the KYLIE
TIMES
Sept/Oct 2020
Focus MAGIC
News DISCO
kylie’s latest news and interviews
the tracklisting finally unveiled !
© Stellar Magazine
I love being in love because it’s the one thing in life you can’t control. Kylie Minogue - 1998
S E P / O C T
E SUM UP 4. Throwback Calendar 8. MAGIC 18. The latest news about Disco 24. News 44. PERFORMANCES 46. Rumours 48. Kylie In The Press 69. Interviews 90. Fashion 104. MEANWHILE ON SOCIAL MEDIA 106. Kylie Reactions
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Hiiyyyyyaa lovers ! Once again, it’s been a busy couple of months for Kylie so, of course, it’s been busy for us too! We wouldn’t be lying too much if we stated that each and every day something new happened during September and October. But, as you know, the COVID situation has gotten worse just about everywhere, so in a way, we’re lucky, lucky, lucky to have Kylie to keep our minds off all of that. Kylie’s new album « Disco » will be out in 2 DAYS lovers, 2 little days (which will seem like a lifetime) during which you can keep yourselves entertained by reading our new issue, because believe me there’s a lot to read! Obviously, you’ll find a full focus on the latest news we have about « Disco », but also a focus on the single « Magic » (which we adore!), the latest news, interviews and articles about our pop princess, and let’s not forget the Kylie reactions and what we loved on social media. We’ll be back at the beginning of December with a special edition all about « Disco », and in the meantime, please wear your mask and take care of yourselves.
Isa x Laeti
Throwback CalendAR Let’s have a look back at the most important events in Kylie’s career through the years and that took place on september and october. OCTOBer 1986 Kylie makes an appearance on Young Talent Time and sings with various members of the Neighbours cast. She also performs « Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves », a song by Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin, as a duet with her own sister, Dannii.
OCTOBer 28th, 1988 She is supposed to sing at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo where « Got To Be Certain » is nominated but the event is postponed due to the illness of Hirohito, the Japanese Emperor.
OCTOBER 27th, 1990
october 26th, 1987 After 10 days in England, Kylie goes to PWL studios to record her first original single, following the success of « The Loco-motion », with the trio Stock, Aikten and Waterman. However, the production team forgot that the singer was coming and made her wait, while they composed in a few minutes « I Should Be So Lucky », a classic of the singer. After laying her voice on the track, Kylie returned directly to Australia to continue filming Neighbours.
OCTOBer 9th, 1989 Release of the album « Enjoy Yourself », which went double platinum in England and went straight to #1 in the charts. Rumour has it that the album cover was made with recycled paper, following Kylie’s request.
SEPTEMBer 6th, 1991
SEPTEMBer 21st, 1992 « What Kind Of Fool » is released in Japan.
Panic at PWL! In an interview after having interpreted « Step Back In Time » in the Going Live! show, Kylie declares that a contest is organized to win her album with her name written in gold letters on the cover. However, her label had decided not to release it but without informing her about it. One hundred copies were finally pressed in a hurry and given to DJs as prizes for contests.
Kylie sings « Word Is Out » on Top Of The Pops. 4 www.kylie-world.com
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october 1993
SEPTEMBer 19th, 1994
Kylie is invited by Baz Luhrmann, the director of Strictly Ballroom, to pose at Universal Studios in Los Angeles for world-renowned photographer Bert Stern. The photos are published in the 21-page Australian Vogue January 1994 edition.
OCTOBer 13th, 1995
The album « Kylie Minogue » is released and enters at the fourth place in England and at the third place in Australia. It became a gold record as soon as it was released.
SEPTEMBer 30th, 1996 Kylie and Nick Cave win three awards at the ARIA Awards for « Where The Wild Roses Grow » : Single of the Year, Best Pop Release and Song of the Year.
Alongside Nick Cave, Kylie appears on MTV’s Most Wanted and performs « Where The Wild Roses Grow » and « Death Is Not The End ».
octobeR 1997
october 2nd, 1998 She appears on television alongside Natalie Imbruglia and Sinead O’ connor to accompany Dave Stewart on his new single « Happy To Be Here » and on Eurythmics tracks, « Love Is A Stranger » and « Sweet Dreams ».
SEPTEMBer 25th, 2000 The album « Light Years » is available and reviews in the press are really great. The singer collaborated with Biff Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and Mark Picchiotti. A hidden track can be found at the beginning of the album, and is called « Password » ! The opus entered second in the charts in England and Australia, a record since her album « Enjoy Yourself » released in 1989! 5 www.kylie-world.com
The video for « Did It Again » is shot in London and directed by Pedro Romanyi. It’s a music video that has left a lasting impression on all the singer’s fans with four different Kylies, all playing a different side of her : Cute Kylie, Dance Kylie, Sex Kylie and Indie Kylie. The characters are fighting for supremacy!
SEPTEMBer 27Th, 1999 The compilation « The Songs Of Duran Duran Undone » is released. In it, Kylie and Ben Lee interpret a new version of the track « The Reflex ». Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Throwback Calendar • Sept/Oct
OCTOBEr 17th, 2001
OCTOBer 15th, 2002
Kylie announces a tour in England in April and May 2002. Tickets sold out in a few minutes and the singer’s team therefore decided to add more dates in England as well as in Europe.
It’s Kylie’s night! The singer won five awards at the ARIAs ceremony: Best Single and Best Selling Single for « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head », Best Pop Release and Best Selling Album for « Fever » and a special award as the most successful Australian artist of all time!
ON TOUR
OCTOBer 28th, 2003
SEPTEMBer 2004
ULTIMATE KYLIE Kylie is appointed ambassador for the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) and supports the charity’s campaigns. She said: « Cruelty to children is an everyday occurrence, which must be stopped. The work undertaken by the NSPCC is essential and I fully support its mission to end child cruelty. I support its vision of a society in which all children are loved and valued. The levels of abuse in this country are shocking. Without charities like the NSPCC, they would be worse. Together, we may be able to improve the lives of children within the UK ».
SEPTEMBer 18TH, 2006 Kylie is the special guest of the Scissor Sisters for their free concert in London at Trafalgar Square, where she introduced the band to the crowd!
