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Sometime in 1990, four school friends from the Sydney suburbs who share a love of singing and music and decide to form a vocal group they call the Four Trax. They worked up a repertoire of covers and old soul standards and weathered the expected ribbing from their rugby school mates and hung in there.
After doing the usual rounds of the covers circuit, the quartet sang for some executives at Sony and were given a recording deal. On the spot. Human Nature was born. Andrew, Michael, Toby and Phil were teamed with Australian pop producers Andrew Klippel and Paul Begaud, who crafted infectious up tempo tracks and soaring ballads to show off their choreography and vocal gymnastics. Human Nature announced their arrival with the debut single Got It Goin'` On, quickly establishing their pop credentials. Their debut album, Telling Everybody, is released in 1997. With the singles like Got It Going On, the title track, Wishes and Don't Say Goodbye, it stormed up the charts and achieved phenomenal success for these newcomers, including more than four times platinum sales.
The well-dressed, polite young men toyed with their public image by posing nude as rugby players in the controversial Black and White magazine. Australia's premier male vocalist John Farnham gave the band a huge thumbs-up when he approached them to record the track Everytime You Cry. It became one of the biggest hits of the year. In May 1997, Human Nature embarks on a three month tour of Europe, playing in front of three million people as the guest artists of Celine Dion and Michael Jackson. Both major pop sensations booked the Sydney quartet after Human Nature supported their respective Australian tours.
Human Nature then turned their attention to album number two. The singles Cruel and Last To Know, released in late 1998 and early 1999 heralded the arrival of the second album, Counting Down. With producers Andrew Klippel and Paul Begaud again at the helm and the four singers flexing their fledgling songwriting muscles, the album recorded in Sydney, Los Angeles and London. It went to No 1 and consolidated their broad reaching fan-base which ran the gamut of pre-pubescent teenage girls to their mums. Once again, Human Nature were in demand, touring with their good mate Farnham on his I Can't Believe He's 50 tour and joining the cast of Happy Days _ The Musical.
For the third album, Human Nature stepped up to the international level, working the contacts and networks they had formed during the past few years of touring throughout Europe. Whirlwind trips to London resulted in writing and recording sessions with the cream of international hitmakers, including Max Martin and the Cheiron Studios, Steve Mac, Eliot Kennedy and former Take That member Gary Barlow.
In the final stages of recording, Human Nature returned home to fulfill the dream they had been campaigning for since their first single - to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games. The first single from their self-titled album announced a dramatic shift in all directions for Human Nature. He Don't Love You delivered a high energy, harder sound, an in-your-face live performance and a newfound confidence from working with the best in the world. A guest appearance by Michael Tierney on the enduring soap Neighbours and the group's subsequent performance of the new track didn't hurt either. He Don't Love You hit the top 3 and reaffirmed the group's decision to broaden their sound.
Act 2
Human Nature bid phase one of their career adieu and greet phase two with Here and Now - The Best of Human Nature. The compilation features 14 hits and three new tracks, including the current single Always Be With You. The track highlights the emerging strength of the songwriting talents of brothers Michael and Andrew Tierney. It also points to another contemporary shift in the group's sound.
The video again finds the four singers having fun with their image, inviting comedian Guido Hatzis to help them choreograph the routine. Shout was also written by the brothers and also produced in London by Ray Hedges (B*witched and Boyzone)
The third track allows the vocal group to indulge their love of soul by covering the Terence Trent D'Arby hit Sign Your Name with Australian producer Chong Lim. Andrew Tierney said the hits compilation gave them the perfect opportunity to recognise their past and introduce their future.
"If we were going to do this, all four of us agreed we had to also have new songs," Andrew said. "We are always about finding the right song, whether we write it or not, but we played Always Be With You to Toby and Phil and we thought we'd found the direction we wanted to head in for the new songs. For the future of group, it was important that we take control of the sound."
The way forward marries with their long-held ambition to follow in the footsteps of the Bee Gees. "With Always Be With You and Shout, we were thinking Bee Gees of the new millennium, combining harmonies with a dancefloor feel but with a pop take," Andrew said. Compiling their other singles and collaborations gave the four members a rare moment to reflect on their achievements to date. "Someone said to us that we had hung around for a while. That feels good. We've been around for six years and it's good to put what we have done in that time together. "And the most amazing thing, even after those who want to have their go, is that there are all these people whose day might have been brightened up a little because of your song. It's why you sing in the first place."
Act 3
The four members of Human Nature maintain their passion for singing and making music. They are also focussed on their desire to join the likes of Kylie Minogue in pushing the boundaries for the live performance of Australian pop.
In recent years, the concept of a best of compilation has been viewed as a purely an attempt to exploit an artist's repertoire or signal the end of their career. Increasingly, acts are collecting their works to wrap up a phase of their career. Human Nature wanted to wrap up their first six years.
"Some people remark on the fact that we have hung around, so we wanted 'Here and Now' â“ our best of, to capture what we have done this far," Andrew said. "The way we sound together hasn't changed and neither has our passion to entertain, to put on the best show."
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