| Kylie Minogue | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Born | Kylie Ann Minogue 28 May 1968 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |
| Residence | Chelsea, London | |
| Citizenship | Australian, British | |
| Occupation | Singer · songwriter · actress · record and film producer · author · entrepreneur · fashion designer · showgirl · humanitarian | |
| Television | Neighbours, The Henderson Kids, Doctor Who, The Kylie Show | |
| Education | Camberwell High School | |
| Years active | 1979 - present | |
| Relatives | Dannii Minogue (sister) | |
| Musical career | ||
| Genres | Pop · dance · disco | |
| Years active | 1987 - present | |
| Label | PWL · Deconstruction · BMG · Parlophone · EMI · Mushroom · Festival Mushroom · Warner Music Australia · Capitol · Astralwerks · Warner Bros. · Geffen | |
| Website | kylie.com | |
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (born 28 May 1968) often known simply as Kylie is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. She first achieved recognition after appearing in Australian soap Neighbours. She appeared on the show for two years, and afterwards became a recording artist and has achieved massive commercial success and critical acclaim in the entertainment industry.
Born in Surrey Hills, Victoria in Australia, Minogue now works and lives in Chelsea, London. She signed to PWL in 1987 and released her first studio album Kylie the next year. In 1992, Minogue left PWL and signed with Deconstruction Records to broaden her musical and lyrical aspects and become inspired by several different musicians; these ideas created her self-titled studio album and Impossible Princess, two albums that have yield positive commentary from contemporary critics. Returning to more mainstream dance-oriented music, Minogue signed to Parlophone and released "Spinning Around", which was heralded as a welcome return to prominence. Her 2001 single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" became one of the most successful singles during the 2000s period, selling nearly six million units, recognized as her "signature song" and was voted as the most catchiest song ever. Her album Fever (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the US, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Throughout her career, Minogue has released many successful singles, including "The Loco-Motion", "Especially For You", "Better the Devil You Know", "Confide in Me", "Spinning Around", "Slow", "2 Hearts", "All the Lovers" and "Dancing". Her most recent effort, Disco, was released in November 2020.
Kylie Minogue's public image has became a significant aspect throughout the media. In 2005, while Minogue was on her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After treatment, she resumed the tour under the title Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour, which critics viewed it as a "triumph". Minogue resumed work as an actress and appeared in films Moulin Rouge! (2001), Jack & Diane and Holy Motors (2012) which met mixed reviews. In 2014, appeared as a judge on the third series of The Voice UK and The Voice Australia. Minogue's own musical company Darenote has been registered throughout all her endorsed products, musical recordings and her own range of home ware.
Minogue has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 80 million, and has received notable music awards. She has mounted several successful and critically acclaimed concert world tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. She was appointed by the French Government as a Chevalier (knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the junior grade of France's highest cultural honour, for her contribution to the enrichment of French culture. Minogue was awarded an honorary Doctor of Health Science (D.H.Sc.) degree by Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom for her work in raising awareness for breast cancer. In November 2011, on the 25th anniversary of the ARIA Music Awards, Minogue was inducted by the Australian Recording Industry Association into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Life and Career[]
1968–1986: Early life and career beginnings[]
Kylie Ann Minogue was born on 28 May 1968 in Melbourne, Australia. Her father, Ronald Charles Minogue, is a fifth-generation Australian and has Irish ancestry; her mother, Carol Ann Jones, came from Maesteg, Wales. Jones had lived in Wales until age ten when her mother and father, Millie and Denis Jones, decided to move to Australia for a better life. Just before Kylie's birth, Ron qualified as an accountant and worked through several jobs while Carol worked as a professional dancer. Kylie's younger brother, Brendan, is a news cameraman in Australia, while her younger sister Dannii Minogue is also a singer and television host. The Minogue family frequently moved around various suburbs in Melbourne to sustain their living expenses, which Kylie found unsettling as a child. After the birth of Dannii, the family moved to South Oakleigh. Kylie would often stay at home reading, sewing and learning to play the violin and piano. As money was tight, Ron worked as an accountant at a family-owned car company and Carol worked as a tea lady at a local hospital. After moving to Surrey Hills, Melbourne, Kylie attended Studfield Primary School briefly before attending Camberwell Primary School. She went on to Camberwell High School. During her schooling years, Kylie found it difficult to make friends. She got her HSC (graduated high school) with subjects including Arts and Graphics and English. Kylie described herself as being of "average intelligence" and "quite modest" during her high school years. Growing up, she and her sister Dannii took singing and dancing lessons.
