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Biography

Tina Harrod, born in New Zealand with Fijian and Welsh heritage,is a multi-award winning Australian recording artist. Tina’s four albums have received high critical acclaim and her fifth album, City of Longing, is released in 2018.

Discography:

  • Shacked Up in Paradise 2004
  • Worksongs 2008
  • Temporary People 2009
  • The Revolution is Eternal 2013 City of Longing 2018

An outstanding vocalist and songwriter, Tina Harrod is held in great affection and respect by musicians, her growing audience and music writers and critics. 

The album Worksongs won the AIR (Australian Independent Recording Association) Award for ‘Best Jazz Album’ in 2008 and the prestigious Jazz Bell award for ‘Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album in 2009.

2009’s Temporary People, recorded and mixed by US engineer Helik Hadar (well known for his work with Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell & Rufus Wainwright) was nominated for a Bell Award in 2010 and was in the top ten albums for The Age, top ten albums for The Sydney Morning Herald and also ABC Radio National’s Top 10 Albums of the year.

Tina’s innovative music draws from the deep well of soul and jazz, yet in a totally contemporary style. Acknowledged as one of Australia’s finest vocalists, Tina’s rich depth of tone and breathtaking skills underpin an ability to engage the listener’s emotions from the very first note.

"The power of Nina Simone with the expression of Billie Holiday, yet Harrod's individuality is never compromised."
The Australian
“Like Eartha Kitt in a contemporary context, blowing your mind with its lyrical content and luscious sonic capability, Harrod's voice cuts through your day / emotions / love / stress / panic / ennui and gives the gift of musical ascension."
Arne Sjostedt
SME, 2013
“There are really only two great Australian soul and R&B singers: Renee Geyer and Tina Harrod...Harrod connects with the song more deeply than ordinary singers.”
Bernard Zuel
Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum.

Since 1992 when Tina joined Aria award winning singer Wendy Matthews as a backing vocalist on her national tour.  She went on to perform with other with fellow artists Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, Diesel, Vika & Linda Bull, Katie Noonan, Paul Grabowsky & The Australian Art Orchestra, Tim Freedman and The Whitlams, Guy Sebastian, Thirsty Merc, Wendy Matthews and her late partner the great Hungarian master musician Jackie Orszaczky.

Tina has performed at festivals, concert stages and nightclubs across Australia and Europe since 2004 including concerts at Sydney Opera House, Perth International Jazz Festival, Melbourne Jazz Festival, Sydney Festival, JazzAhead in Bremen Germany and in Hungary: the huge Sziget Festival, the Palace of Arts and Budapest Blues Festival.

Though her background is steeped in soul and RnB, Tina’s original recordings are innovative, contemporary pieces with solid arrangements and production quality, given further depth by her legendary vocal delivery.

Through her recording career, Tina Harrod has collaborated with other innovators including bassist/bandleaders Jackie Orszaczky and Jonathan Zwartz, engineer Helik Hadar (Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell,Rufus Wainwright), Stu Hunter (composer, pianist, producer) Matt McMahon (jazz pianist) and bassist Dave Symes (Boy & Bear, Sarah Blasko)

Tina Harrod is based on Scotland Island in Sydney’s Pittwater, and is the founding creative director of the popular Northern Beaches music venue, The Co-op Club.

The new album City of Longing was produced by award-winning composer and keyboardist Stu Hunter. Stu’s work The Migration (which includes Tina’s singing) made a big impact in Sydney Festival 2016 and the JazzAhead Festival 2017 in Germany.

“My goal is to achieve cohesion, marrying different styles and ideas together to create their own sound. I don’t want to make anew soul record or a new funky jazz album; I want to create something that is unknown to me. Stu (Hunter) recorded and mixed the whole album. He went above and beyond with this project-meticulously researching and boldly experimenting with sounds which is time consuming and it is really thanks to him that that I have an album I am really proud of."
Tina Harrod
..”this album finds Harrod exploring every corner of and beyond soul/R&B, her connection to them operating in such a freewheeling way that stylistic differences disappear and a personal vision emerges..”
Bernard Zuel
Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum.
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