In the early 1980s, Tina Turner made a comeback that has been described as one of the greatest in music history, and the UAE played a part in that resurgence.
The singer, who died on Wednesday at the age of 83, had already achieved mainstream success the decade before with her husband, Ike Turner. The couple, as Ike & Tina Turner, had sold millions of records, won a Grammy in 1972, and had performed in landmark venues including the Royal Albert Hall.
But Ike’s drug use increased and he became abusive. The band fell apart in 1976 and their marriage did too, with the couple finalising their divorce in 1978. Facing lawsuits for cancelled performances, Turner began touring again. But audience fervour had petered out and Turner became regarded as a nostalgic act.
That is, until 1983.
Turner’s success in the 1980s needs little elaboration. It was during this time that she produced her most influential albums, including Private Dancer, Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair. She also won six Grammys in that decade.
Just before her soaring comeback, Turner came to the UAE in 1983 to perform in a string of concerts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that would mark the beginning of her rebirth as a solo artist.
Journalist Lawrence Machado met the singer ahead of her concert at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dubai. Though he covered sport for a local newspaper, he says he leapt at the opportunity to meet Turner, having been an ardent fan of her work since he was a child in Sri Lanka.
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A woman lights candles at the gate of the house of singer Tina Turner in Kuesnacht, Switzerland, following news of her death. EPA -
A fan holds one of Turner's records next to her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in Los Angeles, California. EPA -
Flowers lie across Turner's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. EPA -
Turner poses with her plaque and a bouquet of roses near her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. AP -
Turner and Elton John perform a duet during the VH1 Fashion and Music Awards in 1995 in New York. AP -
Turner, right, with Oprah Winfrey at a New York theatre in 2019. AP -
Turner and her band perform at the Credit Suisse Sports Awards in Zurich, Switzerland, 2011. EPA -
Turner performs during a concert at the Hallenstadion venue in Zurich. EPA -
Turner performs during the TV show Champs-Elysees on Channel Antenne 2 in 1989. AFP -
Turner performs with Beyonce at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2008. AFP -
Turner at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 1985. AP -
Turner and Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger perform at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1995. AP -
Turner performs at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1982. AFP -
Turner onstage during Tina - The Tina Turner Musical opening night at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City in 2019. AFP -
Turner receives the Golden Record Award from Pathe Marconi chairman Guy Deluz, left, in 1986, in Paris. AFP -
Turner holds up her Grammy Award in 1985 in Los Angeles. AP -
From right, President George Bush, first lady Laura Bush and Turner at the 2005 Kennedy Centre Honours Gala in Washington. AP -
Turner performs in Groningen, Netherlands, in 2000. AFP -
Turner performs at the Palais Omnisports in Paris in 1987. AFP -
Turner and Lionel Richie pose with a total of five awards between them at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 1985. AP -
Turner performs her hit song 'What's Love Got to Do With It' in Los Angeles in 1984. AP -
Turner is silhouetted during her concert at the O2 Arena in London in 2009. Reuters -
Turner performs with fellow singer Cher during the VH1 television network's broadcast concert Diva's Live 99 at New York's Beacon Theatre in 1999. Reuters -
Turner meets Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1989 at the London Palladium. PA -
Turner with her then-husband and singing partner, Ike Turner, in 1971. PA -
Turner with chat show host Terry Wogan, centre, and Elton John at the BBC TV centre in Shepherds Bush, London. PA
“I was so happy to meet her. We grew up to her music,” Machado says. When I went to interview her, there was no internet at the time, but I knew about her and the trouble with her husband. She had a very hard life.”
But Turner was focused on the future, looking forward to establishing herself in the industry. Dubai, Machado says, gave Turner the opportunity to leap back into the spotlight.
“She was trying to come back into show business at the time. She had been out for some time after the problems with her husband. Dubai gave her the chance to ease back into the mainstream in terms of concerts. The Hyatt used to have all the shows in those days. Dubai was coming into its own at the time. A lot of big bands were coming through.”
Machado said his interview with Turner was among his most memorable, and the Sri Lankan journalist, who has been living in Australia since 2003, has sat down with the likes of Pele and Muhammad Ali.
“Tina was a warm, down-to-earth person who had no airs and graces despite being a superstar,” he says. “She answered all my questions. I asked her about her husband, about Ike & Tina Turner, the violence and everything. Of course, I can’t remember word for word, but she was glad it was over. She was looking forward to going out on her own. It was after those concerts in the UAE that she really got that same fame again.”
Machado says he was “very upset” to hear about Turner’s death. She may not have been a close friend, but that single encounter, as well as her music, left a lasting impression on Machado.
“She was someone I always followed,” Machado says. “It’s quite sad. I’ve been playing her music [since the news came out].”