OCTOBer 16TH, 2007
Dressed in a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana dress, she went to the screening of a behind-thescenes documentary about her comeback, filmed by William Baker: « White Diamond ». It was broadcast in several cinemas across the country. 6 www.kylie-world.com
The announcement of a bestof by the singer entitled « Ultimate Kylie » is made. The collection contains all the singles of the singer since the beginning of her career as well as two brand new songs. « Since my first hit, I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. This collection is very dear to me and holds a lifetime of memories. There is nothing like time to give you a sense of perspective and I hope the listener gets as much enjoyment out of these tracks as I do. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to experiment throughout the years and that my fans have embraced the need in me to try new approaches. I am just as excited about the new tracks featured here as I am about all the others on the record. At this point in my career, I am happy to celebrate the past and look forward to the future! ». Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
SEPTEMBer 24TH, 2008 SEPTEMBer 30th, 2009
She sings « Get Outta My Way » at the Paul O’Grady Show with many dancers and Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters makes a surprise appearance dressed all in latex!
The singer offers an exclusive performance to open the Atlantis in Dubai. It is her first performance in the Middle East.
SEPTEMBer 24th, 2012
october 5th, 2011 Kylie receives an honorary doctorate in health sciences from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford for her work in breast cancer awareness. The singer talked to the students there saying : « I never went to university so my dad will be very proud when he sees the pictures! ».
She confessed that it was a real honour for her.
SEPTEMBer 24TH, 2010
For the first time in her career, Kylie begins a tour in the United States and Canada. It is a sort of compilation of her previous tours with new costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Kylie interprets a new song there : « Better Than Today ».
SEPTEMBer 21ST, 2013
To tease the release of her album « The Abbey Road Sessions », the track « Flower » is finally available for download. We say finally because Kylie had performed it during the « X Tour » and the song had quickly become a fan favorite.
SEPTEMBer 1st, 2014
« Limpido » is nominated for Best Song at the World Music Awards.
OCTOBRE 19TH, 2016 The singer is spotted on a beach in Australia while filming « Swinging Safari » alongside Guy Pearce.
Kylie gives an interview to the program El Hormiguero in Madrid.
OCTOBer 2nd, 2017 She goes to Paris to attend Stella McCartney ’s s h o w during fashion week.
OCTOBer 2nd, 2015 The first announcements around the singer’s Christmas album are made and we find out that she collaborated with Iggy Pop and
OCTOBer 7th, 2018 James Corden.
Following a voice blackout, the singer has to cancel her upcoming concerts in Ireland in Dublin and Belfast. They were both rescheduled in December. 7 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Second single from her new album which will come single from her newunveiled album which willand come out in aSecond few days, « Magic » was by Kylie in ausing few days, « Magic » was unveiled by Kylie and herout team a really cool and clever communication herInteam using a really coolhave andbeen cleverthecommunication plan. our opinion, it should first single plan. In our opinion, everyone it should likes haveit.been the first single from « Disco » because Whether it is the from « Disco because agrees everyone likes Whethertrack. it is the fans or the press,»everyone that it’sit. a brilliant fans or thewe’ve press, everyone agrees thatait’s That’s why decided to devote fulla brilliant focus totrack. it. That’s why we’ve decided to devote a full focus to it.
Focus • Magic
THE FIRST RUMOURS AND THE COMMUNICATION PLAN
About a month after the release of « Say Something » in early September, the first rumors about the singer’s second single began to appear on the internet. If it had originally been announced for September 4th, we quickly realized that this rumor was fake, however it enabled us to have a bit of information on the song : it would be called « Magic ». As we are quite curious, we did some research on the internet and we realized that there was another song called « Magic » and that it was performed by Olivia Newton-John. At that point, we wondered if Kylie’s track would be a cover of that song, or if it would be an original one. It’s when we saw the credits linked to the tracklisting of the album - without knowing the name of the tracks - that we found out that, nope, it wasn’t a cover so of course that meant that « Magic » was indeed an original track. Good news! The more the days went by, the more fans were waiting for news from the singer and about the new single, especially a few weeks after the release of « Say Something », which, let’s be honest, didn’t really hit the charts and that we hardly heard on radios (apart from BBC 2, did you hear it anywhere?).
a first announcement on spotify On September 19th, the singer updated her playlist on Spotify and in a very subtle way, on five of her tracks we could read a message at the beginning of each song with the appearance of different words. Words that together formed a sentence... On 10 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
« Dancing », we could find the word « Do », on « Say Something » : « You », on « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head » : « Believe », on « All The Lovers » : « In » and on « I Should Be So Lucky » : « ...? », which gave us : « Do You Believe In...? ». If the question was not « Do You Believe In Love » - we had a doubt because Kylie keeps asking us that during her concerts - it was a real teaser for the new single, even if many fans already knew the answer. The only question was whether the song was going to be called « Do You Believe In Magic? » or just « Magic ». The next day, to continue teasing, Apple Music revealed that the track would be released on September 24th, a few days later. Kylie confirmed its imminent release on September 21st by announcing it on her socials: « I. AM. SO. EXCITED. I can finally announce that my new single is called « Magic » and it will be released this Thursday! ».
« The stars look different tonight » « It’s flowing through my body » « They’re glowing all around me » « I can feel it »
The first people who heard it gave a very good feedback, saying that it was an up-tempo track, reminiscent of Katy Perry’s « Chained To The Rhythm » and that the track stayed well in the head.
a fantastic MARKETING campaign On September 22nd, we were still far from suspecting the marketing campaign that was going to be put in place around this track to promote it... Indeed, around 5:30 pm English time, Kylie’s team launched what was, at least in our opinion, one of the best marketing campaigns the singer has ever launched. A handful of lucky people received a private message via Twitter or Instagram (or both) from Kylie, with lyrics apparently included in the song. We were part of those lucky people, but we have to admit it, we weren’t sure what to do with the lyrics at first, we weren’t sure if we could share them or not. But after a while we were like « why would she send us that if she didn’t want us to share it? », and so we shared them. Everyone tried to put the texts they received together to figure out what the song’s lyrics might be in the correct order, and then we had to wait a few days before hearing it for the first time.
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Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Focus • Magic
THE SONG On September 23rd, the day before this new single was released, Kylie announced on her socials that « Magic » would be played for the first time on BBC Radio 2 in Zoe Ball’s show (just like « Say Something »), and that it would only be available for streaming and downloading afterwards. And when it was the D-day, of course we were all connected to the BBC website once again to hear a preview of this song, which seemed very exciting if we believed the different critics. This time, Kylie didn’t give any interview but a little liner had been recorded beforehand where we could hear the singer presenting her song and she declared that she was very excited.
