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Famous
Singers > Kylie Minogue
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Kylie
Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (born May 28, 1968) is an Australian
singer and actress who has been based primarily in the United Kingdom
since the early 1990s.
Her recording career has been marked by periods of outstanding success
and comparative failure. Despite criticism, particularly in the early
stages of her career, she has evolved her musical and visual style
to attain longevity in the competitive field of pop music. As she
has matured from a teenager into an adult, she has become one of her
generation's most recognisable celebrities and sex symbols. In many
parts of the world, she is known simply as Kylie.
Early life and Neighbours
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Minogue is the eldest of three children.
Her sister Dannii Minogue is also a pop singer. Her brother, Brendan,
is a camera man. Minogue first came to attention as a child actor
in Australian soap operas, making her acting debut at the age of 11.
She appeared in "Skyways", Young Talent Time, The Sullivans
and The Henderson Kids, before rising to prominence in 1986 with her
role in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. |
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On Neighbours, Minogue played the character of Charlene Mitchell,
a tomboy who rebelled at every opportunity, and who fell in love with
the boy next door, Scott Robinson, played by Jason Donovan (who she
worked with as a child on "Skyways"). The storylines featuring
the young couple proved popular with viewers, and both Minogue and
Donovan were drawn into the public spotlight, becoming recognisable
celebrities for the first time in their respective careers. A record
audience watched the episode featuring Scott and Charlene's wedding
in 1987.
Minogue's personal popularity in Australia eclipsed that of other
cast members, and to a degree that of the program itself. She was
the recipient of a Gold Logie Award, as the nation's most popular
television performer, with the result determined by public vote. The
program began screening in the United Kingdom in 1987 and was highly
successful. As in Australia, Minogue was considered to be one of the
program's most popular and charismatic performers. She left the series
in 1988 to concentrate on her music career.
Recording career
During a charity event with other Neighbours cast members, Minogue
performed Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" and was signed
to a recording contract with Mushroom Records in 1987. Released as
a single, and retitled "Locomotion", the song spent seven
weeks at number one on the Australian music charts, and was the year's
highest selling single. Its success resulted in Minogue travelling
to London to work with production team Stock, Aitken & Waterman.
Her first album "Kylie", a collection of dance songs, reached
number one on the British albums charts, and was the year's highest
selling and sold over 7 million copies worldwide. It contained six
hit singles including "I Should Be So Lucky", and a new
version of "The Loco-Motion". The United States was the
only major record market in which this album did not sell strongly.
Although "The Loco-Motion" reached number three on the US
Billboard Magazine Chart, she failed to make a firm impression on
the American record buying market. A duet with Jason Donovan titled
"Especially For You" was a major hit in Britain in early
1989.
Her follow up album, Enjoy Yourself (1989), continued in the style
of its predecessor, and with several hit singles, became another success
in the United Kingdom and Australia. Critics who were confounded by
her first success, became hostile in light of her second album and
began to discuss her limitations as a performer. One critic named
her "The Singing Budgie", a name that stuck for several
years. By this time she had become Stock, Aitken & Waterman's
highest selling act, and its first priority. In the face of widespread
criticism it was decided to adjust the overall style of Minogue's
music.
Her next album, Rhythm of Love (1990), marked a departure from the
bubblegum music of her previous albums, and attempted a more sophisticated
and adult style of dance music. It also marked the first signs of
rebellion against her production team and the carefully crafted "girl-next-door"
image they had designed for her. Determined to be accepted by a more
mature audience, Minogue took control of her music videos for the
first time, and presented herself as a sexually aware adult. A concurrent
romance with INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence futhered Minogue's
attempts to gain acceptance as a mature performer, with Hutchence
stating in an interview that his favourite hobby was "corrupting
Kylie".
The single releases all sold well, and were also successful in the
UK nightclubs, where they were accepted by the older audience Minogue
had deliberately targeted. When the album's fourth single, "Shocked",
reached the British Top 10 in 1991, Minogue became the first recording
artist to place their first 13 single releases in the Top 10.
After the success of Rhythm of Love, which had received generally
positive reviews, her next album Let's Get To It (1991), was designed
to broaden Minogue's appeal. Stock, Aitken & Waterman provided
her with a diverse range of ballads and slower dance songs, but it
did not receive strong reviews. The first single, "Word Is Out"
became her first single to peak outside of the British Top 10, and
the album did not sell well. In Australia, her popularity of the previous
years was followed by a backlash, and the Australian public appeared
to have grown indifferent to her. Her media supporters described her
as a victim of tall poppy syndrome.
Her career was briefly revived by the release of a Greatest Hits album
in 1992. It contained all of her hit singles, as well as three new
recordings, and reached number one in the UK. The album's release
coincided with her departure from Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her
final single releases with them, "What Kind Of Fool (Heard All
That Before)" and "Celebration", were only minor successes.
