1. 56 INfLIGHT MAGAZINE56 INfLIGHT MAGAZINE
Marcia Hines,
and Lionel Richie
inees
and Lionel Richi
embracing life, love ,
Her powerful voice took Marcia
Hines from her local Boston
church choir as a child, to
stardom and beyond. Known
as The First Australian Lady
of Song, Marcia reigned as
Queen of Pop in 1976, 1977
and 1978 and was the first
female singer in Australia
to achieve such public
admiration.

2. INfLIGHT MAGAZINE 57
E D U C A T I O N
An Australian Idol judge since 2003,
Marcia has been described as a crucial
supportive influence for contestants,
as well as their guiding light. In her
outstanding career, Marcia has made an
incredible impact on Australia’s music
scene in all realms, and was inducted into
the ARIA Hall of Fame in July.
Marcia has also brought out her 12th
Album Life and is about to shake up
audiences in live performances in
December. In a perfect partnership,
Marcia and her band will support Oscar &
Grammy winning singer, Lionel Richie, in
a tour across Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s all good,” says Marcia, “I feel so
blessed to still be making music. I love
live performances and to see peoples’
reactions.”
Her reaction to working with Lionel was
simple. “I’m thinking ‘Yes! I’m there!”
laughs Marcia, “He’s a wonderful human
being.”
They first met in person at the Sydney
Opera House for Idol’s massive finale. “I
was so nervous. This is a megastar we’re
talking here. He made everyone feel
happy backstage, cracking jokes left, right
and centre, and then he turned around
and went on stage. He went ‘Kaplowie!’
Like the absolute professional.”
“We’ve heard of each other,” says Marcia,
“he said, ‘I know you’ and he gave me a
great big cuddle. So it’s going to be a fun
tour.”
There’s no answer yet about a much-
anticipated duet between Lionel and
Marcia on stage. “Until you get invited
into someone’s home, you don’t just
walk in,” she says. “I’ll try not to have
expectations. If you have none, and
something happens it’s like Christmas.”
Marcia will be singing three songs from
Life on stage, Everybody Hurts, No
Ordinary Love and Get Here, as well as a
medley of her hit songs.
“I’m really looking forward to learning
from a professional, such as Mr Richie.
He’s been around a long time. I want to
see how it’s all done. It’s like being privy
to the engine room,” says Marcia.
During her career Marcia would love to
sing with Sting, or Prince. “I really like
George Michael too. I’d love to do some
work with Lionel Richie, a song, we’ll see
what happens.”
In November, Marcia released her fabulous
album, Life, which comes with an amazing
booklet of private true stories of life, hope
and loss.
“I’m very proud we have an album out.
I’m stoked. This is an amazing life I’m
living,” she enthuses.
Marcia has chosen every song specifically
for their meaning. Every song is a cover,
apart from, I Am, which is the first song
she’s both written and recorded in her
career, “it rang true from my heart.”
The album celebrates life “everyone’s life
is remarkable. This album is about the
heroism of everyday life,” and can also be
described as a self-help album. Each song
has a remarkable story behind it. One
story describes a near-death experience
Marcia had as a child, to accompany the
song, Imagine.
Words of
wisdom…
Self described hope junkie, Marcia
admits she’s always lived with
optimism, “Having said that I’ve been
really lucky. I’ve had great people
around me who have influenced me in
a positive way.
“It’s easier to be a nice person, rather
than a horrible person. It’s important
to use words of encouragement, and
use words that are instructive rather
than destructive. People were very
kind to me in the beginning of my
career. What goes around comes
around.
“My mother has been my biggest
influence,” she says. “I’m a great
believer that you are responsible for
everyone’s children, whether they’re
yours or not. Give them a positive
affirmation, I’m just doing what was
done to me in a way, and then even
more.
“If we can maintain some of that
child-like love and vulnerability it’s a
beautiful thing to have in you as an
adult.
“Spirituality is a very large part of our
journey here, the more open you are
to it, the more I think you learn how to
walk this path.”
“That’s the stuff we live. It’s all
happening, as long as you’re going to be
on this planet. There are going to be good
dramas and bad dramas. The greatest
thing about these song writers, they write
for cathartic reasons, and they’re sharing
their knowledge. Shared knowledge is the
most important knowledge.
“It’s a chick thing too, we can talk and
I love that, that nurturing side of the
female nature. Having said that, I’ve
worked with men most of my life,and
they talk when they’re ready, not when
they’re prodded,” she laughs. “They have
deep feelings, but they go about it in a
totally different way. That’s the beauty of
us and them.”
Marcia is “Bloody proud” of the album.
“I hope and pray it strikes a chord...
Everyone will have a different reaction
and hopefully they will hook into and get
what I’m saying.”