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Dohnyale Sharon "Deni" Hines (born 4 September 1970) is an Australian singer who has been releasing music since the early 1980s, with chart success in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe. She is the daughter of American-born Australian singer Marcia Hines. Hines released her first single with the Australian band
Rockmelons Rockmelons, often referred to as the Rockies, were an Australian pop/dance/ R&B group formed in 1983 in Sydney. Primary members are Bryon Jones, his brother Jonathon Jones and Raymond Medhurst. They had two Australian top five hit singles in t ...
with a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the
Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...
1971 hit " Ain't No Sunshine". She then went on to release solo material, including the top-five single " It's Alright" and the top-20 album ''
Imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...
'' (1996), which sold more than 55,000 copies worldwide. A
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
, which included brand-new tracks, became '' Remix Your Imagination''. Her third studio album was titled '' Water for Chocolate'', which was released on 19 August 2006 and features the singles "Water for Chocolate", "
Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album '' Dusty in Memphis.'' Springfield's version was produ ...
" and "5 Days of Rain". In 2007, Hines recorded a successful jazz album with Australian jazz artist James Morrison. The pair toured Australia to sold-out shows. In 2012, she played singer Neri Rogers in "The Green Mill Murder", S1:E3 of ''
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian detective television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Ea ...
''. On 18 November 2016, her fourth studio album, '' The Soul Sessions'', was released, with the lead single "What About Love" co-written by Hines and Edward Said. In 2019, Hines competed on '' The Masked Singer'' under the alias of Unicorn. She was knocked out in finals week and ended up placing fourth.


Music career


1985–1993: Career launch, The Rockmelons and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''

Hines was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and was inspired by her mother's success as a singer to follow a career in show business. She was discovered by a friend when she was singing to the radio and then was encouraged to pursue singing as a career. Her earliest employment was as a backing vocalist for such artists as
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
(her Rhythm of Love Tour, Australia and Far East 1991),
Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...
, Wa Wa Nee and
Peter Blakeley Peter Blakeley is an Australian white soul/adult contemporary singer and songwriter. Blakeley was a lead singer of the Rockmelons in the mid-1980s. He launched a solo career in 1987 and had a massive hit single in Australia in 1989 with " C ...
before she was approached by the band
Rockmelons Rockmelons, often referred to as the Rockies, were an Australian pop/dance/ R&B group formed in 1983 in Sydney. Primary members are Bryon Jones, his brother Jonathon Jones and Raymond Medhurst. They had two Australian top five hit singles in t ...
to provide vocals for several of their songs. The first song that Hines released with the Rockmelons collaboration was a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the
Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...
1970s hit " Ain't No Sunshine" in 1991. The song proved to be a success, charting at number five on the Australian
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. With the success of the first single, the reggae-inspired "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" was the second song released with the collaboration and became another top-five single, charting at number four in Australia. The third and final song Hines released with the band was the ballad " It's Not Over". The song was also a success but was not as big as the previous two, charting at number 15 in Australia. With the success with the Rockmelons, Hines became one of the most well-known faces, and voices, in Australia. In 1992, entrepreneur Harry M. Miller signed Hines for the role of
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...
in a revival of the stage musical ''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
''. Miller had discovered and signed her mother Marcia twenty years earlier, and the role of Mary Magdalene had also been one of Marcia's early successes. Deni Hines was well received in the role but left the production the following year. In 1992, Hines recorded " Not Enough Time" with
INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...
, and it peaked at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; a year later, she married the band's guitarist and saxophonist
Kirk Pengilly Kirk Pengilly ( ; born 4 July 1958) is an Australian musician and member of the Australian rock group INXS. Kirk plays saxophone and guitar, and also performs as a backing vocalist. Early career Pengilly moved to Sydney in 1966, and became best ...
.