Written by Kylie, Daniel Davidsen, Peter Wallevik (who had already worked with the singer on « Get Outta My Way »), Michelle Buzz and Teemu Brunila and produced by Ph.D, « Magic » is a much more up-tempo track than « Say Something ». Qualified as a « disco-pop » track, it has reminded many of you of other tracks such as « Chained To The Rhythm » by Katy Perry because of the first notes of the song. Indeed, if you listen to both the songs side by side, you just can’t deny that they are (very) similar! Other comparisons have appeared on the internet, here is a small selection of what we saw, it’s up to you to form your own opinion as to whether Kylie was inspired by them or not. • Kool & The Gang - « Cherish » • Orleans - « Dance With Me » • Chic - « Soup For One » (Piano) • Barry White - « Loves Theme » • The Real Thing - « You To Me Are Everything » • Iggy Azalea - « Savior » • Goldfrapp - « Rocket » • Kiesza - « Crave » for the chorus There are two versions of the song, the album version, lasting 4’10 minutes, and an edited version (which is used for the video and also for radio play) which lasts 3’34. Regarding the single’s cover, if you thought it looked familiar it’s because you probably saw this picture on the cover of the Amazon playlist « Fresh Pop ». For « Magic », the colors have been reworked a bit, so that the image fits the visual of the music video.
12 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
LYRICS I feel like anything could happen The stars look different tonight They’re glowin’ all around me It’s flowin’ through my body, I can feel it, I can feel it Don’t know if I’m awake or dreamin’ There must be somethin’ in the air The time is disappearin’ This moment’s never leavin’, I can feel it, I can feel it Chorus You got me started and nothing on earth can stop it It’s crazy, I’m falling I don’t know what else to call it Boy, do you believe in magic? Do you, do you, do you? Do you believe in magic? (Ooh-ooh) Dancing together Ain’t nothing that could be better Tomorrow don’t matter We’ll make the night last forеver So, do you believе in magic? Do you, do you, do you? Do you believe in magic? (Ooh-ooh)
Free fallin’, it’s a new emotion I swear there’s diamonds in your eyes Come hold me like you mean it Don’t wanna keep this secret Can you feel it? My heart beating You make me wanna do these wild things Your touch is supernatural Ooh, I can’t fight this feeling I’m floating through the ceiling Can you feel it? I can feel it (Oh-oh)
13 www.kylie-world.com
Chorus Bridge (Magic, magic, magic, magic) Do you believe in? Do you believe in? (Magic, magic, magic, magic) Do you believe in magic?
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Focus • Magic
CHARTS AND REVIEWS In the charts, the track did pretty well the first week, but just like for « Say Something », it unfortunately went down very quickly. Here is a summary of the best chart positions of the song: • Australia : 20th • Belgium (Flanders): 48th • Belgium (Wallonia): 12th • Hungary: 10th • New Zealand: 28th • Scotland: 9th • UK : 11th • Billboard Dance : 32nd « Magic » started at the 7th place of « The Official Big Top 40 » in England and was the biggest entry of the week. If you search in the charts right now, you’ll see it’s hard to find « Magic » on iTunes before the 100th place in most countries, and that’s when it’s still ranked... Nevertheless, the song has had more radio airplay than « Say Something » and was included in the BBC Radio 2 playlist and named « Track Of The Week » during the week of October 10th. Unfortunately, this won’t be enough to make it go up in the charts, but let’s not forget that because of the current health crisis, the means of promotion and live performances are - obviously - very limited. Press reviews are, all in all, super positive, here are some of them: « « Magic » is an uplifting track interlaced with piano and brass, leading up to a feel-good, melodic chorus ». - Broadway World « Kylie Minogue Drops Stunning New Track « Magic ». It’s an aptly disco-influenced track – but of course – and sees Minogue hit 2 for 2 as far as bright, escapist pop goes ».
« The song is a straightforward dance track — lighter fare than shiny lead single « Say Something » but with a chorus and horn section that still get the job done ». - Vulture.com « « Magic » continues the optimistic lyrical disco themes of « Say Something », as Kylie describes the magical experiences that love gifts her: floating through the ceiling, with stars glowing around her, as time disappears. The lyrics certainly lack some artistic depth but do the job of supplying feel-good pop. Alongside cheesy love lyrics, the song features a classically ambiguous pop chorus that gives no answers – « do you believe in magic? ». The instrumentation is that of a more predictable, straightforward dance track, with its keys and horn section; but that won’t stop anyone from dancing to it, I’m sure ». - The Edge Susu
« Everything just sits right with « Magic ». The melody is ultra-catchy. The tempo is that perfect bpm for dancing along to or cruising down the highway with the warm wind blowing in your hair. The vocal is the usual goodness we have come to expect from Kylie. Overall it is a song that you’re likely to put on repeat and loose yourself in ». - SoundVapors « Like that GRAMMY Award winning classic, the composition for « Magic » boasts a sublime marriage between melody and groove; from its warm brass facsimiles, bubbly programming touches and insistent bass work, the track is perfect for consumption on or off a dancefloor ». - Albumism
- Musicfeed.com.au 14 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
THE MUSIC VIDEO This time, Kylie didn’t make us wait! The video of « Magic » was released on the same day as the single, and an excerpt could be seen in the morning on Lorraine’s show in England. This teaser really made us want to see the rest, especially since this time around - unlike the video for « Say Something » - there was no risk of us having an epileptic seizure (phew)! The video was once again directed by Sophie Muller (director of « Say Something ») and was produced by Chris Murdoch and Juliette Larthe. Shot at « Fabric London », a mythical London club, it shows the singer sitting on a throne, validating her position as the Queen of pop, and surrounded by many dancers. Although the nightclub was closed because of the global pandemic when the video was shot, Kylie said she wanted to « give fans a moment of escapism to celebrate on a fantasy dance floor ». This video reminded us of many references in the world of disco and pop, we’ll talk about it throughout this analysis. The music video starts on the dance floor where we can see Kylie with a light stick. This immediately reminded us of Lady Gaga on her first album which also used a light stick on several performances, like on « Love Game » and sometimes on « Just Dance ». However, Kylie’s light stick is much more modern, as soon as she hits the floor with it, it lights up the dance floor at the same time (well yeah, we’re in 2020 now). We then see her sitting on a kind of throne like the pop queen that she is, wearing a Paco Rabanne gold dress, next to two golden statues of big cats/leopards. Some compared Kylie in this scene with the goddess Freya on her throne with her two cats: here’s a picture of the statue for you so you can compare and give us your thoughts! The first reference that came to our mind when we saw Kylie like that was Cleopatra, with the gold dress and the decoration… Among the striking things in this video, can we just talk about Kylie’s glance at the beginning of the video? It’s incredible, and we can tell she’s not here to mess around.