A ten-year-old Kylie accompanied Dannii to a hearing arranged by the sisters' aunt, Suzette, and, while producers found Dannii too young, Alan Hardy gave Kylie a minor role in soap opera The Sullivans (1979). She also appeared in another small role in Skyways (1980).[6] In 1985, she was cast in one of the lead roles in The Henderson Kids, Kylie took time off school to film The Henderson Kids and while Carol was not impressed, Kylie felt that she needed the independence to make it into the entertainment industry. During filming, co-star Nadine Garner labelled Kylie "fragile" after producers yelled at her for forgetting her lines; she would often cry on set. Kylie was dropped from the second season of the show after producer Alan Hardy felt the need for her character to be "written off". In retrospect, Hardy stated that removing her from the showing "turned out to be the best thing for her". Interested in following a career in music, Kylie made a demo tape for the producers of weekly music programme Young Talent Time, which featured Dannii as a regular performer. Kylie gave her first television singing performance on the show in 1985 but was not invited to join the cast. Kylie was cast in the soap opera Neighbours in 1986, as Charlene Mitchell, a schoolgirl turned garage mechanic. Neighbours achieved popularity in the UK, and a story arc that created a romance between her character and the character played by Jason Donovan culminated in a wedding episode in 1987 that attracted an audience of 20 million British viewers. Kylie became the first person to win four Logie Awards in one year and was the youngest recipient of the "Gold Logie" as the country's "Most Popular Television Performer", with the result determined by public vote.
1987–1989: Kylie and Enjoy Yourself[]
During a Fitzroy Football Club benefit concert with other Neighbours cast members, Kylie performed "I Got You Babe" as a duet with actor John Waters, and "The Loco-Motion" as an encore. She was subsequently signed to a recording contract with Mushroom Records in 1987. Her first single, "The Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles charts and became the country's highest-selling single in the 1980s. She received the ARIA Award for the year's highest-selling single. Its success resulted in Kylie travelling to England with Mushroom Records executive Gary Ashley to work with producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They knew little of Kylie and had forgotten that she was arriving; as a result, they wrote "I Should Be So Lucky" while she waited outside the studio. The song reached number one in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Israel and Hong Kong. Kylie won her second consecutive ARIA Award for the year's highest-selling single, and received a "Special Achievement Award". Kylie's debut album, Kylie was released in July 1988. The album is a collection of dance-oriented pop tunes and spent more than a year on the UK Albums Chart, including several weeks at number one. It went gold in the United States, while the single "The Locomotion" reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number one on the Canadian dance chart. The single "Got to Be Certain" became her third consecutive number one single on the Australian music charts. Later in the year, she left Neighbours to focus on her music career. Kylie also collaborated with Jason Donovan for the song "Especially For You", which peaked at number-one in the United Kingdom and, in December 2014, sold its one millionth copy in the UK. Kylie was sometimes referred to as "the Singing Budgie" by her detractors over the coming years. In a review of the album Kylie for AllMusic, Chris True described the tunes as "standard, late-80s ... bubblegum", but added, "her cuteness makes these rather vapid tracks bearable".
Kylie's second album, Enjoy Yourself was released in October 1989. It was a success in the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, Asia and Australia and spawned the UK number one singles "Hand on Your Heart" and "Tears on My Pillow". However, it failed to sell well throughout North America and Kylie was dropped by her American record label Geffen Records. She then embarked on her first concert tour, the Enjoy Yourself Tour, in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Australia in February 1990. She was also one of the featured vocalists on the remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Kylie's debut film, The Delinquents was released in December 1989. The movie received mixed reviews by critics but proved popular with audiences. In the UK it grossed more than £200,000, and in Australia, it was the fourth-highest grossing local film of 1989 and the highest grossing local film of 1990. From 1989 to 1991, Kylie dated INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.