1994–1999: ''Imagination''/''Pay Attention'' and ''Remix Your Imagination''

After three hit singles with the Rockmelons, Hines was signed to
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...
and released her first solo single, " It's Alright", in 1995. The song charted at number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Charts and won an
ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...
for "Breakthrough Artist – Single". "
Imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...
" was released at the beginning of 1996 and peaked at number 37. With two songs released from the album, Hines released her debut album ''
Imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...
'' on 27 May 1996; it charted at number 15 on the Australia
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was nominated for two ARIA Awards. "I Like the Way" and "
I'm Not in Love "I'm Not in Love" is a song by British group 10cc, written by band members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It is known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitrack recording, multitracked vocals. ...
" (a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of a
10cc 10cc are an English rock music, rock band formed in Stockport, southeast of Manchester, in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who had written and recorded togethe ...
song) were the album's third and fourth singles, but both failed to chart in to top 50 in Australia. In order to promote her album internationally, Hines moved to the UK in 1997 and reissued her album under the title ''Pay Attention'' and toured with
Lighthouse Family Lighthouse Family were a British pop soul duo that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and initially remained active until the early 2000s. Singer Tunde Baiyewu and songwriter Paul Tucker formed the act in 1993 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, ...
and
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
. "It's Alright" was released in the United Kingdom in 1997 and was received well, peaking at number 35 on the singles chart."Chart Log UK – H & Claire – Hysterix"
''zobbel.de''. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
The track also managed to peak at number 22 in France. Further hits such as "I Like the Way", "Joy" and "Delicious" followed. In 1998, Hines cracked the U.S. market on the dance charts with "Joy" and "I Like the Way" both peaking in the top 20 of the U.S. ''Billboard''
Hot Dance Music/Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
charts. Hines released a
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
titled '' Remix Your Imagination''. This album included the song "Dream Your Dream", which was successful in Japan.


2000–2007: ''A Delicious Collection'', ''Water for Chocolate'' and ''The Other Woman''

In 2000, Hines did a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
song " Pull Up to the Bumper" the soundtrack for 2000 Australian film '' The Wog Boy''. A Soca version of that same song was performed some 18 years later in 2018 by a similarly named Hinds (
Alison Hinds Alison Amanda Hinds (born June 1 1970) is a British-born Bajan soca singer based in Barbados. She is often referred to as the Bajan " Queen of Soca" as a result of her impact on the genre. Biography Alison Hinds was born on 1 June 1970 in Lo ...
"Pull Up" – Barbados
Crop Over Crop Over is a traditional harvest festival which began in Barbados, having had its early beginnings on the sugar cane plantations during slavery. History The original crop-over tradition began in 1687 as a way to mark the end of the yearly harve ...
2018). In 2002, Hines released a greatest hits album, '' A Delicious Collection'', based on contractual commitments with her then record company, Festival Mushroom. In 2003, she spent time in France working with hip hop artist I:AM, writing and recording for his album in addition to co-writing a track, "Welcome", on which
Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most culturally significant figu ...
sang for I:AM's release. In 2004 and 2005, Hines spent most of the time overseas with her then-fiancé
Ben Steel Ben Steel () is an Australian actor and director who is most known for his regular role of Jude Lawson in Australian soap ''Home and Away''. Early life and acting training Steel's parents are Glenys Steel and Ray Steel. He has two older sis ...
. Hines was writing for a new album in the US with the likes of the Family Stand and Whole 9 and back in Australia with Jarrad Rogers, Vince Pizzinga and many others. In early 2006, Hines played the part of Reno (a composite character representing a number of
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
's lesbian lovers) in the stage musical '' Dusty – The Original Pop Diva'', that premiered in Melbourne before touring Australia until September 2006. ''Dusty: The Original Pop Diva'' grossed $20M at the Australian box office. Hines' single "Water for Chocolate", written by the Family Stand, was released in Australia on 8 July 2006 and just missed the top 100, peaking at number 28 on the Australian Urban Singles Chart. The song was followed up by an album of the same name released on 19 August 2006. Two further singles, "Son of a Preacher Man" and "5 Days of Rain", were released in 2007. In 2007, she collaborated with trumpeter James Morrison on an album of jazz standards, '' The Other Woman''. Hines and Morrison performed an Australian National Theatre tour to near sell out audiences and received an ARIA nomination for "Best Jazz Album". They also performed at marquee festivals such as the Christchurch Jazz Festival and the Darling Harbour Jazz Festival.


