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. Worldwide, Bachelor Girl has sold a total of more than 500,000 albums and singles.[1]

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

History

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1992–1997: Formation

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Bachelor Girl formed in December 1992 when songwriter and record producer, James Roche, met vocalist Tania Doko.[2][3] Roche had previously worked, on keyboards or producing, with Tommy Emmanuel, John Farnham and Jack Jones (aka Irwin Thomas).[2][3] Doko was a classically trained university student.[2] 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.[3]

1998–2001: Waiting for the Day

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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.[4][5] In 1999, it appeared in the top 30 on the Swedish Singles Chart and reached the top 100 in the UK.[6][7] Their second single, "Treat Me Good", was issued in November 1998 and reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand.[4][5] The related album, Waiting for the Day, was released in November and peaked at No. 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[4] In May 1999, their third single, "Lucky Me" reached the top 50 in Australia and New Zealand.[4][5] It reached the top 20 on the Finnish Singles Chart.[8] In August, the album was issued internationally as Breaking Through from Down Under on Arista Records.[3]

2002–2004: Dysfunctional and split

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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.[4] Their second album, Dysfunctional, was released in August and peaked in the top 30.[4] "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.[9]

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

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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.[10][11] 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.[12] Roche worked with a number of Australian musicians, including producing Anthony Callea's number one album, Backbone in 2016.[13]

2017–present: Reformation, "Speak" and "Calling Out Your Name"

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In mid-2017, Roche completed a three-week trip to Stockholm, Sweden, where he met up with Doko.[14] 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!". "Speak" was released on 18 June 2018, exactly 20 years since the release of "Buses and Trains".[15]

In February 2023, Bachelor Girl released "Calling Out Your Name".[16]

Discography

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Bachelor Girl discography
Studio albums3
Compilation albums1
Singles8

Albums

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Title Details Chart positions Sales and certifications
AUS
[4]
Waiting for the Day
  • Released: 9 November 1998
  • Label: Gotham (GOTH98092)
  • Format: CD
20
Dysfunctional
  • Released: 5 August 2002
  • Label: Gotham (GOTH02062)
  • Format: CD
28
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

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

Singles

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Year Song Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[4]
FIN
[8]
NZ
[5]
SWE
[6]
UK
[7]
1998 "Buses and Trains" 4 6 29 65 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] Non-album single
2023 "Calling Out Your Name"[18] TBA

Other appearances

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Year Title Album
1999 "Come Undone" UnDone the songs of Duran Duran
1999 "New Miracle" The Spirit of Christmas 1999
1999 "Buses And Trains" (acoustic version) Music Live from The Panel
2000 "Christmas Gives Me The Chance" The Spirit of Christmas 2000
2002 "I'm Just A Girl" (acoustic version) The Latest Collection: Music Live from The Panel
2003 "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" The Spirit of Christmas 2003

Awards and nominations

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ARIA Awards

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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 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

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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

Australian Women in Music Awards

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The Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2021[21] Tania Doko Songwriter Award Won

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bachelor Girl Release New Single 20 Years After "Buses and Trains"". E! Online. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "Bachelor Girl > Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Discography Bachelor Girl". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d "Discography Bachelor Girl". charts.nz. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Discography Bachelor Girl". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  7. ^ a b Zywietz, Tobias (7 May 2011). "Chart Log UK: Darren B – David Byrne". zobbel.de. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Discography Bachelor Girl". finnishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Four Minutes With...Bachelor Girl". news.com.au. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Cashmere, Paul (13 April 2011). "Bachelor Girl Reform". Undercover.fm. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Tips of the Trade: Living Overseas". APRA. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Bachelor Girl return with new single after 12-year hiatus". The Music Network. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Bachelor Girl Have A New Song Called 'Speak'". Noise11. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Speak -single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Bachelor Girl Have New Music, Check Out 'Calling Out Your Name'". noise11. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  17. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1999 Albums" Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. ARIA Charts. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
  18. ^ "Bachelor Girl Have New Music, Check Out 'Calling Out Your Name'". noise11. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  19. ^ "ARIA Awards Search Results - Bachelor Girl". ARIA Awards. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Bachelor Girl (search)". APRA Awards (Australia). Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  21. ^ "2022 Australian Women In Music Awards Winners". Scenestr. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.