1990–1992: Rhythm of Love, Let's Get to It and Greatest Hits[]
Kylie's third album, Rhythm of Love was released in November 1990 and was described as "leaps and bounds more mature" than her previous albums. Her relationship with Michael Hutchence was also seen as part of her departure from her earlier persona. Its lead single, "Better the Devil You Know" peaked at number two in the UK and four in her native Australia. The making of the "Better the Devil You Know" video was the first time Kylie "felt part of the creative process". She said: "I wasn’t in charge but I had a voice. I’d bought some clothes on King's Road for the video. I saw a new way to express my point of view creatively." Rhythm of Love's second and fourth single, "Step Back in Time" and "Shocked" were both a top ten hit in the UK and Australia. She then embarked on the Rhythm of Love Tour in February 1991.
Kylie's fourth album, Let's Get to It was released in October 1991 and reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. It was her first album to fail to reach the top ten. While the first single from the album, "Word Is Out", became her first single to miss the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, subsequent singles "If You Were with Me Now" and "Give Me Just a Little More Time" both reached the top five. In support of the album, she embarked on the Let's Get to It Tour in October. She later expressed her opinion that she was stifled by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, saying, "I was very much a puppet in the beginning. I was blinkered by my record company. I was unable to look left or right." Her first Greatest Hits album was released in August 1992. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and number three in Australia. The singles from the album, "What Kind of Fool" and her cover version of Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" both reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.
1993–1998: Kylie Minogue and Impossible Princess[]
Kylie's signing with Deconstruction Records in 1993 marked a new phase in her career. Her fifth album, Kylie Minogue, was released in September 1994 and was a departure from her previous efforts as it "no longer featured the Stock-Aitken-Waterman production gloss", with critics praising Kylie's vocals and the album production. It was produced by dance music producers the Brothers In Rhythm, namely Dave Seaman and Steve Anderson, who had previously produced "Finer Feelings", her last single with PWL. As of 2015, Anderson continued to be Kylie's musical director. The lead single, "Confide in Me", spent four weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart. The next two singles from the album, "Put Yourself in My Place" and "Where Is the Feeling?", reached the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart, while the album peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, eventually selling 250,000 copies.
During this period, Kylie made a guest appearance as herself in an episode of the comedy The Vicar of Dibley. Director Steven E. de Souza saw Kylie's cover photo in Australia's Who Magazine as one of "The 30 Most Beautiful People in the World" and offered her a role opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the film Street Fighter. The film was a moderate success, earning US$70 million in the US, but received poor reviews, with The Washington Post's Richard Harrington calling Kylie "the worst actress in the English-speaking world". She had a minor role in the 1996 film Bio-Dome starring Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin. She also appeared in the 1995 short film Hayride to Hell and in the 1997 film Diana & Me. In 1995, Kylie collaborated with Australian artist Nick Cave for the song "Where the Wild Roses Grow". Cave had been interested in working with Kylie since hearing "Better the Devil You Know", saying it contained "one of pop music's most violent and distressing lyrics". The music video for their song was inspired by John Everett Millais's painting Ophelia (1851–1852), and showed Kylie as the murdered woman, floating in a pond as a serpent swam over her body. The single received widespread attention in Europe, where it reached the top 10 in several countries, and reached number two in Australia. The song won ARIA Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop Release". Following concert appearances with Cave, Kylie recited the lyrics to "I Should Be So Lucky" as poetry in London's Royal Albert Hall.
By 1997, Kylie was in a relationship with French photographer Stéphane Sednaoui, who encouraged her to develop her creativity. Inspired by a mutual appreciation of Japanese culture, they created a visual combination of "geisha and manga superheroine" for the photographs taken for Kylie's sixth album Impossible Princess and the video for "German Bold Italic", Kylie's collaboration with Towa Tei. She drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Shirley Manson and Garbage, Björk, Tricky and U2, and Japanese pop musicians such as Pizzicato Five and Towa Tei. The album featured collaborations with musicians including James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of the Manic Street Preachers. Impossible Princess garnered some negative reviews upon its release in 1997, but would be praised as Kylie's most personal and best work in retrospective reviews. In 2003, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani called it a "deeply personal effort" and "Minogue’s best album to date", while Evan Sawdey, from PopMatters, described Impossible Princess as "one of the most crazed, damn-near perfect dance-pop albums ever created" in a 2008 review. Mostly a dance album, Kylie countered suggestions that she was trying to become an indie artist.
