Bachelor Girl

Bachelor Girl are an Australian pop duo, formed in 1992 by Tania Doko as vocalist and James Roche as musician, producer and arranger. Their 1998 debut single, "Buses and Trains", was a top 10 hit in Australia and New Zealand; it peaked in the top 30 in Sweden and charted in the UK. The follow up single, "Treat Me Good" reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand. Their debut studio album, Waiting for the Day was released in 1998 and reached the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart and achieved platinum certification.

Bachelor Girl
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresPop, pop rock, indie
Years active1992–2003, 2011, 2018-present
LabelsGotham, BMG, Arista
Websitewww.bachelorgirl.com
Past membersTania Doko
James Roche

History

1992–1997: Formation

Bachelor Girl formed in December 1992 when songwriter and record producer, James Roche, met vocalist Tania Doko.[1][2] Roche had previously worked, on keyboards or producing, with Tommy Emmanuel, John Farnham and Jack Jones (aka Irwin Thomas).[1][2] Doko was a classically trained university student.[1] Roche was crafting a demonstration tape of a song he had written for an Australian girl group, Girlfriend, and when the original singer cancelled, he recruited Doko. They began writing songs and recording other demos together. In December 1997, Bachelor Girl signed with Gotham Records, distributed by BMG, after being rejected by Sony.[2]

1998–2001: Waiting for the Day

Bachelor Girl's debut single, "Buses and Trains", was released on 18 June 1998. The song peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 6 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[3][4] In 1999, it appeared in the top 30 on the Swedish Singles Chart and reached the top 100 in the UK.[5][6] Their second single, "Treat Me Good", was issued in November 1998 and reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand.[3][4] The related album, Waiting for the Day, was released in November and peaked at No. 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[3] In May 1999, their third single, "Lucky Me" reached the top 50 in Australia and New Zealand.[3][4] It reached the top 20 on the Finnish Singles Chart.[7] In August, the album was issued internationally as Breaking Through from Down Under on Arista Records.[2]

2002–2004: Dysfunctional and split

In July 2002, Bachelor Girl released "I'm Just A Girl" as the lead single from their forthcoming second studio album. The song reached the Australian top 30.[3] Their second album, Dysfunctional, was released in August and peaked in the top 30.[3] "Drowning Not Waving" was released in October 2002 as the second and final single from the album.

The band recorded their third studio album in 2003-2004 but was never released as the duo amicably split in 2004.[8]

2004–2017: Hiatus, Loved & Lost: The Best of Bachelor Girl and Beautifully Wrong – The Lost Songs

In April 2011, a compilation album Loved & Lost: The Best of Bachelor Girl was released by Sony Music Australia. It featured four tracks abandoned from the third studio album. Doko stated in interviews that the band did not feel there was enough material from their two albums to fill a greatest hits album, and they decided to use cuts from the unreleased third studio album. In May and June, Bachelor Girl performed three gigs to promote the album.[9][10] In August 2011, the previously unreleased third album was released digitally, titled Beautifully Wrong – The Lost Songs.

In 2012, Doko moved to Sweden where she worked as a singer/songwriter and vocal coach.[11] Roche worked with a number of Australian musicians, including producing Anthony Callea's number one album, Backbone in 2016.[12]

2017–present: Reformation and "Speak"

In mid-2017, Roche completed a three-week trip to Stockholm, Sweden, where he met up with Doko.[13] The duo wrote and recorded with various Swedish writers and producers. Roche said, "I had a fantastic time; the context there of musical creation and endeavour is inspiring and energising. I've returned with a collection of songs I am so excited about - I can't wait to complete the production on them!". New material is set for release in 2018.[14] "Speak" was released on 18 June 2018, exactly 20 years since the release of "Buses and Trains".[15]

Discography

Bachelor Girl discography
Studio albums3
Compilation albums1
Singles7

Albums

Year Title Chart positions Sales and certifications
AUS
[3]
1998 Waiting for the Day
  • Released: 9 November 1998
  • Label: Gotham (GOTH98092)
  • Format: CD
20
  • ARIA certification: platinum (70,000+).[16]
  • 88th-highest-selling album in Australia for 1998.[17]
  • 99th-highest-selling album in Australia for 2000.[18]
2002 Dysfunctional
  • Released: 5 August 2002
  • Label: Gotham (GOTH02062)
  • Format: CD
28
2011 Beautifully Wrong
  • Released: 12 August 2011
  • Label: Sony Music Australia
  • Format: Digital download
"—" denotes release that did not chart or was not released in that country

Compilations

Title Album details
Loved & Lost: The Best of Bachelor Girl

Singles

Year Song Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[3]
FIN
[7]
NZ
[4]
SWE
[5]
UK
[6]
1998 "Buses and Trains" 4 6 29 84 Waiting for the Day
"Treat Me Good" 34 26
1999 "Lucky Me" 42 19 40
"Blown Away" 79
2002 "I'm Just a Girl" 25 Dysfunctional
"Drowning Not Waving" 69
2018 "Speak"[15] TBA

Awards

ARIA Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Bachelor Girl have won 1 award from 5 nominations.[19]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1998 "Buses and Trains" Best New Talent Nominated
1999 ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single Nominated
Waiting for the Day Breakthrough Artist - Album Nominated
Best Pop Release Nominated
Bachelor Girl for Waiting for the Day Producer of the Year Won

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Bachelor Girls have been nominated for three awards.[20]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1999 "Buses and Trains" Song of the Year Won
Most Performed Australian Work Nominated
2000 "Lucky Me" Most Played Australian Work Nominated

References

  1. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Bachelor Girl'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  2. Phares, Heather. "Bachelor Girl > Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  3. "Discography Bachelor Girl". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  4. "Discography Bachelor Girl". charts.nz. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  5. "Discography Bachelor Girl". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  6. Zywietz, Tobias (7 May 2011). "Chart Log UK: Darren B – David Byrne". zobbel.de. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  7. "Discography Bachelor Girl". finnishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  8. "Four Minutes With...Bachelor Girl". news.com.au. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  9. Jimmy (18 March 2011). "Blast from the Past: Bachelor Girl Re-forming!". RipItUp. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  10. Cashmere, Paul (13 April 2011). "Bachelor Girl Reform". Undercover.fm. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  11. "Tips of the Trade: Living Overseas". APRA. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  12. "Bachelor Girl return with new single after 12-year hiatus". The Music Network. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  13. "Bachelor Girl Have A New Song Called 'Speak'". noise11. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  14. "Bachelor Girl have new releases in 2018". Bachelor Girl. March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  15. "Speak -single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  16. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1999 Albums" Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. ARIA Charts. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
  17. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Albums 1998". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
  18. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Albums 2000". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
  19. "ARIA Awards Search Results - Bachelor Girl". ARIA Awards. ARIA Awards. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  20. "Bachelor Girl (search)". APRA Awards (Australia). Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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