At a glance…
- Iconic Australian pop vocal group Human Nature have stayed in harmony for almost 40 years.
- Members Toby, Phil, Andrew and Michael join host Tiffany Dunk on an episode of The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories podcast, where they open up about how their friendship has been the glue that’s kept them together.
- The group has penned a new memoir, Only Human: Harmony Through the Hits & Hard Times, offering a vulnerable look at the challenges of the music industry.
Toby Allen, Phil Burton and brothers Andrew and Michael Tierney are Human Nature, are the iconic Australian pop vocal group, Human Nature, who formed in 1989. The band has held an unwavering bond, keeping them in harmony for almost 40 years as they’ve achieved international stardom and a long-running Las Vegas residency.
Human Nature joined host Tiffany Dunk on an episode of The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories podcast to share their extraordinary story.
Listen to the episode:
Growing up as teenagers in Sydney, the four boys crossed paths at Hurlstone Agricultural High School. They were drawn together by a shared love of music and formed a band originally named “The 4 Trax”.
But music wasn’t the only thing they had in common. The boys recall being “hated collectively” by others at the school. “There was a safety in numbers; there were four of us to be uncool together,” Andrew shares on the podcast. “In high school years, you find your people, your community, and that’s what we found,” Michael agrees.
Toby was a boarder and didn’t have the most positive high-school experience, until he met the rest of the band.
“I found that my love of being amongst these guys and doing what we were doing was such a comfort; it was my happy place. It was a shining light in my life,” Toby gushes.
From musicals, rock eisteddfords and school spectaculars to experimenting with Motown, the group’s sound eventually shaped into a pop edge. Sharing a safe space to make music together allowed the boys to fully dive into their love for performing, styled by their mothers who dragged them shopping for RNB-style outfits that they rocked on-stage. “Looking back, there were some questionable choices there,” Phil laughs.
Andrew and Michael’s parents were instrumental in keeping the boys’ dream alive. With an open-door policy, they welcomed Toby in to live with them for over four years, and their family home became a meeting place for the band to get together and rehearse for their shows. “It was such a supportive environment,” Toby recalls.
Fitting into the Australian music industry proved a challenge for the boys, who always felt like outsiders as a pop group, in contrast to the rising rock and indie scene. They were determined not to be known as a “boy band”, as it was used with negative connotations.
“There were incredible moments to celebrate, but we didn’t celebrate them enough because there were always people knocking us down,” Andrew shares. “We were always trying to get the approval of people.”
They owe it all to trusting themselves and each other, which kept them in sync as they continued to rise in the music industry. “There was such a strength within the four of us,” Toby tells Tiffany on Love Stories.
A few pinch-me moments that the boys attribute much of their credibility to include supporting Celine Dion and Michael Jackson on tour, and collaborating on songs with John Farnham and Smokey Robinson, who skyrocketed them to Las Vegas as they moved their careers and families across the world. “We always had a dream of success outside of Australia,” Andrew shares.
Today, the same strength and positive mindset keep the boys as close as ever, as they navigate significant life changes together. The key has been giving each other grace and holding a deep understanding of each other’s quirks and habits.
“We’ve done an amazing job to be as close as we are, and to still be as happy to work together,” Michael expresses. “If you find something you love and get to make a career out of it, that’s pretty unique.”
Human Nature’s memoir, Only Human: Harmony Through the Hits & Hard Times, is available to order HERE.
You can find the group’s tour dates HERE.
And make sure to keep a sneaky eye out, as you may just see the group in an upcoming issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine!
Watch the episode:
Listen to The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube now.