Acknowledging that she had attempted to escape the perceptions of her that had developed during her early career, Kylie commented that she was ready to "forget the painful criticism" and "accept the past, embrace it, use it". The music video for "Did It Again" paid homage to her earlier incarnations. Retitled Kylie Minogue in the UK following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it became the lowest-selling album of her career. At the end of the year, a campaign by Virgin Radio stated, "We've done something to improve Kylie's records: we've banned them." In Australia, the album was a success and spent 35 weeks on the album chart. Kylie's Intimate and Live tour in 1998 was extended due to demand. She gave several live performances in Australia, including the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and the opening ceremonies of Melbourne's Crown Casino, and Sydney's Fox Studios in 1999 (where she performed Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend") as well as a Christmas concert in Dili, East Timor, in association with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces. She played a small role in the Australian-made Molly Ringwald 2000 film Cut.
1999–2003: Light Years, Fever and Body Language[]
In 1999, Kylie performed a duet with the Pet Shop Boys' on their Nightlife album and spent several months in Barbados performing in Shakespeare's The Tempest. She then appeared in the film Sample People and recorded a cover version of Russell Morris's "The Real Thing" for the soundtrack. She signed with Parlophone in April, who wanted to re-establish Kylie as a pop artist. Her seventh studio album, Light Years, was released on 25 September 2000. NME magazine called it a "fun, perfectly-formed" record, which saw Kylie "dropping her considerable concern for cool and bouncing back to her disco-pop roots". It was a commercial success, becoming Kylie's first number-one album in her native Australia. The lead single, "Spinning Around", debuted atop the UK Singles Chart in July, making her only the second artist to have a number-one single in three consecutive decades (after Madonna). Its accompanying video featured Kylie in revealing gold hotpants, which came to be regarded as a "trademark". Three other singles—"On a Night Like This", "Kids" (with Robbie Williams), and "Please Stay"—peaked in the top ten in the United Kingdom.
An elaborate art book titled Kylie, featuring contributions by Kylie and creative director William Baker, was published by Booth-Clibborn in March 2000. At the time, she began a romantic relationship with model James Gooding. In October, Kylie performed at both the closing ceremonies of 2000 Sydney Olympics and in the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. Her performance of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" was chosen as one of the most memorable Olympic closing ceremony moments by Kate Samuelson of TNT. The following year, she embarked on the On a Night Like This Tour, which was inspired by the style of Broadway shows and the musicals of the 1930s. She also made a brief cameo as The Green Fairy in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge!, which earned her an MTV Movie Award nomination in 2002. "Spinning Around" and Light Years consecutively won the ARIA Award for Best Pop Release in 2000 and 2001.
In September 2001, Kylie released "Can't Get You Out of My Head", the lead single from her eighth studio album, Fever. It reached number one in over 40 countries and sold 5 million copies, becoming Kylie's most successful single to date. The accompanying music video featured her sporting an infamous hooded white jumpsuit with deep plunging neckline. The remaining singles—"In Your Eyes", "Love at First Sight" and "Come into My World"—all peaked in the top ten in Australia and the United Kingdom. Released on 1 October, Fever topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, eventually achieving worldwide sales in excess of six million. Dominique Leone from Pitchfork praised its simple and "comfortable" composition, terming it a "mature sound from a mature artist, and one that may very well re-establish Kylie for the VH1 generation". The warmly reception towards the album led to its release in the United States in February 2002 by Capitol Records, Kylie's first in 13 years. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at number three, her highest-charting album in the region, while peaking at number 10 on the Canadian Albums Chart.
