Who would have thought back in 1968 that they would be witnessing the birth of a global superstar, but that’s what happened when Kylie Minogue was born on 28th of May.
Kylie attributes her career to lucky accidents rather than an early desire to take, and hog the limelight. It was her younger sister Danni who first took to the stage at school. Kylie’s first acting job was as a special guest in an episode of Skyways, a failed Australian soap best known for it’s wobbly sets and actors forgetting their lines. Her second acting project was far more successful, and challenging. Kylie appeared as a bedraggled Dutch girl called Carla in popular wartime soap ‘The Sullivans’, which was eventually sold to 45 countries across the world. Kylie impressed producers at Crawford Productions with her acting ability which led to roles in ‘Zoo Family’ and popular drama ‘The Henderson Kids’. In this show Kylie played a spirited provincial character, perhaps a sign of things to come, as in 1985 she auditioned for and was hired as another similar character, Charlene in hit Aussie soap Neighbours.
Charlene was Kylie’s biggest and best loved acting role, and one she left school for at the age of 17. Kylie’s appearance in Neighbours coincided with the show arriving in the U.K, and many think that each helped the other become a hit. One thing is certain, Kylie’s two years in Neighbours is still one of the most talked about parts of the show 20 years on! Her wedding to Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) attracted 23 million viewers in Britain and saw thousands of hysterical fans turn up to Australian promotional events.
Neighbours and its cast members have been nominated for many T.V awards and Logies (Australian Emmys) and Kylie herself became the first person to win 4 Logie awards in one night! As testament to her popularity among Neighbours fans, at one stage she was also receiving around 1000 letters a week.
Her acting roles since then have been few and far between, but she still accepts projects of interest that fit in with her other commitments. These have included Hollywood movies ‘The Delinquents’ ‘Streetfighter’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’, a special edition of ‘Men Behaving Badly’, and some independent Australian films.
While some projects were big hits, others had mixed reviews, so perhaps it’s a blessing that her musical journey started around the time she left Neighbours. This turned out to be a confusing time for international fans, with Neighbours being screened behind schedule in some countries. This meant she’d already had 7 hit singles by the time some saw her final scenes.
Kylie’s first release was a cover of the 1960’s Little Eva song ‘Locomotion’ which she was first spotted singing at a Football Benefit concert attended by the Neighbours cast. Â The original rough and rocky demo of this song filtered through the industry grapevines landing on the desks of Mushroom records, Australia’s top record label. Along with signing Kylie in 1987 they also set her to work with acclaimed hit factory ‘Stock Aiken and Waterman’, a move which proved to be the pinnacle of her early music career.
One of Pete Waterman’s producers turned ‘Locomotion’ into a contemporary record with teen appeal that went on to become her first Australian number one. The song also became number one in New Zealand, and Hong Kong’s number one airplay hit. Already Kylie’s music was being noticed abroad.
Kylie essentially let ‘Stock Aiken and Waterman control and mould her early work for Mushroom/PWL. They created a fun and lively ‘Pop Princess’ image for her, and music that became respected and derided in equal measure, depending on which music magazine you read. The tabloids also commented on Kylie’s early career, originally dismissing her as ‘just another actress trying to be a pop star’, a tag she later successfully lost.
Regardless of any novelty value, the high energy dance tracks and pure pop ballads that Kylie recorded, still became big business in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Some of Kylie’s biggest hits during this time included ‘I Should Be So Lucky’, ‘Especially For You’ (her duet with Jason Donovan), and ‘Hand On Your Heart’ which gave her a total of 9 weeks at number one in the Official U.K charts. In total Kylie recorded and released 5 albums and 22 singles with Stock Aiken and Waterman, many of which entered the Top Ten in the U.K and Australian charts, although her songs had a mixed reception in other countries. There was also a slight tug of war between Kylie’s record label PWL, and Kylie, over her image. Whilst Kylie would embrace the opportunity to be a bit naughty and cheeky, PWL were pulling her in a much purer direction.
As Pete Waterman said in his autobiography “Everyone wanted to be Kylie except Kylie, who wanted to be Madonna. She had to reject her past and find her own identity.”
Kylie’s fans particularly in the U.K often found it hard to connect with her more grown up image, and eventually appeal in her music started to wane too. Although top 20 hits might be considered respectable to some, to a best selling artist and her record label they spelt trouble. Behind the scenes trouble was already brewing in a different quarters. Pete Waterman liked to run the show, but towards the end of her time with ‘The Hit Factory’ Kylie began working with other producers, and demanded more song-writing opportunities. ‘The Hit Factory’ itself was also in trouble. Losing its touch musically, being panned by the critics, and losing acts on their roster had a lasting effect, with Matt Aiken eventually leaving the partnership.
After releasing a Greatest Hits album, and a final single, an apt cover of ‘Celebration’ by Kool and The Gang, Kylie also departed for pastures new in 1992. Kylie eventually joined well known dance label ‘Deconstruction’ also home to M-People and Blackbox. If this period of her career did one thing, it was to make Kylie hip in more than just the eyes of her fans. It wasn’t long before Kylie had broken another record, appearing on 21 pages of Australian vogue, something unheard of before then. This was to be one of many appearances in fashion and style magazines.
Another surprise was to come when Kylie’s new music hit the shelves. Fans were expecting some big up-tempo club tracks; what they got was an epic production of strings, melancholy, and vocals that even Kylie herself was said to be surprised at. The song titled ‘Confide In Me’ hit number 2 in the U.K and number 1 in Australia. The Australians took the song to their hearts, making it the best selling single of the year and it also won two ARIA awards. Kylie was well and truly back in the public eye.