Minogue's subsequent signing with Deconstruction Records was highly
touted in the music media as the beginning of a new phase in her career,
but the first album released, the self titled Kylie Minogue (1994),
received mixed reviews. Collaborations with such established and successful
dance artists as Pet Shop Boys and M People disappointed both critics
and record buyers alike. The album was a moderate success, selling
over 1 million copies, but only achieved one hit single of note, "Confide
In Me", which sold 2 million copies worldwide and stayed at number
1 on the Australian charts for 5 weeks. The other two singles, "Where
Is The Feeling" and "Put Yourself In my Place", failed
to make the top ten. The media, which had earlier triumphed Minogue's
departure from Stock, Aitken & Waterman, now began to predict
the end of her career.
A 1995 duet with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds titled "Where The
Wild Roses Grow" resulted in widespread acclaim in Europe (entering
the top 10 in the European charts) and Australia, where the single
won the ARIA Award for "Song of the Year" and "Best
Pop Release". A brooding ballad whose lyrics narrated a murder
from the points of view of both the murderer (Cave), and his victim
(Minogue), the song demonstrated that Minogue could be accepted outside
of her established genre as a dance artist. She even appeared and
performed the single with Nick Cave at the Australian summer rock
festival, "The Big Day Out". Her next album Impossible Princess
(1997) featured collaborations with such highly regarded musicians
as Manic Street Preachers, and saw Minogue participating more in the
songwriting process. The album became the lowest selling of her career
in the United Kingdom, although many critics wrote positively of her
attempt to develop as an artist. The album was her most successful
release in Australia since her debut album, with sales boosted by
a highly successful live tour.
Minogue and Deconstruction Records parted company shortly after, and
two years later she signed with Parlophone. Her album Light Years
(2000) was strongly flavoured with 1970s disco, and was knowingly
kitsch. It received the best reviews of her career and quickly became
a success throughout Europe, Asia and Australia, selling over 2 million
copies worldwide. The single "Spinning Around" became her
first British number one in 10 years, with its accompanying video,
featuring Minogue in revealing gold hot pants, receiving widespread
television airplay. The subsequent single releases, including the
duet "Kids" with Robbie Williams, also sold strongly.
Minogue played to the biggest audience of her career at the 2000 Sydney
Olympics, where she performed a cover version of the ABBA hit "Dancing
Queen" and her then-current single, "On A Night Like This".
The following year she released the album Fever. It also received
positive reviews although many reviewers commented that it was not
as consistently appealing as Light Years. Its musical style retained
some disco elements and combined them with 1980s electropop. The first
single, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", spent four weeks
at number one in the United Kingdom, reached number one in most European
countries, and also in Australia. The single "Can't Get You Out
Of My Head" hit the number one spot in over 40 countries and
was also number 1 for 11 weeks on the world chart, number for 1 for
16 weeks on the European chart and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.
The single became the biggest selling single of 2001 and was the best
seller and one of the best sellers in many countries. The album's
success was equally widespread, and for the first time since 1988,
American radio stations gave her extensive airplay. The album debuted
on the American Billboard chart at number 3, and the single reached
number 7. Further singles were substantial hits throughout the world,
and Minogue established a presence in the mainstream American market,
achieved particular success in the American club scene. The album's
three other singles, "In Your Eyes", "Love At First
Sight" and "Come Into My World" were also big hits
worldwide. The album sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Her credibility as a recording artist was enhanced by winning a Best
Dance Recording Grammy in 2004 for the single "Come Into My World",
against fellow nominees Madonna, Cher, Groove Armada and Télépopmusik.
She had previously been nominated in the same category in 2003 for
"Love At First Sight".
Her next album Body Language (2003) dispensed with the disco style,
and included elements of hip hop. Sales in the United Kingdom and
Australia were relatively low, despite the success of its first single,
the uncharacteristically subdued "Slow". In the United States
the album made little impression, although the singles became major
club hits.To date,she has sold over 40 million singles and over 25
million albums and has had a number 1 hit in over 45 countries.
Minogue released her second official greatest hits album on November
22, 2004, entitled Ultimate Kylie. The album features her next single
"I Believe in You", co-written with Jake Shears and Babydaddy
from the Scissor Sisters.
Image and celebrity status
Like most recording artists of her era, Minogue has utilised the medium
of the music video as the most effective way of promoting her image,
and has consistently worked at creating and evolving her visual representation.
Her earliest videos portrayed her as a "girl-next-door"
who was innocent and slightly gauche. When she took control of her
portrayal in 1990, she quickly developed a more adult, slightly raunchier
image, which caused her to be compared unfavourably to Madonna. Minogue
admitted that she was an influence, but as her confidence grew she
established a persona that differed considerably from that of Madonna.
Unlike Madonna, Minogue has rarely portrayed herself as a sexual aggressor.