To support the album, Kylie headlined her KylieFever2002 tour in Europe and Australia, which ran from April to August 2002. She performed several songs from the set list in a series of Jingle Ball concerts in the United States in 2002–2003. In May 2002, Kylie and Gooding announced the end of their relationship after two and a half years. She received four accolades at the ARIA Music Awards of 2002, including Highest Selling Single and Single of the Year for "Can't Get You Out of My Head". That same year, she won her first Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist and Best International Album for Fever. In 2003, she received her first Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording for "Love at First Sight", before winning the award for "Come into My World" the following year, marking the first time an Australian music artist had won in a major category since Men at Work in 1983.
In November 2003, Kylie released her ninth studio album Body Language following an invitation-only concert, titled Money Can't Buy, at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The album downplayed the disco style and was inspired by 1980s artists such as Scritti Politti, The Human League, Adam and the Ants and Prince, blending their styles with elements of hip hop. The sales of the album were lower than anticipated after the success of Fever, though the first single, "Slow", was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. Two more singles from the album were released: "Red Blooded Woman" and "Chocolate". In the US, "Slow" reached number-one on the club chart and received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Dance Recording category.
2004–2009: Ultimate Kylie, Showgirl and X[]
In November 2004, Kylie released her second official greatest hits album entitled Ultimate Kylie. The album yielded two singles: "I Believe in You" and "Giving You Up". "I Believe in You" was later nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Dance Recording". In March 2005, Kylie commenced her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour. After performing in Europe, she travelled to Melbourne, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer, forcing her to cancel the tour. She underwent surgery in May 2005 and commenced chemotherapy treatment soon after. It was announced in January 2006 that she had finished chemotherapy and the disease "had no recurrence" after the surgery. She would continue her treatment for the next months. In December 2005, Kylie released a digital-only single, "Over the Rainbow", a live recording from her Showgirl tour. Her children's book, The Showgirl Princess, written during her period of convalescence, was published in October 2006, and her perfume, "Darling", was launched in November. The range was later augmented by eau de toilettes including Pink Sparkle, Couture and Inverse
Kylie resumed her then cancelled tour in November 2006, under the title Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her dance routines had been reworked to accommodate her medical condition, with slower costume changes and longer breaks introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength. The media reported that Kylie performed energetically, with the Sydney Morning Herald describing the show as an "extravaganza" and "nothing less than a triumph". She voiced Florence in the animated film The Magic Roundabout, based on the television series of the same name. She finished her voice role back in 2002, before it was released in 2005 in Europe. A year later, she reprised the role and recorded the theme song for the American edition, re-titled as Doogal, which grossed $26,691,243 worldwide.
In November 2007, Kylie released her tenth and much-discussed "comeback" album, X. The electro-styled album included contributions from Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis, Bloodshy & Avant and Calvin Harris. The album received some criticism for the triviality of its subject matter in light of Kylie's experiences with breast cancer. X and its lead single, "2 Hearts", entered at number one on the Australian albums and singles charts, respectively. In the United Kingdom, X initially attracted lukewarm sales, although its commercial performance eventually improved. Follow-up singles from the album, "In My Arms" and "Wow", both peaked inside the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the album was nominated at the 2009 Grammy Awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
Kylie began a relationship with French actor Olivier Martinez after meeting him at the 2003 Grammy Awards ceremony. They ended their relationship in February 2007, but remained on friendly terms. Kylie was reported to have been "saddened by false [media] accusations of [Martinez's] disloyalty". She defended Martinez, and acknowledged the support he had given during her treatment for breast cancer. As part of the promotion of her album, Kylie was featured in White Diamond, a documentary filmed during 2006 and 2007 as she resumed her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. She also appeared in The Kylie Show, which featured her performances as well as comedy sketches. She co-starred in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "Voyage of the Damned", as Astrid Peth. The episode was watched by 13.31 million viewers, which was the show's highest viewing figure since 1979. In May 2008, Kylie embarked on the European leg of the KylieX2008 tour, her most expensive tour to date with production costs of £10 million. The tour was generally acclaimed and sold well. She was then appointed a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the junior grade of France's highest cultural honour. In July, she was officially invested by The Prince of Wales as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She also won the "Best International Female Solo Artist" award at the 2008 BRIT Awards. In September, she made her Middle East debut as the headline act at the opening of Atlantis, The Palm, an exclusive hotel resort in Dubai, and from November, she continued her KylieX2008 tour, taking the show to cities across South America, Asia and Australia. The tour visited 21 countries, and was considered a success, with ticket sales estimated at $70,000,000. In 2009, Kylie hosted the BRIT Awards with James Corden and Mathew Horne. She then embarked on the For You, For Me tour which was her first North American concert tour. She was also featured in the Hindi movie, Blue, performing an A. R. Rahman song. Kylie was in a relationship with model Andrés Velencoso from 2008 to 2013.
