long as it's nurturing you and it's making you happy.

What are your experiences of Darwin and the NT?
I love Darwin because I did lots of gigs in the Amphitheatre way back in the day. One of my favourite things about Darwin is they cut firewood and put it on the beach. I think that's cool. And I love the markets. I love the night market.

You’re performing your show Marcia Hines – The Still Shining Concert Tour in Darwin this month. What can audiences expect?
We've got a really cool show that spans quite a few of my old hits and maybe a couple new songs … and I talk to the audience. There's a Q&A where the audience can actually ask me questions, and I answer them to the best of my ability, which is always fun because it's never the same. And I've got some really great people that I work with on stage. We do the best that we can to make it a fun night.

You’re known for your kind and considered words of wisdom. What are the most important things in life?
Be gracious, be grateful. And know that every day is a blessing. And no matter how bad things get, eventually it will come around to good.

Marcia Hines -The Still Shining Concert Tour 
WHEN SAT 31 MAY | 7.30PM
AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE 
COST $73 | $68 MEMB/CONC
INFO yourcentre.com.au