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Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Focus • Magic Many dancers accompany her on the dance floor with disco moves, which reminds us a little bit of « Get Outta My Way » and it’s pretty cool to have a music video that « moves » more than the « Say Something » one. We see the singer with a big cape on the dance floor (it made some people think about a kind of Jedi, especially when she has the stick in her hands) and the music video clearly wanted to recreate a Studio 54 atmosphere, the main inspiration of the singer for this album. It’s a bit like Studio 54 that we can finally see in colour unlike a lot of images of the time which were in black and white! From the second verse on, Kylie appears in a beautiful green dress that made many people think about Michelle Pfeiffer’s dress in Scarface. These images are filmed with a little retro effect, as if we were in the disco with her, which makes us feel even more like we’re part of the video. All the transitions between the sequences are made with inlays of other shots and blend superbly with the whole video. Obviously, Sophie Muller is still passionate about glittery and shiny animations - although they are much less present than on « Say Something » (thank God) - because we see some dancers made out of luminous glitter around 1’35 and on the dancefloor.
of silver jumpsuit with big veils on it and where she is having fun making these veils move around her thanks to - probably - a massive fan and this scene really reminds us of the « I Believe In You » and (slightly less but still) the « Get Outta My Way » videos. The result is particularly cool and beautiful and almost takes us to an imaginary universe, like if we were in the Studio 54 from the future. From our point of view, this music video is particularly well done and plunges us much more into the universe that the singer adopted for this new opus. It gives a beautiful image to this new era and is modern even though it has elements from the past: in short, it’s a beautiful work! It’s great to see the singer having fun on a dance floor and also being surrounded by dancers. As we mentioned already, the short and edited version of the song was used for the video (which is kind of strange when you know the album version off by heart and you suddenly hear that half the lyrics are missing in the clip).
Among the comparisons that we haven’t particularly spoken about here, we’ve seen references to Sailor Galaxia on her throne, Dazzler from X-Men, Merlin the Enchanter or comparisons with Starwars, especially when the singer has her stick. For the « dancefloor » part, you can check out Madonna’s A superb transition is also video, « God Control », which done at one point with images is also another interpretation of her - that we have since of Studio 54 and has some sithen seen on social networks milarities (obviously) with Ky- where Kylie is wearing a kind lie’s « Magic » video. 16 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
BEHIND THE SCENES, REMIX AND VINYL BEHIND THE SCENES Kylie is back on the right track and has once again offered us a behind-the-scenes video of the shooting of « Magic ». In it, we can see under which conditions the video was filmed and, of course, everyone was masked on the set (we’re pretty sure that the dancers had to undergo a test beforehand to make sure they didn’t have COVID and could actually go to the filming). Kylie then tells us that her Paco Rabanne dress wears tons and if you ever intended to buy it to wear it at home, know that if you want to be low-key if you go out during lockdown it’s not the best idea to avoid police controls. We are shown slow-motion images of Kylie with the « veils outfit » and they’re absolutely beautiful, it’s a shame we don’t see more of these in the official « Magic » video but thanks to this behind-the-scene video we get to see a bit more of them. Then Kylie shows us her stick with magical powers (she nearly broke the light screen underneath her when lighting the disco stick to be honest, she’s not very gentle when doing it haha) and then all the dancers were interviewed and they all said how easy it was to work with Kylie because she’s a professional. The images of the dancers « composed of light » were, again, filmed against a green background, and at the end, we see our little Kylie thanking all the people who took part in the video.
THE REMIXES As soon as « Magic » was released, all the fans obviously wondered what remixes we were gonna have. Some of them mentioned the name of Purple Disco Machine, which is currently hitting the charts for his remixes but above all thanks to his track « Hypnotize », which you must absolutely listen to if you don’t know it! In the end, a few weeks later, on October 10th, we found out that it was indeed Purple Disco Machine who had been approached for this remix, which got us all the more excited. Two versions of it are available, a version of 3’36 minutes and an extended one which lasts 5’07 minutes. Unfortunately - but this is only our opinion - the remix remains rather flat and the verses are almost not used, we stay on the chorus and Kylie’s voice on « Do You Believe In Magic », with some piano parts. A nice but nevertheless disappointing remix from Purple Disco Machine. Don’t hesitate to give us your opinion on it !
a vinyl available For the collectors, you could get an exclusive vinyl on the singer’s official store, it’s a yellow disc, which will match perfectly the red vinyl of « Say Something » if you bought it. It features two tracks, « Magic » (of course, otherwise what’s the point of buying it?) as well as track 13 of the album, « Till You Love Somebody », which we’ll - at least! - be able to discover in a few days. We hope you bought yours already because it is now sold-out (and, by the way, it sold-out faster than the « Say Something » one).
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Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
the latest news on Kylie’s New ALBUM (PART 3)
The more the days went by, the more info we got about Kylie’s new album. And now that we’re a few days away from the release of « Disco », here is a little sum up of the latest news that came out: the unveiling of the album’s tracklist, a new song, « I Love It » and a virtual concert entitled « Infinite Disco »!