2010–2012: Aphrodite and Anti Tour[]
In July 2010, Kylie released her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite. The album featured new songwriters and producers including Stuart Price as executive producer. Price also contributed to song writing along with Kylie, Calvin Harris, Jake Shears, Nerina Pallot, Pascal Gabriel, Lucas Secon, Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley and Kish Mauve. The album received favourable reviews from most music critics; Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone labelled the album Kylie's "finest work since 1997's underrated Impossible Princess" and Tim Sendra from Allmusic commended Kylie's choice of collaborators and producers, commenting that the album is the "work of someone who knows exactly what her skills are and who to hire to help showcase them to perfection". Aphrodite debuted at number-one in the United Kingdom, exactly 22 years after her first number one hit in the United Kingdom. The album's lead single, "All the Lovers", was a success and became her 33rd top ten single in the United Kingdom, though subsequent singles from the album, "Get Outta My Way", "Better Than Today", and "Put Your Hands Up", failed to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. However, all the singles released from the album have topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
Kylie recorded a duet with synthpop duo Hurts on their song "Devotion", which was included on the group's album Happiness. She was then featured on Taio Cruz's single "Higher". The result was successful, peaking inside the top 20 in several charts and reaching number one on the US Hot Dance Club Charts. At the time, Kylie also held the third spot on the chart with "Higher", her collaboration with British recording artist Taio Cruz, becoming the first artist to claim two of the top three spots at the same time in the American dance chart's history. To conclude her recordings in 2010, she released the extended play A Kylie Christmas, which included covers of Christmas songs including "Let It Snow" and "Santa Baby". Kylie embarked on the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour in February 2011, travelling to Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. With a stage set inspired by the birth of the love goddess Aphrodite and Grecian culture and history, it was greeted with positive reviews from critics, who praised the concept and the stage production. The tour was a commercial success, grossing a total of US$60 million and ranking at number six and 21 on the mid-year and annual Pollstar Top Concert Tours of 2011 respectively.
In March 2012, Kylie began a year-long celebration for her 25 years in the music industry, which was often called "K25". The anniversary started with her embarking on the Anti Tour in England and Australia, which featured b-sides, demos and rarities from her music catalogue. The tour was positively received for its intimate atmosphere and was a commercial success, grossing over two million dollars from four shows. She then released the single "Timebomb" in May, the greatest hits compilation album, The Best of Kylie Minogue in June and the singles box-set, K25 Time Capsule in October. She performed at various events around the world, including Sydney Mardi Gras, Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert, and BBC Proms in the Park London 2012. Kylie released the compilation album, The Abbey Road Sessions in October. The album contained reworked and orchestral versions of her previous songs. It was recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios and was produced by Steve Anderson and Colin Elliot. The album received favourable reviews from music critics and debuted at number-two in the United Kingdom. The album spawned two singles, "Flower" and "On a Night Like This". Kylie returned to acting and starred in two films: a cameo appearance in the American independent film Jack & Diane and a lead role in the French film Holy Motors. Jack & Diane opened at the Tribeca Film Festival on 20 April 2012, while Holy Motors opened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, which Kylie attended.
