Combining the instrumental, vocal and songwriting talents of James Roche and Tania Doko, Australian duo Bachelor Girl, despite working on the project for many years prior, marked their public debut in late May 1998 when ‘Buses and Trains’ was released to radio in Australia, the first single from their debut album, "Waiting for the Day".
The quirky and undeniably catchy 'Buses and Trains' was the first single from the duo, who were last year nominated for Best New Talent by ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association). The lyrics mesmerise the listener: 'I walked under a bus, I got hit by a train. Keep falling in love, which is kind of the same.'
James, who penned the tune, explains:
"I decided to talk about the roller coaster of love and romance most people experience when they meet someone, get very excited, then break up. The chorus ends, 'But it felt so good, I wanna do it again.' "
A little bit of pop, rock, soul, and rhythm and blues, Bachelor Girl's sound is a blend of their individual musical influences. James says he was an avid listener of American rock and quirky British pop, while Tania was into old-school soul and R & B.
The duo first connected seven years ago when James hired Tania to sing on a demo he was producing.
"I was a working musician. I did everything and anything to earn a living - weddings, bar gigs, film and television, recording demos. When I worked with Tania we had such a good time we decided to write together. We just clicked."
Tania was 18 at the time and attending Melbourne University.
"I was studying for my BA in psychology and criminology, but my main passion was music. It was the realisation of a dream when James called and said 'Let's start working and writing together.' "
The two worked together part-time over the next four years while Tania was completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree. Then in 1997, James and Tania got serious and put together a demo CD and performed several Melbourne showcases. It was from one of these performances that Bachelor Girl landed a record deal with Gotham / BMG Australia.
Most of the album's tracks were recorded and mixed by James and Tania in their studio at James's home.
"We could get pretty creative practically any time of the day!"
James plays keyboards on the album and both he and Tania supply all of the vocals.
"Singing all our own backing vocals, layering our voices one on top of another, creates a common theme throughout the album."
'Layered' is also a way to describe James and Tania's songwriting style.
"We're not into songs that don't go deep,"
says Tania, who co-wrote most of the album's tracks with James.
"Because the stories are our own, they're a lot easier to perform because they really happened."
James echoes that sentiment:
"Our songs are mostly about what I call "relationship mechanics, it's kind of the spirit of Bachelor Girl."
In addition to 'Buses and Trains,' James explains that tracks like 'Treat Me Good,' and 'Lucky Me' have layers.
"'Treat Me Good' is a song with a social conscience. It's about someone who's subordinate in a relationship and is beginning to take a stand. It's all done very sarcastically - very soft and subtle. It's a very typical Bachelor Girl song in that it's got a sideways approach to things."
In the upbeat 'Lucky Me,' Tania sings sarcastically about all of the material things she has, yet she still can't seem to find happiness.
"I've got just enough cash to pay a lot of tax, but not enough to quit my job. Got a fool's gold ring, credit card debt, a psychiatrist for my dog. Lucky me."
James continues:
"That's something we try to do, to have a deep message delivered easily. That's probably something that stems from our interest in psychology. Tania studied it at university and I study it in real life. Understanding that helps in songwriting because you can have a few keys to a few doors that would normally stay locked."
Bachelor Girl is already an established success in Australia, having performed with Natalie Imbruglia and having co-headlined an Australian tour with The Goo Goo Dolls. Bachelor Girl has just completed performances with the Eurythmics on the Peace Tour.
Their debut album 'Waiting For The Day' was released in Australia in November 1998 and went platinum. Its first single, 'Buses and Trains,' also went platinum, spending 33 weeks on Australia's ARIA (sales) charts and peaking at number 4. It was also voted 'Song of the Year' last May by APRA, the Australasian Performing Right Association. 'Treat Me Good' and 'Lucky Me' have also landed on the ARIA Top 40 charts. In September, Bachelor Girl won Radio Industry Awards for Best "New" Australian Artist on Commercial Radio and Most Popular Australian Chart Act on Commercial Radio. In October, Bachelor Girl were finalists for four ARIA Awards. They won the ARIA for Producer of the Year.