Focus • Disco
The tracklisting of « Disco » It was something the fans were really looking forward to follow all the rumours that they had been able to read on the internet. It all started when Kylie posted a picture on her social networks with a caption asking us to stay tuned because a surprise was coming our way. And the very next day, the singer started to unveil the names of the first songs using different ways of communication, which clearly seduced us all! So here’s how the album’s tracklist was revealed. October 5th: 1 - « Monday Blues » was revealed via a post on the singer’s Instagram. 2 - « Miss A Thing » was unveiled via a post on Kylie’s TikTok. 3 - « Till You Love Somebody » was sent as DMs to some fans via Instagram. It’s a song from the deluxe version. October 6th: 4 - « Where The DJ Goes » was posted on the Pop Justice forum. 5 - « Dancefloor Darling » was the name of her updated Spotify playlist. 6 - « Celebrate You » was unveiled on the Say Hey fan group. 7 - « Fine Wine » was revealed on the Instagram account of her wine brand, Kylie Minogue Wines. It’s a song from the deluxe version. October 7th: 8 - « Real Groove » appeared on the Kylie Disco Instagram. 9 - « Unstoppable » was sent via DMs on Twitter to some fans. 10 - « Last Chance » was revealed directly on the singer’s shop, on the tracklist of the clear vinyl. 11 - « Supernova » was posted on Kylie’s YouTube channel. And finally, on October 8th, Kylie unveiled: 12 - « Spotlight » on Instagram Reels. It’s a song from the deluxe version. 13 - « I Love It » on her Instagram story regarding the remix of Purple Disco Machine with a GIF. 14 - « Hey Lonely » via her newsletter. It’s a song from the deluxe version. And of course, there is also « Say Something » and « Magic », that we all know now. 20 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
« INIFINITE DISCO » On October 19th, Kylie had another surprise in store for us, or rather the confirmation of a rumour that we’d been reading here and there for a little while: a virtual concert for the album « Disco ». First, the singer’s website was updated with new pictures, then a few hours later an official announcement was made: on November 7th, Kylie would perform a virtual concert where she would sing songs from her new album as well as some of her classics. Here is the descriptive text illustrating the event: On November 7th Kylie will stream a ticketed performance across the globe, taking fans on a journey inside her imagination to another dimension. KYLIE: INFINITE DISCO is an exclusive, one-off, performance spectacular, and will take fans through a parallel universe from solitary isolation to an alternative euphoric dance-floor community of togetherness. The visual world imagined by Kylie and her creative team ends in a future time and place where we can, in Kylie’s words, « all be as one again ». The show will feature many of the tracks on Kylie’s highly-anticipated new album, « Disco », due out November 6. As well as these new tracks, the livestream experience will include Kylie classics and some all-time fan favourites. All music has been especially
re-arranged for this unique event. KYLIE: INFINITE DISCO will not be available on-demand after it has taken place, and the only way to watch it will be to purchase tickets. Tickets to all streams are available globally to all fans, and there are no restrictions placed on buying tickets to any stream. The times presented are simply suggestions as to which stream you may wish to join. Please be extra careful to choose the most convenient stream for you. Tickets were put on exclusive pre-sale the next day for those who had pre-ordered the album and they were able to get a few pounds discount on the ticket price. Several time slots are available, depending on where you are, or what time you wish to see the performance. You can therefore choose between the following time slots : • Australia / New Zealand • Asia • UK / Ireland • Europe • East America • West America The show is going to last 50 minutes, and it seems that it has already been recorded! Steve Anderson worked on the music arrangement and Kylie worked with Kate Moross and Rob Sinclair on the visual creation of the show. Last but not least Ashley Wallen, Kylie’s long21 www.kylie-world.com
time collaborator, was in charge of the choreography. We can’t wait to see the result! Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Focus • Disco
Release of the song « I Love It » On 13th October, some fans were really quick to notice there was a time stamp next to the track 8 « I Love It » (3.50 min) on iTunes, so rumours started going around that this song would be the next buzz single and that it would come out on Friday 16th October. For once, the rumour was true (it’s rare enough to mention it), even though the song only came out on the 22nd October. « I Love It » is not an official single, just a teaser of the album. It was written by Kylie, Richard Stannard (Biffco) and Duck Blackwell and produced by the latter. The reviews in the press have been very positive, as you can see.
« Complete with lush strings and a punchy horn section, « I Love It » is straight upand-down disco with a signature Minogue twist ». - NME « I am pleased to report that it’s another exquisite disco-pop moment that rivals the genius of « Say Something » and « Magic ». In fact, it might be the best of the three ». - Idolator
Signed copies of « Disco » On October 27th, Kylie took all the fans by surprise when she announced that she had signed copies of her album « Disco » and that they were available to purchase on her store. The albums didn’t sell out as quickly as usual - which is quite surprising but also really cool because we were able to grab our copies for once - however, about 20 minutes later, it was sold-out on her site. Other signed copies were sold by Amazon and HMV, and because it was super successful, Kylie signed some other copies to try to satisfy as many fans as possible!
New merchandising Two new items have appeared in the merchandising this month (don’t worry, nothing crazy): two new sweaters, one black with the album cover in the middle, and the other is white with Kylie written in colour on it. We’ve seen some fans complaining about the quality of what they have received recently, so if you’ve ordered something, check that everything is correct, otherwise the shop’s customer service will be able to replace the clothes that you’re not satisfied with pretty easily! The « Disco » sweater is already soldout peeps, but the Chroma one is still on sale on Kylie’s website for £35. We would personally advise you to save your money for now, you never know, maybe there will be a tour in the coming months (years) and hopefully the merchandising will be better! 22 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
Allianz 2020 campaign new ads for a responsible insurer
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n this fall 2020, Allianz Insurance shows us its new facet. Two new commercials, which we see a lot on French TV at the moment, indeed emphasize the insurer’s commitment to environmental protection. One promotes home insurance and the other promotes car insurance. In these two commercials, we hear a well-known and remixed tune… These commercials stand out from any other insurance ads in the sense that they don’t show anxiety-provoking or sinister images. On the contrary, the production is really poetic and the music of these adverts is also very soft and peaceful. If we’re talking about it, it’s because, if you’ve seen the ads, you have necessarily recognized the « la la la, la la la la la ». Yes! The music used is a cover of Kylie’s « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head », which had a worldwide success in the early 2000s. Although originally it’s a bop and a dance floor filling track, Allianz preferred a softer version, which we owe to the Choir named The Scala & Kolacny Brothers. This version, which reminds us of Kylie’s acoustic version on the « Abbey Road Sessions » album, is calm and poetic, just like the insurer’s campaign. And because Allianz obviously have great taste in music, we’re wondering if we’re not going to change insurers…
Kylie wearing Ukrainian brand Nadya Dzyak
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ou’ve probably all seen this beautiful pic of Kylie wearing a pleated tulle outfit from the Ukrainian brand Nadya Dzyak, because she shared it on her Instagram page. She is captured in a maxi dress with pleated ruffles, long sleeves and a belt at the waist. The image, labelled by the press as « romantic » was complemented by light curls. But the thing that you may not know is that Nadya Dzyak, the designer and founder of the brand, is a Kylie Minogue fan! She told Vogue : « I always have two disks of Kylie in my car, I am a big fan of her work for many years, and it is a great honour and joy for me to see one of my muses in a dress of the Nadya Dzyak brand ».