Kylie’s time at Deconstruction then became a mixed bag of different producers, songwriters, and experiments. Notable songs from this period include ‘Put Yourself In My Place’ and ‘Cowboy Style’. In the Biography ‘Complete Kylie’, author Simon Sheridan describes ‘Put Yourself In My Place’ as “The aural equivalent of melted white chocolate. It’s luxuriant lazy beat cleverly disguised by smooth ambient strings, throbbing vocals, and a hint of Spanish guitar.” But it wasn’t just the music that got noticed, but the man behind it, whose only previous hit had been an outrageous, camp song for Ru Paul. ‘Cowboy Style’ further emphasised the variety of music Kylie was creating at this time. Released exclusively in Australia, it was a bouncy country and western song which turned out to be her last single for Deconstruction.
Whilst Kylie relished the creative freedom she’d been given, and the writing opportunities afforded her, she didn’t become the profitable artist Deconstruction had hoped for, and after her album ‘Impossible Princess’ flopped, they publicly ended their association with Kylie. It seemed that Kylie hadn’t quite got the credibility and sense of identity she’d hoped for, and her fans were reluctant to accept a new rockier direction.
After a few lesser known collaborations and some further acting roles, Kylie went back to her roots, and back in to her fans hearts by signing with her current label Parlophone in 1999. Kylie had found her identity and was more than ready to use her strengths to produce a great pop record. It’s perhaps apt that her new beginning was marked with the release of a white label disco track called ‘Butterfly’ which for once the journalists embraced. Kylie then stormed the charts with the anthemic ‘Spinning Around’, a song co-written by American Idol judge Paula Abdul.
Anthem followed anthem, as Kylie continued to make her mark on the U.K and Australian charts with the album ‘Light Years’ and the singles that came from it. These included several rockier tracks co-written with Robbie Williams and the flamenco inspired ‘Please Stay’. It was an album full of variety.
By this time there had been several books and concert DVD’s released covering Kylie’s career and sell out tours. There was also an appearance in the hit movie ‘Moulin Rouge’ where Kylie played a green fairy.
Around this time the awards started to clutter up the mantelpiece, with Kylie picking up honours at the Brit Awards, Elle Style Awards, World Music Awards, Top of the Pops awards, and even the NME awards.
With all this success, it comes as no surprise that Kylie has broken some records along the way too. She played to her biggest audience to date at the Sydney Olympics, and became the most played female artist on U.K radio over the last 20 years.
It was early on in the Millennium and Kylie just couldn’t stop working, she was also finding hit songs in the most unlikely of places. ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, which sold 306,648 in its first week of U.K release, was written by a former dance diva and a glam rocker from the 1970’s. The electro sound, lalalala hook, and appropriate robotic dance moves, led to Kylie hitting number one in an amazing 40 countries, it also became Kylie’s first major American hit in 13 years. It was a thrilling introduction to Kylie’s hit album ‘Fever’ released late 2001, which also spawned 3 further singles.
In 2003, Kylie finally had some breathing space, and the time to return to her second home, the recording studio. After almost a year, Kylie was back in the charts, and back surprising her fans with the hypnotic techno song ‘Slow’. ‘Slow’ preceded the release of another album ‘Body Language’, a vaguely experimental album unusually promoted through just one concert in London. Though this one concert was no ordinary show, it was a Kylie show, complete with stunning costumes and world class choreography. In short, it was a spectacle just like every Kylie concert.
Sadly ‘Body Language’ will languish in the vaults as an album that was misunderstood, but Kylie has always been an artist for trying something new, and coming back with a vengeance if things don’t work out. So 2003 saw the ‘Pop Princess’ working with Scissor Sisters and acclaimed production team Xenomania on new tracks for ‘Ultimate Kylie’ her second greatest hits compilation. ‘I Believe In You’, the track written with the Scissor Sisters, entered the U.K Charts at number 2, held off the top spot by Band Aid 20. At the time this record, and the greatest hits album was being promoted, a greatest hits tour was announced which proved ever popular.
The Showgirl tour promised to set 2005 alight, and it certainly delivered, with more glitz, glamour and special effects than ever before. It was a fast paced show, that was due to test Kylie’s endurance and stamina over 37 dates. Sadly, during the tour her bravery and courage was also pushed to the limit, as she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
With the Australian leg of her Showgirl Tour cancelled, and the World supporting her, Kylie began her fight back towards recovery. Whilst taking time out to receive treatment, Kylie also had the opportunity of fulfilling an ambition, releasing the children’s book ‘The Showgirl Princess’ in 2006. In November that year, she also announced her remission from cancer and completed her ‘Showgirl Tour’ amidst high emotion and joy.
Since then Kylie has been busy releasing perfumes, live concert C.D’S and Television shows, and has also been recognised for her body. A bronze cast of her hands appears in Wembley Arena’s ‘Square Of Fame’, whilst only Queen Elizabeth 2nd has had more waxwork models appear in Madame Tussauds than her.
Inspiration was strong in 2007, with Kylie recording more than 40 songs for inclusion on the album ‘X’, which later earned Kylie her 5th Grammy Award nomination when it was released in America in February 2008. Whilst fans eagerly await the results, which will come in February 2009, they can turn up the volume on an album of remixes entitled ‘Boombox’, and reflect on Kylies 20 years in show business. 20 years that have unleashed rock, motown, disco, techno, and electro influenced sounds on the audience. 20 years that have seen Kylie win numerous awards, appear in many acting roles, release perfumes, books, and lingerie, and become headline news all over the world. What an adventure the 20 years have been, but the question on everyone’s lips now is, what will the future hold? One things for sure, whatever happens, it’s sure to be ‘Wow Wow Wow Wow!’
