'I KNEW I WOULD WORK AGAIN I WANTED TO BE FILLING STADIUMS'

IN THE 1980S, TINA ACHIEVED ONE OF THE GREATEST COMEBACKS EVER IN MUSIC HISTORY

-  LESLEY JONES

With her trademark drawl of “Are you ready for me?” from the wings, Tina Turner was ready to take to the stage for a second-time-around pop career that would see her sell 180 million albums and become one of the biggest female artists worldwide. It was a rebirth like no other.

Thinking of huge hits like The Best, Private Dancer and GoldenEye, it’s easy to forget that the star was ever out of the limelight, but Tina’s pop journey – like her personal life – was testament to the grit and graft she had to rely on to turn her life around.

It had certainly been a gruelling road back to stardom since leaving husband Ike in 1978. Despite her legendary voice and stage presence, Tina had been sidelined by the music industry, and was reduced to playing cheesy sets in hotel lounges and taking part in TV game shows.

“I knew I would work again,“ she said, talking about the astounding pop renaissance that was to follow in the early 1980s. “I must say, I just wanted to be as big as superstars filling the stadiums. I had kind of put it on hold because I was trying to actually take care of my life,” she said.

But with steely determination and the support of other legends, many of whom were Brits, she started on a musical journey that would soon take the world by storm. “I never doubted myself because I’ve been performing long enough to know that I’m good at that,” she admitted. “That’s all I’ve ever done.”