Nadya also posted the pic on Instagram with the caption : « Amazing muse Kylie Minogue wearing our signature dress ».
STEPS tease Kylie collaboration ahead of releasing new single
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n 18th September, the Daily Star wrote an article about British Dance-Pop band STEPS’ highly anticipated 21st single « What The Future Holds », after three years of absence. This new song was written by Grammy-award winning star Sia. According to Claire, one of the band members « Our hit ‘5, 6, 7, 8’ was No1 in Australia all those years ago, and she was a fan ». After famously covering Kylie Minogue’s hit « Better The Devil You Know », the band who now share the same record label with the Aussie princess teased fans could expect a collaboration: « I’m sure if she’s not busy, she could pop down [to the tour] ».
joked Claire before insisting Kylie would have to perform the STEPS version. To be honest, we’d rather have a Kylie/Gaga, a Kylie/Dua or a Kylie/Madonna collaboration, but… Let’s wait and see! 24 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
« Especially For You » biggest-selling SAW SINGLE
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Maisie Smith won’t be the next Kylie Minogue
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year-old English actress Maisie Smith, who is apparently a talented singer, would like to crack the music industry. Several labels think that she is really marketable, and the media have already said that she could become « the next Kylie Minogue ». The thing is, in September 2020, it was announced that she would be competing in the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing and to be able to do that, she had to turn down a record deal. BBC bosses told her that her singing career would need to be put on hold if she wanted to remain in the soap EastEnders and take part in Strictly Come Dancing, due to BBC’s commercial rules. Maisie decided to take Strictly Come Dancing over the record deal because she can revisit music after the show. This will give her an even bigger platform than EastEnders to show off her talents. She hopes it will be a huge chance for her. Let’s see Lovers… But if we’re sure of one thing, it’s that no one can be « the next Kylie ». There’s only one Kylie and that’s Kylie Minogue!
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e already kind of knew this, but Retro Pop confirmed it on 12th September: Kylie and Jason’s duet « Especially For You » is the biggest-selling Stock Aitken Waterman single of all time. The classic track, which saw the former Neighbours co-stars and real-life lovers get « back together » for the rousing ballad, sold over 1 million copies - one of only two tracks from Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman to do so. In second place, and also a million-seller, is Rick Astley’s iconic « Never Gonna Give You Up », which sold 300,000 more copies than its closest competitor, Kylie’s « I Should Be So Lucky ». Dead or Alive’s « You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) » is in fourth place while Band Aid 2’s « Do They Know It’s Christmas » rounds out the top five. In addition to securing the top spot, Kylie and Jason dominate the rest of the top 50, with twelve and six entries, respectively. Rick Astley has five, Bananarama four, and Sinitta three. Check out the full top 50 below.
5 new albums to curb the pandemic blues
n 10th September, the New York Post website made a list of the 5 albums they are the most looking forward to this year, because obviously, there won’t be any tours coming to an arena, theatre concerts or club shows near us this fall. Here is the list below and what they said about Kylie. • Public Enemy: « What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? » - Sept. 25 • Mariah Carey: « The Rarities » - Oct. 2 • Bruce Springsteen: « Letter to You » - Oct. 23 • Kylie Minogue: « Disco » - Nov. 06 • Drake: « Certified Lover Boy » - Date to be defined « After the Aussie pop queen went country with 2018’s « Golden », she unambiguously returns to her dancefloor domain with an album titled « Disco ». And really, don’t we all want Kylie to be Kylie, not Dolly? The first single, « Say Something » is the kind of sunny, synth-infused bop that will have her fans twirling all of their troubles away ». 25 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition The Black Diamond - Royal Danish Library Copenhagen, Denmark 8 June 2020 - 13 February 2021
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ick Cave’s body of work encompasses a wide range of media and modes of expression, with narrative forms at the heart. This exhibition invites visitors to follow his development as an artist, and to gain insight into the overarching themes of his work, his working methods and the many sources of inspiration underpinning it all. Behind each work is an equally fascinating artistic process not originally intended for public view; the exhibition opens up the innermost parts of Cave’s creative universe and offers a story of its own.
« When the Royal Danish Library contacted me with the idea of a « Nick Cave Exhibition » I was reluctant to get involved. I am not nostalgic by nature and I had no time for a trip down Memory Lane. But the team at the library were clearly serious people with a wonderful infectious energy and they drew me in! We created an exhibition that is unlike anything that has been done before, its feet rooted in the past but that reaches into the uncertain future. In the end we were able to put together an exhibition of extraordinary detail that commented on the fragile and vulnerable nature of identity. I am so proud to a part of this unique and unorthodox exhibition - a shattered history we called « Stranger Than Kindness ».
Of course, if we are talking about it, it’s because in the exhibition there is an amazing video projection of Nick and Kylie dancing together slowly. They look like they are truly there; it looks so real it’s just amazing! For the occasion Kylie is wearing The « Sky Rocket Dress » by The Vampire’s Wife (the brand of Nick Cave’s wife). On 15th September, Kylie shared a short video of the video projection on her socials, stating : « SO happy and honoured to be part of @nickcaveofficial’s totally incredible FEAT of an exhibition at the Royal Danish Library Copenhagen. Floating in a dress as light as a feather by @thevampireswife ».
If you were lucky enough to go to the exhibition, we’re waiting for your pics or feedback Lovers!
« Stranger Than Kindness » covers the journey from Nick’s childhood in 1960s through the chaotic years with his first bands (The Boys Next Door & The Birthday Party) and his relocation to Berlin and then London. Central is the ever-evolving collaboration in Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, from the band’s inception in Cave’s most obsessive period in Berlin up to their latest release « Ghosteen » (2019), widely acknowledged as their best work ever. The exhibition reveals how Nick Cave’s life, music, archives and fictions continue to intertwine, inform and inspire each other. The exhibition has been designed in collaboration with Nick to create a series of immersive installations which allow visitors to inhabit the thoughts and creative process of an artist. It is a tangible, physical narrative, in which the space and exhibition design become an extension of the many stories contained within Cave’s life and writings. The event is supported by main sponsor Gucci and the Danish Foundation Beckett-Fonden, and was created and produced by the Royal Danish Library in collaboration with the Australian Music Vault at Arts Centre Melbourne. Nick Cave explains about the exhibition and the collaboration: 26 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Science says Kylie has the longest legs in showbiz!
