Tina Win is taking the pop industry by surprise with her fresh sound and emotional powerhouse vocals. Growing up, Tina’s classical training opened doors to various music styles, influenced by icons like Fleetwood Mac, Shania Twain, and Sheryl Crow.This diverse musical background has shaped her distinct voice, which vibrates with an emotional edge. Win’s artistic journey began early; she was classically trained in vocals, and she also acted and danced as a young child. She performed at New Jersey’s Papermill Playhouse and appeared on Nickelodeon, MTV, HBO, and even guest-starred on The Rachael Ray Show. Music is Tina’s true passion, and the stage is her platform to share her story and empower women. Her debut single, “What I Want,” written in collaboration with an esteemed music producer, showcases her creativity and vocal prowess. Her next single, co-written with Grammy-considered Paul Drago, further solidifies her place in the music market and has garnered love from her deserved fans. Tina’s latest release, “Most Valuable Loser,” is on track to become a massive hit both locally and internationally. With her music, she will have you singing in the shower and dancing in the car, proving that Tina Win is a rising star to watch. Check out the exclusive Interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
TINA WIN: I was born in Bucharest, Romania and adopted at age two in 1991, 7 days prior to going to an orphanage. And if you don’t remember from high school, all those children died from AIDS. So I feel blessed to have been adopted at such a hard time in the Romanian government. Growing up, I received an excellent education at the Rumson Country Day School alongside, the children of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Jovi. My parents and I traveled around the world, learning about art and culture and music. I started acting at 7 at the Actors Trining Institute, close to my school. I started up singing classes with Marc Hoeler, a consistent opera singer at The MET. I soon began auditioning for singing gigs and musical theatre in the tri-state area. I was offered a record deal at a very young age, but was told to stay in school. So I performed live at multiple community theatres and went to the city for auditions for broadway, television, singing and commercial modeling. When high school came around, I attended a local school, Point Pleasant Borough High School, a small beach-town high school with bite size classes. Luckily, they were known for their performing arts program. I received a leading role my freshman year in Into The Woods as Little Red Ridding Hood. I continued to star in the high school musicals all four years. I was even nominated best actress by judges from PaperMill Playhouse in NJ. I was 1 out of 8 females to be nominated the Best Actress in New Jersey. In college, I studied beauty journalism and had a career in woman’s beauty magazines and the fashion industry. However, I never stopped performing, whether it was on stage or a small open mic night in the village, I made sure my love for music stayed with me and my voice only grew better and better, helping me branch out into other musical field such as Pop music. I loved to write, and actually turned one of poems into my first song. I never played guitar, and the night I decided to sell my cheap acoustic I got as a kid. Turns out the store was closed, so instead, I decided to teach myself You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. From then on I was hooked. I started writing music and performing for youtube non stop. My dream is to share my story and help women empower themselves through my music (I always believed I got out of Romania and to the US to make a real difference in this world). My mom and dad welcomed me into a loving, giving family who only wanted my the best for me and were and still are my number one fans, even my mom up in heaven. Aside from singing, I starred on multiple television shows.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
TINA WIN: When I was very young, I started dance classes for Tap, ballet and jazz. A few years later, I started acting classes at The Actors Institute. Within a year, I was told to take singing lessons, so I start classically by Marc Hoeler, a constant singer at The Met. By the time I was in high school, I was in numerous shows and nominated Best actress out of 8 other females in NJ by The Papermill Playhouse. I was also accepted into their summer conservatory when I was 18 and when I was only 9.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘TINA WIN?
TINA WIN: My musical influences come from parents. Growing up my dad would play Simon and Garfunkel and Blasting a live concert of Fleetwood Mac, a favorite of my moms. However, on the other hand, she loved her 90s Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow.
Tina Win came from my adopted name Cristina Goodwin. I chopped off the first half of each name. I realized no one really had that name in this industry and there has been a Tina since the queen, Tina Turner.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
TINA WIN: My main focus in each and every song is how strong females can be. I do that through my personal experiences and how I put my thoughts in words. The key element is the lyrics. I am a writer with a BA in journalism, and grew to express my emotions through my vocal talent.
My personal sound is “different” my mother would say. I stand out from others, but that’s what makes me me. I like that my life is a rollercoaster. It has been the best ride of my life, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?
TINA WIN: Similar to other artists, I also begin with creativity and originality before anything else. I had a few pages of lyrics I jotted down one night, and next thing I know, I’m pasting it into a word document. Another tactic I use, is listen to current music with a similar style. I like to hear what’s new, or a common theme. But usually, I create, learn during the process and write from the heart.
My current song was collaborated with Paul Drago, I wrote the lyrics and he did the music, yet we zoomed once a week and were on a tight schedule. The schedule was the only reason it worked out as well as it did. At the time, I didn’t think I would be able to do it, but I just took it one step at a time and within 2 months I had a seasoned, recorded single. The lyrics came from what was going on at the time in my life while mixing it with upbeat sounds and inspiring lyrics. Most Valuable Loser brings light into a faded era where women walked the streets with banners declaring their worth. You know the iconic image of the woman in the bandana with her one arm up showing off her strength. That’s what this song is all about. A single female in a club of guys and women, but in her world, she’s dancing alone while with her head in the clouds, vodka in her stomach and sees a random male she can dance with, but doesn’t pay attention to his looks or personality cause she’s not looking for love, cause she already loves herself…. in a gist lol
I started out singing musical theatre and performed on stage from 11-19 years old. When I went to NYC for college, I started smoking cigarettes, along with the rest of my classmates ( I quit thank god), but after smoking my voice changed for the better, not only could I sing Pop but I could riff, sing various genres and had a fantastic range. I know it shouldn’t be like that, but I heard Adele actually smoked as well.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
TINA WIN: Music has been around as long as we have and not just for entertainment. Music is a way to express ourselves. It has the ability to change society, trends, knowledge, ideas, etc. For me, I started writing music because my boyfriend never listened to me or read any messages, so my way to get that emotion out was through writing music. 10 songs later, I sat him down and told him to read them as I sat quietly. He looked at me, and said “This is how you feel?”