2008–2013: Film, television and theatre work

In 2008, she teamed up with
Christine Anu Maia Christine Anu (born on 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress of Torres Strait Islander origin. She gained popularity with the cover song release of the Warumpi Band's song " My Island Home" in 1995. Anu has been no ...
for the charity single " Takin' it to The Street". In February 2009 a live DVD with bonus audio disc was released, taken for their two national tours. In mid-2008, Hines received a call from Oscar-nominated film director
Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director, opera director, screenwriter, and producer. He began his career during the Australian New Wave, and has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally ...
and agreed to play a small role in '' Mao's Last Dancer''. The film was released on 1 October 2009. In 9 October, Hines became the ambassador for the humanitarian charity Oasis Africa Australia, where she visited the foundation's village and school in
Kibera Kibera (Kinubi language, Kinubi: ''Forest'' or ''Jungle'') is a division and neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya, from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and also the largest urban slum in all of Africa. The 2009 Kenya Popul ...
, Kenya, in January 2010. While there, Hines commenced recording a world music–style album featuring some of the local musicians and the children's choir from the Oasis Africa School. July 2010 saw Hines reunite with Tamsin Carroll, from '' Dusty – The Original Pop Diva'', to perform a series of shows called Dusty the Concert; it featured over 20 hits. There were 16 shows. On 9 July 2011, Hines released a new single, "Finger on the Trigger", a
Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
classic. Produced by Rob Taylor and DJ Alex Taylor, its uptempo funky feel failed to get dance floors moving and bombed on the charts. From October 2011, Hines featured in ''
The Celebrity Apprentice Australia ''The Celebrity Apprentice Australia'' is an Australian reality television series which aired on the Nine Network. Based on NBC's '' The Apprentice'', it first aired on 24 October 2011 and originally featured Mark Bouris, the founder and chair ...
''. She was fired after task 3, in which her team raised $47,400 for Oasis Africa Australia, but returned for the final episodes on Team Unity. Hines played the role of Nerine Rogers in the third episode of
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian detective television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Ea ...
, which aired in March 2012. On 31 July 2012, Hines became engaged to Daniel Moses, a Sydney-based financier. They were married on 23 December 2012 in Sydney.


2014–present: ''The Soul Sessions'' & ''The Tokyo Sessions''

Throughout 2013 and 2014, Hines performed the 'Café Soul Sessions' tour around Australia, and the idea for a soul-inspired album was born. '' The Soul Sessions'' was available for download only from her website from December 2014. On 18 November 2016, ''The Soul Sessions'' was released digitally and physically, with the lead single "What About Love", an original track co-written by Hines and Edward Said. The album also includes two other Hines co-writes, with "I Got Your Back" and "Runnin'". In 2024, Hines released 'The Tokyo Sessions'', an album recorded over the previous years in Japan.


Personal life

In an interview, Hines stated that her father "had Somalian and Ethiopian in him". In December 1993, Hines married
INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...
musician
Kirk Pengilly Kirk Pengilly ( ; born 4 July 1958) is an Australian musician and member of the Australian rock group INXS. Kirk plays saxophone and guitar, and also performs as a backing vocalist. Early career Pengilly moved to Sydney in 1966, and became best ...
. The marriage lasted 10 months and they parted ways in early 1995. Hines married her boyfriend of 18 months, businessman and sometime-musician Daniel Moses, at Sergeant's Mess in
Middle Head The Sydney Heads (also simply known as the Heads) are a series of headlands that form the wide entrance to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north; South Head and Dunbar Head are to ...
, overlooking
Sydney Harbour National Park The Sydney Harbour National Park is an List of national parks of Australia, Australian national park comprising parts of Port Jackson, Sydney and its foreshores and various islands. The national park lies in New South Wales and was created progr ...
, in 2012.


Discography


Studio albums


Remix and compilation albums


Live albums


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Awards and nominations


ARIA Music Awards

The
ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of
Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...
. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
, "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" , Best Female Artist , , - , rowspan="3",
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
, "It's Alright" , Breakthrough Artist – Single , , - , rowspan="2", ''Imagination'' , Breakthrough Artist – Album , , - , Best Female Artist , , - , rowspan="2",
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
, rowspan="2", "
I'm Not in Love "I'm Not in Love" is a song by British group 10cc, written by band members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It is known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitrack recording, multitracked vocals. ...
" , Best Pop Release , , - , Best Female Artist , , - ,
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, ''The Other Woman'' (with James Morrison) , Best Jazz Album , , ARIA Award previous winners.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hines, Deni 1970 births ARIA Award winners Australian dance musicians Australian pop musicians Australian soul singers Living people Singers from Sydney Australian music critics Australian women music critics Australian music journalists Australian people of Jamaican descent Australian people of Somali descent Australian people of Ethiopian descent Australian video jockeys Australian people of African-American descent Australian women pop singers 21st-century Australian women singers 21st-century Australian singers