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ccording to an article from The Sun which came out on 16th September, science says that even though Kylie is (super) petite, she has the longest legs in showbiz (well, compared to six other stars who have long legs). Indeed, a study by psychologists at Liverpool University and University College London found the ideal leg length (« the leg factor ») is 1.4 times the upper body. After comparing many celebrities to see how they measure up, the results were surprising, because proportionally, Kylie has the longest legs of all these stars!
National Portrait Gallery is celebrating Australian pub rock with a new Exhibition
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new exhibition celebrating Australian pub rock was launched at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia and opened on 5th September. This exhibition showcases the people, places and sounds that are synonymous with Australia’s « pub rock » movement of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The content is drawn largely from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection and bolstered by works from leading photographers, including Tony Mott and Wendy McDougall. It features publicity images, portraits, live shots and behind the scenes photographs of landmark Australian artists such as The Easybeats, Little Pattie, Johnny O’Keefe, AC/DC, INXS, Nick Cave, The Bee Gees, and Kylie Minogue as well as highlighting the political activism of acts like Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, and Yothu Yindi. For those who are unable to attend the event in person due to lockdown restrictions (so that’s like 90% of us), the exhibition is available online through a live streamed launch, virtual tours and online talks. It also showcases classic pub rock hits through a curated Spotify playlist and videos so that you can get the full experience from home. What a brilliant idea! The Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Karen Quinlan said: « The very essence of live music is about people coming together, in class confines, to listen and celebrate a common interest. We wanted to capture some of the excitement and energy of the pub rock scene ».
« Pub Rock » is open at the National Portrait Gallery until 14th February, 2021. Entry is FREE but whether you go there physically, or you go online, you’ll need to pre-book your timed session beforehand.
• Michelle Keegan: 5ft 4in / leg factor = 1:1.42 • Victoria Beckham: 5ft 4in / leg factor = 1:1.42 • Rita Ora: 5ft 5in / leg factor = 1:1.14 • Nicole Kidman: 5ft 10 1/2in / leg factor = 1:1.4 • Alesha Dixon: 5ft 6 1/2in / leg factor = 1:1.5 • Amanda Holden: 5ft 4in / leg factor = 1:1.4 • Kylie is 5ft and her leg factor is 1:1.57, meaning her legs are longer than the « perfect » ratio! As The Sun stated : « She may be small but when it comes to the legs factor, Kylie is mighty ».
Jason Donovan drinks « The KM » too!
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n 20th September, Jason Donovan shared a picture of himself holding a Kylie Minogue Rosé wine bottle in one hand and an empty glass in the other with the caption : « As the autumn days draw in, can’t think of a better way to enjoy the last of 2020 sunshine with @Kylieminoguewines. Thank you K! This rosé season never ends ».
On another note, he seems to be a bit nostalgic of the « old days », because on 3rd October he shared a picture of himself with Kylie dated 88, stating: « Heathrow 1988, arriving with Kylie for promo « Especially For You » 32 years ago ... wow !! ». Yep Jason, where did time go? Let’s drink a few bottle of rosé to forget how old we all are, OK?
27 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd best friends with KM ?
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avid Lloyd, an English former cricket player, best known as David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd in the UK has returned with a new book (yes, he’s written loads, but we’ve never heard of him in France) which is called « Simply The Best ». In this book, he tells the stories of the most important, influential, talented and entertaining characters he has come across in 60 years. He talks about other former cricketers, Gary Sobers and Kevin Pietersen, about English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and TV personality Piers Morgan and The Rolling Stones, among others. We’re not sure if he mentions Kylie in the book, however, when promoting the book, he was interviewed by Metro and Kylie Minogue came up during the conversation. When Metro asked him : « it seems like you’ve struck up a friendship with Kylie », he replied : « I got a lovely note from her because I wore some glasses that were part of the Kylie Minogue eyewear range and they’re fantastic - they’ve got like this pink tint they’re brilliant. And she was at home watching the Test match apparently and got a message through to her management to tell me « thank you very much for wearing my eyewear ». She asked for my address and sent me a lovely bottle of wine and a note. Kylie Minogue! ».
BMG wins best campaign for Kylie at Music Week Awards
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ylie has helped deliver BMG a win at the 2020 Music Week Awards on Monday 21st September, 2020, with the usual ceremony replaced by a virtual awards night because of the COVID-19 pandemic. BMG was awarded the gong for « Catalogue Marketing Campaign », with Minogue’s popularity in the UK barely waning over her multi-decade career. « Golden » went to #1 in 2018, before the compilation album « Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection » became her seventh UK #1 in 2019. BMG went all out with the release, looking back into Minogue’s catalogue. It came with a standard double CD and digital release, as well as a deluxe CD with 32-page casebound book, 2 LP picture disc vinyls, 2 LP limited edition mint green vinyl, 2 LP standard black gatefold vinyls, and a double cassette available in five limited edition colours. Collectively, Minogue’s singles have spent over 300 weeks in the UK’s Official Singles Chart Top 40. BMG UK shared some pictures on their social media with the following caption: « Meet the team behind Kylie Minogue’s “Step Back In Time » campaign - which just won this year’s Music Week Award’s Catalogue Marketing Campaign award! ». « It’s great to have everybody’s passion and efforts recognised in this way and we would like to say a special thank you and congratulations to Kylie and her team ».
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n 20th October, it was Dannii Minogue’s 49th birthday, and for the occasion, Kylie shared a little flashback video on her Instagram. The short video shows Kylie and Dannii having fun and singing « 100 degrees » before they sang it live for the first time on the X Factor show. The caption is the following :
happy birthday dannii !
« Yep… ANYTIME you need the party started, she’ll ALWAYS get the party started. Especially today… HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS @DanniiMinogue. Love, love and love on this, your 49th birthday, lockdown and all!!! ». 28 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
a slight meltdown working on Disco
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s we all know, Kylie recorded « Disco » at her London home during the lockdown. Well, she admitted that the process « really wore her out ». Here is what she said:
a painting by christopher kane
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n 21st September, Kylie shared a picture of a glitter painting - apparently representing her - on her Insta Story with the caption : « All the best for your show today and THANKS @ChristopherKane ».