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
TINA WIN: ABSOLUTELY! When I was only 6, I would sing when my parents were outside. I’d make up lyrics just walking around and the vibration of me singing soothed me. I suffer from Anxiety, so I guess I would say music and I breathe as one. I couldn’t live without singing or the sound it makes through your car speakers. (Driving and singing is my all time favorite!). I have studied and practiced vocal performance my whole life. I always learn more and always have something new to bring to the table. My hard work and nonstop practice has paid off. I am so proud and humble of how far I have gotten over the last 8 months, let alone the last year.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
TINA WIN: I start a song with an idea that pops in my head, it usually starts with a line. I’ll be doing a chore and start singing, I don’t think of what to say… (i never do) I just let myself speak from the heart or subconscious. However, wherever the words come from, I end up following it up with a killer rhyme.
That’s when I turn on my voice recorder. I record what I can, then write it down in my notes. I take the theme and pull up my Rhyme zone App and Thesaurus. From there, I like to sit alone and write down as much as I can, then leave it alone for a while, and come back and finish the rest. Having a B.A in journalism has helped my talent of writing and singing thrive. It’s just part of my nature.
Growing up, my mom wore 2 earring aids, and we lived in a “cap cod” style house, so the whole house was one big echo. When my mom was downstairs, I would talk to her over the banister, but raise my voice so she could hear. I learned at a very very young age, how to speak loudly without loosing my voice, therefore singing was engraved in me very young. I started my technic by communicating with my mother.
I taught myself to breathe deep into my gut and not shallow in your lungs. It gave my voice 10x the volume with zero vocal cord damage.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
TINA WIN: That is a tough question. Ever since I was born in Bucharest, Romania, I was told I would be an artist. Being adopted was bittersweet. I was spoiled and had so much attention, yet I couldn’t be alone, there were always friends around.
My best friend at the time was an actress with an agent, with a mini stage in her basement, so we would put on shows for our parents. One time, I tagged along to a Spice Girl doll audition, and we had to sing and dance to a song. Luckily, we performed it at our Halloween parade, but I made it to round 2.. not as baby spice either… I have to say, changing to sporty spice in the car and being interviewed on tv about the audition was an amazing experience! After that, her mom told my mom that I should enroll in singing lessons. And thats where it all began.
My mom was always sick, but until I was 18, I never knew she had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. She died when I was 23, and suffered for 18 long years. She was the kindest human being I have ever met. She never ate meat cause of her love for animals, she gave money to animal foundations, she fed the birds at 5AM on our dock in the backyard. She was the one who helped me get to where I am. When she passed, my life changed completely. I kept getting pushed down every time I got back up.. I had a long abusive relationship, I did things I’m not proud of and was depressed for a long time. Music is what got me back up again. And I thank god everyday for helping me be strong. I have a huge heart, but I’ve learned it can also get me in a lot of trouble. There really a lot more sad life changing events, but I was blessed with the outlet of writing. When i was 12, I got in a fight with a boy i crushed on and he humiliated me and hurt me. I got in the car to go home, and wrote a whole letter with the idea of giving it to him. However, I all my feelings and that anger had disappeared into a page of white paper. That was the first time I realized writing was my way out.
As far as my career, I had a 3 year working relationship with a former musician and became a mentor of fine and. a good family friend. However, last September (almost 3.5 years of working together) he stopped working with me altogether and focused on his everyday life. A month later, I met my ET Lawyer and it’s been one year and I have 2 published songs, a website and just submitted for a grammy.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
TINA WIN: First would be nominated Best Actress in New Jersey by THE Papermill Playhouse. They picked 8 female leads from high school and had a ceremony to announce the winners and performed with the 8 other nominees.
And secondly, I would have to say that having my music on Apple Music, having a website, dancing like I was in college, and publishing real professional work with the “best of the best in the world” aka Jeffrey E. Jacobson. He is my agent at the moment in a way. In October, I will be looking to get out there and have the world know my name/or song (both would be nice, of course). I am looking forward to singing live, playing with the audience, dressing in crazy outfit’s, and performing on talk shows. I am definitely proud of where I started and how far I have come. It’s my dream, and I figured go for it. If i fail, at least I can say I tried my best, that way I’ll never think , “what if”. Im just getting started, so you will see a lot more of me in the future, fingers crossed!
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
TINA WIN: When it comes to haters, I would say I’m not the toughest Artist out there. I’m getting better, realizing it’s not personal and everyone has their own opinion. But I know how hard I worked and I am proud of what I have accomplished, so I tend to ignore them.
12. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message see driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
TINA WIN: From experience, I always listen to the lyrics of a song, that’s why i love the songs i love. I find myself thinking of a personal situation where it can apply and it makes it that much special. I hope I can do the same for others. It’s helped me and keeps helping me every time I get in the car, regardless of the song. But I don’t want my audience to just listen to what I have to say. It should give be broad enough to give them an opportunity to use it to help them in their situations. Overall, I have one goal.. to empower women.
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