Instead she presents herself as a more passive object of desire, and
frequently imbues her performances with camp elements and humour.
She has occasionally satirised herself, most notably in the video
for "Did It Again", in which the four major incarnations
of Minogue's career, "Cute Kylie", "Dance Kylie",
"Sex Kylie" and "Indie Kylie" battled for supremacy,
with "Sex Kylie" fittingly as the ultimate victor. Her videos
have touched on adult themes – an interracial relationship in "Better
The Devil You Know", lesbian posturing in "What Do I Have
To Do", and telephone sex in "Confide In Me". She performed
a slow strip tease in the Barbarella inspired "Put Yourself In
My Place", and wore revealing costumes in the majority of her
videos, most notably those for "Spinning Around" and "Can't
Get You Out Of My Head". Her more recent videos have shown vintage
(70s, 80s, and earlier) influences similar to those of her recent
music.
These efforts caused elements of the British press to label her SexKylie.
She has created her own LoveKylie range of lingerie, and her saucy
calendars have been consistently high sellers throughout much of her
career. Despite the success of this marketing strategy, and her acceptance
by a large audience as a contemporary sex symbol, her critics maintained
that her willingness to display her body was an attempt to disguise
her lack of talent, and although Minogue accepted these criticisms
throughout her career with little public comment, she announced in
2003 that she would present herself more demurely in future. She also
stated that this was a result of what she describes as an unplanned
incident at the 2003 Brit Awards. During a duet performance with Justin
Timberlake, he crudely grabbed her bottom. Minogue said the incident
embarrassed her, and caused her to question the public perception
of her as a sex object, a perception she admitted she had created.
Throughout her career, Minogue has been the subject of intense media
interest in both the United Kingdom and Australia, which has remained
consistent even while her success as a recording artist fluctuated.
Her relationships, including her current relationship with French
actor, Olivier Martinez, have been extensively reported.
Early in her career, Minogue became a gay icon. While part of her
appeal lies in her flamboyant costumes, her humour and sense of fun,
and her confident sexual posturing, she has also consistently acknowledged
the gay community throughout the world, not only by her willingness
to perform at gay venues and at gay events, but also by her outspoken
commitment to raising social awareness and acceptance towards people
living with AIDS.
As she has matured, she has been accepted by a wider audience than
simply that of her record buying fans, particularly in Australia,
where her profile has been used to promote issues such as recycling
projects through Planet Ark, as well as a campaign to raise public
awareness about domestic violence and a kids' helpline.
Film career
Minogue's film career has not taken the typical path of a successful
singer attempting to broaden his or her appeal. Her career in pop
music was only possible as a result of her high profile as a television
actress. Her film roles have been few, and have generally resulted
from her high profile as a pop singer.
In 1989, she starred in The Delinquents, which told the story of a
young girl growing up in the Australia of the late 1950s. Its release
coincided with her popularity in Neighbours, and while both the film
and Minogue's performance were the subject of derisive comments by
critics, the film was a commercial success.
In 1994 she played Cammy in the action film Street Fighter, based
on the videogame series of the same name. The film received poor reviews,
was panned by fans of the series and moviegoers alike, and did nothing
to further Minogue's acting career.
In Moulin Rouge! (2001) she played the part of Absinthe, the Green
Fairy, singing a line from The Sound of Music. This cameo remains
her most widely seen film performance.
In 2004 she will provide the voice of Florence in a new film based
on The Magic Roundabout.
She has also had smaller roles in Australian horror flick "Cut"
2000 and "Bio Dome" 1996 as well as another Australian film
"Sample People" 2000.
Album discography
Kylie (1988)
Enjoy Yourself (1989)
Rhythm of Love (1990)
Let's Get To It (1991)
Greatest Hits (1992)
Kylie Minogue (1994)
Impossible Princess (1998) (originally released as Kylie Minogue in
the UK)
Intimate and Live (1999)
Light Years (2000)
Hits+ (2000)
Fever (2001)
Confide In Me (2001)
Greatest Hits 1987-1997 (2003)
Body Language (2003)
Ultimate Kylie (2004)
Trivia
In
Australia, Minogue has achieved 9 number one singles – more than any
other Australian recording artist.
Minogue has cited Olivia Newton-John as her first major influence.
She recorded a cover version of Newton-John's hit "Physical"
for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, however the song was not included.
It can be found as a bonus track on the Australian tour edition of
"Light Years" and she performed it during the tour of the
same name.
Early in her recording career, Madonna became her acknowledged role
model. Madonna returned the compliment by wearing a "Kylie Minogue"
shirt during a performance at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards. In
the United Kingdom, Minogue and Madonna are the only female artists
to achieve number one singles in the 1980s, the 1990s and 2000s. Madonna
is the only female performer to surpass Minogue's (As of 2004) tally
of 27 British Top 10 singles. Madonna also sent Minogue a demo song
to record called "Alone Again" that she co-wrote with Rick
Nowels. Minogue's version however remains unreleased. See Unreleased
Madonna songs.
