Pop stars love to reinvent their image.
Remember that time Lady Gaga traded her meat dresses for crop tops and denim shorts to promote ‘Joanne?’
Remember whenKaty Perry burned her wig?
Remember Madonna’s … whole career?
Speaking withNPRabout her album “DISCO,” Minogue mentioned returning to cosmic themes while recording.
She elaborated, " …
Somehow, there’s always a new way to say the same thing."
If anyone can find that new way to “Say Something,” it’s Kylie Minogue.
When they were kids, though, they fought just like any siblings.
“We had to share a room.
And we very clearly remember there was masking tape that went down the middle of the room.
It’s ok to fight it’s ok to have different opinions.
Down the road, though, you will become so close to your brothers and sisters.”
As a child, Kylie loved fellow Aussie Olivia Newton-John.
“Since I was 10 years old, I have loved and looked up to Olivia Newton-John.
And, I always will,” she later wrote onInstagram.
Which I kind of thought everyone did," she said.
“Of course, everyone doesn’t.”
Kylie did, though, and soon enough she would follow in Newton-John’s footsteps.
In 1986, she got the role that would catapult her to fame.
The character became extremely popular, and suddenly Minogue was famous.
People, you know, they’ll react to you as your character, not as you.
So it’s good to get home," she said.
Crucially, Charlene was popular not just in Australia, but in the United Kingdom.
When Minogue’s character married Donovan’s on the show, two million Aussies watched the nuptials.
The following year, when the wedding aired in the U.K., nearly 20 million Brits tuned in.
Kylie Minogue, international superstar, had arrived.
C’mon baby, do the locomotion with Kylie!
While on “Neighbours,” Kylie Minogue lucked into a recording career.
After she performed a cover of Little Eva’s “Loco-Motion” at an event, someone noticed.
You should release a record,'" she recalled on theZach Sang Show.
“And I released a record.”
Minogue’s version of “The Loco-Motion” was an international smash.
An album followed, but Minogue wasn’t a fan of her own music.
“They’re saying: ‘Here kids, have a piece of candy.'”
Around this time, Minogue had what she later toldThe Guardianwas “a kind of mini-breakdown.”
In an interview withRolling Stone, Minogue reflected that her sudden music career made her step back.
It was a reaction to protect myself."
“Enjoy Yourself” was released in 1989, and “Rhythm of Love” came out in 1990.
Her single “Better the Devil You Know” was a particular turning point.
“Looks glamorous, doesn’t it?”
Minogue said in a behind-the-scenes interview about the music video (viaYouTube).
“It’s supposed to!”
“I think she was sick of ‘the girl next door.’
She wanted to strike out in another direction,” he said.
Thankfully, critics loved the new, more mature sound.
A reviewer inMusic Weekwrote, “Musically this is Kylie’s best record by a mile.”
The showstopper was a jacket that Galliano said was inspired by both Lolita and Barbarella.
However, Kylie resists being called a style icon.
In an interview with Marie Claire (viaYahoo!
), she demurred dryly, “I’m aware my style has meaning for some people.”
In the music video, Minogue wore a pair of gold hotpants, an instantly iconic look.
They’re so iconic, in fact, that they’re part of theAustralian Performing Arts Collection.
I hadn’t given much thought to the American market and suddenly I was there again."
“I feel quite solid,” she toldThe Guardian.
“I don’t know where it’s taking me, but everything feels really good.”
Kylie Minogue’s role in Moulin Rouge!
“I was too scared to do anything,” she recalled.
Years later, though, Minogue was able to look back on “Moulin Rouge!”
While appearing on “The Graham Norton Show,” Minogue andNicole Kidman another fellow Aussie!
reminisced about their time on set.
Throughout her treatment, Minogue was praised for being open about her experience with cancer.
Thankfully, Minogue’s partial mastectomy and chemotherapy were effective.
Looking back on her diagnosis in 2020, Minogue toldPeoplethat she’s still affected by what she went through.
“It’s a huge change, and it is before and after,” she reflected. "
I think after cancer or any other big, life-changing incident or illness, you have to adapt."
“There was all sorts going on basically, and I loved it,” she toldAllure.
“I don’t see any difference.
It’s just, they’re all people.”
The success of the album led to the “Aphrodite: Les Folies” tour.
I mean, Greek mythology, over-the-top … 2012 marked her return to acting.
First came “Jack & Diane,” a thriller.
That film wasn’t well-received; it stands at 15% Fresh onRotten Tomatoes.
She appeared in “San Andreas,” opposite The Rock, in 2015. before falling to her death.
She leaned into transformation
Kylie Minogue has always been a pop star up for reinvention.
In 2017, Minogue hit upon her latest transformation: country star.
A producer suggested they bring some country music elements into their songwriting session, and Minogue was game.
“For better or worse, I’m always happy to try anything,” she toldRolling Stone.
“So I immediately said, ‘Sure,’ followed by ‘but what do you mean?’
Country has never played a part in my work.”
It was released in 2018.
The dance-infused country music took work, as she explained toBillboard.
Not enough dance!'"
Two years later, amid the COVID-19 shutdowns, Minogue decided our disco needed her.
There was her short-lived marriage to her “Neighbours” co-star Jason Donovan.
There was also a relationship with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.
Over the years, as her career took off, her romantic partnerships became less central to her narrative.
He lived in London, while Minogue moved back to her native Australia.
They continued seeing one another long-distance, as Minogue explained toThe Sydney Morning Heraldin 2022.
“I don’t have the white-picket-fence life.
We are in a very good space and we cherish that right now.”
Unfortunately, it seems as though the distance became too great a barrier.
She toldRolling Stonethat she decided not to lean into a concept this time.
Instead, she just wanted a collection of killer songs.
The song was released in late May, and it quickly went viral.
“It’s a greeting.
It’s a farewell.
There is a call and response,” she said.
“Say it, then you have to say it back.”
Minogue was delighted by the memes.
“They’re telling stories with ‘Padam,'” she marveled.
Minogue took care to shout out the song’s popularity in the queer community.
“I just want people to feel seen, heard, loved,” she toldAudacy.
“On paper, it’s not the wisest thing to do … “‘Find a way and make it happen!'”
In support of her album “Tension,” Minogue found a way to make it happen.
The showgirl is headed to “Vegas, baby!”
Can’t wait to share this Vegas experience with you.”