2013–2016: Kiss Me Once and Kylie Christmas[]
In January 2013, Kylie and her manager Terry Blamey, whom she had worked with since the start of her singing career, parted ways. The following month, she signed to Roc Nation for a management deal. In September, she was featured on Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini's single "Limpido", which was a number-one hit in Italy and received a nomination for "World's Best Song" at the 2013 World Music Awards. In the same month, Kylie was hired as a coach for the third series of BBC One's talent competition The Voice UK, alongside record producer and Black Eyed Peas member, will.i.am, Kaiser Chiefs' lead singer Ricky Wilson and singer Sir Tom Jones. The show opened with 9.35 million views from the UK, a large percentage increase from the second season. It accumulated an estimated 8.10 million viewers on average. Kylie's judging and personality on the show were singled out for praise. Ed Power from The Daily Telegraph gave the series premiere 3 stars, praising Kylie for being "glamorous, agreeably giggly [and] a card-carrying national treasure". In November, she was hired as a coach for the third season of The Voice Australia.
In March 2014, Kylie released her twelfth studio album, Kiss Me Once. The album featured contributions from Sia Furler, Mike Del Rio, Cutfather, Pharrell Williams, MNEK and Ariel Rechtshaid. It peaked at number one in Australia and number two in the United Kingdom. The singles from the album, "Into the Blue" and "I Was Gonna Cancel", did not chart inside the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 12 and number 59 respectively. In August, Kylie performed a seven-song set at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, donning a custom Jean Paul Gaultier corset. In September, she embarked on the Kiss Me Once Tour. In January 2015, Kylie appeared as a guest vocalist on Giorgio Moroder's single "Right Here, Right Now" providing her 12th number one hit on the U.S. Dance Chart on 18 April 2015.
In March, Kylie's contract with Parlophone Records ended, leaving her future music releases with Warner Music Group in Australia and New Zealand. The same month, she parted ways with Roc Nation. In April, Kylie played tech reporter Shauna in a two episode arc on the ABC Family series, Young & Hungry. Kylie also appeared as Susan Riddick in the disaster film San Andreas, released in May and starring Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino. In September 2015, an extended play with Fernando Garibay titled Kylie + Garibay was released. Garibay and Giorgio Moroder served as producers for the extended play. In November, Kylie was a featured artist on the track, "The Other Boys" by Nervo, alongside Jake Shears and Nile Rodgers. This became her 13th chart topper on the U.S Dance Chart, lifting her position in the list of artists with the most U.S. Dance Chart number ones to equal 8th alongside Whitney Houston, Enrique Iglesias and Lady Gaga. In December 2015, Kylie was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Her choices included "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, "Purple Rain" by Prince and "Need You Tonight" by INXS. Kylie released her first Christmas album, Kylie Christmas in November 2015. In 2016, she recorded the theme song "This Wheel's on Fire", from the soundtrack Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. Kylie's holiday album Kylie Christmas, was re-released in November subtitled the Snow Queen Edition. In November 2015, Kylie confirmed she was dating British actor Joshua Sasse. On 20 February 2016, their engagement was announced in the "Forthcoming Marriages" section of The Daily Telegraph,] but in February 2017, Kylie confirmed the couple had ended their relationship.
2017–present: Golden and Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection[]
In February 2017, Kylie signed a new record deal with BMG Rights Management. In December 2017, Kylie and BMG had struck a joint-deal with Mushroom Music Labels — under the sub-division label Liberator to release her new album in Australia and New Zealand. In 2017, Kylie worked with writers and producers for her fourteenth studio album, including Sky Adams and Richard Stannard, and recorded the album in London, Los Angeles and Nashville, with the latter profoundly influencing the record. Golden was released in April 2018 with "Dancing" serving as its lead single. The album debuted at number one in the UK and Australia. With this feat, she has reached the top position of the UK Albums Chart in four consecutive decades, from the 1980s to the 2010s. Tim Sendra from AllMusic labelled Golden a "darn bold" for an artist of Kylie's longevity, stating "The amazing thing about the album, and about Minogue, is that she pulls off the country as well as she's pulled off new wave, disco, electro, murder ballads, and everything else she's done in her long career." Golden also received criticism, with Pitchfork's Ben Cardew claiming that it "sounds like someone playing at country music, rather than someone who understands it." Kylie embarked on her Golden Tour in September 2018, visiting the UK, mainland Europe and Australia
Kylie released a greatest hits compilation Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection on 28 June 2019, featuring "New York City" as the lead single. The album reached number one in her native Australia and in the UK, becoming her seventh album to reach the top spot in the latter. On 30 June, Kylie made her debut at the Glastonbury Festival, fourteen years after her breast cancer diagnosis forced her to cancel her 2005 headlining slot. Performing in the Legends Slot, Kylie's set featured guest appearances from Nick Cave and Chris Martin. Her set received rave reviews from critics, with The Guardian declaring it a "solid-gold", "peerless" and "phenomenal". It was a big hit with fans, with Kylie's performance being the most-watched set of the BBC coverage (earning three million viewers, ahead of the nearest competitor, The Killers who received 1.4 million) and reportedly breaking records for the most attended Glastonbury set in history. Kylie also appeared in her own Christmas television special, Kylie's Secret Night, which aired on Channel 4 in December 2019.