In 1995, Minogue recited the lyrics to one of her biggest hits "I
Should Be So Lucky" as poetry in London's Royal Albert Hall "Poetry
Jam", at the suggestion of Nick Cave.
Minogue's Madame Tussaud's waxwork has been regularly updated to represent
her changing image. In 2002, a figure of Minogue wearing lingerie
and in a provocative pose, attracted both praise and condemnation,
but became one of Tussaud's most discussed figures.
The success of her single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
was enhanced when Minogue performed an unauthorised version of the
song, which blended it with the music track of New Order's "Blue
Monday", at the Brit Awards. Its popularity led to an authorised
version being recorded and released as the "B" side for
her single "Love At First Sight".
Minogue's portrait hangs in the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
Minogue has been featured on an Australian postage stamp.
Paul Morley's study of the evolution of pop music, Words And Music:
A History Of Pop In The Shape Of A City, employs Minogue as the vehicle
by which pop is explored.
Minogue now has her own line of lingerie available in Australia and
the UK called "Love Kylie".
In 2002, Q magazine named Minogue in their list of the "50 Bands
To See Before You Die".
Singles discography showing Australian, UK and US chart positions |
| |
Title |
Year of release |
U.K. |
Peak positions
Australia |
United States |
| "Locomotion" |
1987 |
not released |
1 |
not released |
| "I Should Be So Lucky" |
1988 |
1 |
1 |
28 |
| "Got To Be Certain" |
1988 |
2 |
1 |
not released |
| "The Loco-Motion" |
1988 |
2 |
not released |
3 |
| "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" |
1988 |
2 |
11 |
not released |
"Especially For You"
(duet with Jason Donovan)
|
1988 |
1 |
2 |
not released |
| "It's No Secret" |
1989 |
not released |
not released |
37 |
| "Hand On Your Heart" |
1989 |
1 |
2 |
not released |
| "Wouldn't Change a Thing" |
1989 |
2 |
6 |
not released |
| "Never Too Late" |
1989 |
4 |
14 |
not released |
| "Tears On My Pillow" |
1989 |
1 |
20 |
not released |
| "Better The Devil You Know" |
1990 |
2 |
4 |
not released |
| "Step Back In Time" |
1990 |
4 |
5 |
not released |
| "What Do I Have To Do?" |
1990 |
6 |
11 |
not released |
| "Shocked" |
1991 |
6 |
7 |
not released |
| "Word Is Out" |
1991 |
16 |
10 |
not released |
"If You Were With Me Now"
(duet with Keith Washington)
|
1992 |
4 |
23 |
not released |
"Keep On Pumpin' It"
(Beatmasters & Tony King featuring Kylie)
|
1992 |
49 |
not released |
not released |
| "Give Me Just A Little More Time" |
1992 |
2 |
24 |
not released |
| "Finer Feelings" |
1992 |
11 |
60 |
not released |
| "What Kind Of Fool (Heard All That Before)" |
1992 |
17 |
14 |
not released |
| "Celebration" |
1992 |
20 |
21 |
not released |
| "Confide In Me" |
1994 |
2 |
1 |
not released |
| "Put Yourself In My Place" |
1994 |
11 |
11 |
not released |
| "Where Is The Feeling?" |
1995 |
16 |
31 |
not released |
"Where The Wild Roses Grow"
(duet with Nick Cave)
|
1995 |
11 |
2 |
not released |
| "Some Kind Of Bliss" |
1997 |
22 |
27 |
not released |
| "Did It Again" |
1997 |
14 |
15 |
not released |
| "Breathe" |
1998 |
14 |
23 |
not released |
"GBI:German Bold Italic"
(Towa Tei featuring Kylie Minogue) |
1998 |
63 |
50 |
not released |
| "Cowboy Style" |
1998 |
not released |
39 |
not released |
| "Spinning Around" |
2000 |
1 |
1 |
not released |
| "On A Night Like This" |
2000 |
2 |
1 |
not released |
"Kids"
(duet with Robbie Williams)
|
2000 |
2 |
14 |
not released |
| "Please Stay" |
2000 |
10 |
15 |
not released |
| "Your Disco Needs You" |
2001 |
not released |
20 |
not released |
| "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" |
2001 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
| "In Your Eyes" |
2002 |
3 |
1 |
not released |
| "Love At First Sight" |
2002 |
2 |
3 |
23 |
| "Come Into My World" |
2002 |
8 |
4 |
91 |
| "Slow" |
2003 |
1 |
1 |
91 |
| "Red Blooded Woman" |
2004 |
5 |
4 |
did not chart |
| "Chocolate" |
2004 |
6 |
14 |
release pending |
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