2020: Disco[]
Following her 2019 Glastonbury performance, Kylie stated that she would like to create a "pop-disco album" and return to recording new material after the performance. Work continued on Disco during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with Kylie using a home studio to record throughout lockdown. Alistair Norbury, president of BMG, announced to industry title Music Week that Kylie was also learning to record and engineer her own vocals using music software Logic Pro in order to continue working apace during lockdown. "Say Something" was released as the lead single from Disco on 23 July 2020. The album's second single, "Magic", was released on 24 September, and promotional single, "I Love It", on 23 October.
Disco was released on 6 November 2020, reaching number one in Australia and in the UK, where Kylie became the first female solo artist to achieve a number one album in five consecutive decades from the 1980s to the 2020s. In the same month, she was featured on Children in Need's charity single – "Stop Crying Your Heart Out". On 5 December 2020, "Real Groove" was announced as the album's third single, and a subsequent remix was released on 31 December 2020 with Dua Lipa.
2022–present: Tension[]
In February 2022, after living in London since the 1990s, Kylie relocated back to Melbourne, citing a desire to be closer to her family in Australia. In the same year, she began working on her sixteenth studio album. In July, she returned to her role in Neighbours as Charlene, for a brief appearance for the show's intended series finale.
In 2023, Tension was released in September to critical acclaim. Featuring works from British record producer Lostboy, Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens, British singer-songwriter Kamille and previous collaborators Richard Stannard, Duck Blackwell and Jon Green; Kylie described the album as "a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic high". Hannah Mylrea of Rolling Stone UK claimed it as "brilliantly good fun and soaring pop music, with a huge amount of heart that brings big emotions to the dancefloor, much like its creator." The album debuted at number one in Australia and the UK. The lead single, "Padam Padam" entered the top ten in the United Kingdom, and marked her as the only female artist to achieve a UK top ten entry, in the 1980s to the 2020s. The song won an ARIA Award for Best Pop Release and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Dance Recording. "Tension" and "Hold On to Now" served as the follow up singles.
In November, Kylie embarked on a concert residency – More Than Just a Residency at Voltaire at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show sold out within minutes. Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald said the show was "brief and a blast of Vegas high". In December, a television concert special, An Audience with Kylie filmed at the Royal Albert Hall, aired on ITV. Ateeqe Bhatti of Attitude gave her performance a good review, labeling Kylie as a "masterclass in stage performance".
In March 2024, Kylie will receive a Global Icon Award at the Brit Awards 2024. She will also receive Billboard Women in Music's Icon Award in the same month.
Discography[]
 Kylie
(1988) |
 Enjoy Yourself
(1989) |
 Rhythm of Love
(1990) |
 Let's Get to It
(1991) |
 Kylie Minogue
(1994) |
 Impossible Princess
(1997) |
||||||
 Light Years
(2000) |
 Fever
(2001) |
 Body Language
(2003) |
 X
(2007) |
 Aphrodite
(2010) |
 Kiss Me Once
(2014) |
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 Kylie Christmas
(2015) |
 |
 Golden
(2018) |
 Disco
(2020) |
 Tension
(2023) |
Tours and concerts[]
|
· Disco in Dream (1989) |
· For You, For Me (2009) |