If we know that Christopher Kane is a Scottish fashion designer based in London and that Kylie regularly wears his costumes (did you know that he designed the costumes for Kylie’s video « 2 Hearts » ?), we had no idea he was into painting! Well, it seems that he started painting during lockdown and that his paintings, made with acrylics, glue and glitter, became the basis for his Spring/Summer 2021 collection, which was presented via a series of images and an exhibition in the designer’s Mount Street Store. The exhibition was appropriately titled « Home Alone ». Kane stated: « I started painting in April to pass the time and haven’t stopped. I had no idea when I started painting that they would become the textiles and prints for S/S21. The paintings are glimpses of my mind from that moment in time. They are a combination of memories, feelings of boredom, joy, fear, exhilaration. I didn’t want to be influenced by how anyone else was reacting to the pandemic - I looked inwards for inspiration. I had to feel it myself, so in a way, I collaborated with myself. For the first time in my career the clothes are not the focus of the collection, the paintings came first and then the clothes followed - the art dictated the silhouette. I wanted the clothes to be reflections of the paintings. What I would say is the paintings I did in the first month hold a lot of emotion […], they are intense, to me anyway. It has been a total change from the way I’ve designed collections for the past fourteen years. Every part of the process has been reduced and modified […]. My studio team has been limited due to furlough and redundancies, so it didn’t make sense to sketch loads of designs and produce lots of clothes. I used a handful of fabrics and materials for the clothes. In some respect the restrictions have been liberating ».
We’re not sure what you think about Kylie’s painting, but we just love it because we find it really original! The collection being totally different from what he usually does, we wonder if Kylie will wear one of his outfits in the future. They’re all colourful so they could match the Disco theme… If you want to take a look at Christopher Kane’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection, it’s here: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring2021-ready-to-wear/christopher-kane 29 www.kylie-world.com
« I’d been going at such a pace every day and juggling different writers, producers and schedules and trying to be prepared - it really wore me out. I had a slight, well, meltdown. Probably sounds a bit dramatic, but I realised I’d been going at such a pace because I was driven to get this done, and we did get it done in the end. We really wanted to make it count and direct our energy. We all just threw our best into it ». « It was a very different experience compared to going into studios where the doors shut, you have no idea what time it is and suddenly it is 7pm and you’ve not looked at your phone. It was lockdown and I was here on my own, so it got quite intense. There was a point near the end where I actually felt just so drained ».
« dancing » certified silver
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n 23rd October, Kylie’s single « Dancing » received a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). If you want to know more about Kylie’s impressive list of obtained certifications, have a look here: https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/ Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
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kylie on mirwais’ new album
ylie Minogue has landed a guest spot on the new album from French record producer and songwriter Mirwais. It was confirmed in a piece by The Guardian that Mirwais who has frequently collaborated with Madonna on albums including « Music », « American Life » and « Madame X » - is set to release a « conversation-starting song and video, taken from an album featuring established names such as Richard Ashcroft and Kylie Minogue ». While little more is known about the release, it is described by the publication as being « part of some sort of experimental protest ». We hope to find out more very soon!
AC/DC and Kylie among acts sought for live music
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n an article written by Media Week Australia, we found out that AC/DC and Kylie Minogue are among acts sought for live music recovery. Australian fans of live entertainment have heeded the desperate « hang on to your tickets » pleas of promoters and artists as the industry plots a fresh calendar of major gigs and events to kick off the second half of 2021. Fans starved of live shows have kept more than 80% of tickets to productions rescheduled in the wake of the pandemic shutdowns, and as Australia continues to control the community spread of COVID-19, promoters are now courting international acts for post-COVID tours with the wishlist topped by AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Williams. Local live heroes including Midnight Oil and Powderfinger are also weighing up potential tours for next year. If we believe what Kylie said during recent interviews, even though she’s at the top of the wishlist, we doubt that there will be any « physical » tour anytime soon.
Acts with the most Number 1 albums In the united-kingdom
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o get one chart-topper is any musician’s dream, but just like making your way through a packet of chocolate biscuits, once you’ve had one, you’re desperate for another. Here’s who has worked up the biggest chart appetites... Most Number 1s on the Official Albums Chart:
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
kylie x MADONNA the right song
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Kylie sings herself to sleep to overcome career doubts
n an article published by Metro UK on 28th September, it is written that Kylie fights back doubts on her music career by singing herself to sleep. Kylie is returning to her roots with a new album and it is unlikely she will let the mixed reaction to her new singles « Say Something » and « Magic » get to her, as she explains she can’t get it right every single time, even after 15 albums and a music career that has spanned more than 30 years. She said: « Sometimes, I think I’ve done okay but I always think there’s more to do… I do ».
Explaining she has no plan B, she added: « It’s pretty much the only thing I’m good at. Am I going to change careers now? ».
And with the first offering from the new record struggling to fly, the pop star says is not fazed. « There’s always a new challenge. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes it’s not quite right. I’m always driven to try the next thing ».
She also explained she has a tried and tested way of blocking out the critics, and her own negative thoughts, when she hits the sack with Paul: « Well, I can’t always shut it out that’s for sure. I think it’s a common part of being an artist or performer. Doubt can creep in and maybe that’s one of the reasons why I want to keep going. I feel pretty at ease with those doubts now ».
She added : « I go to bed with songs going around my head. I don’t know if I do shut it out but I try. I don’t know what the difference is but making my own noise can cancel it out ».
She also added that her fans shouldn’t overthink her pop ditties too much: « As long as it’s going to get you boogying around the kitchen bench that will be great ».
she said, but the pop icon does have a dire prediction for fans. She is sad she can’t say for certain when they’ll be able to see her live again. She said : « Concerts now seem like an absolute pipe dream. I hope it’s not too long before we can reconnect like that ».
Well yep, we hope so too! 31 www.kylie-world.com
t’s Kylie calling, Madge… The pop princess is ready and raring to go when it comes to performing with her teenage idol Madonna - if someone can write the pair the ultimate duet track. Kylie says the only thing holding the pop royals back from teaming up in the studio is the risk of putting out something mediocre. The pair have been going toe-to-toe at the top of the charts for four decades, but Kylie says Queen of Pop Madge, 62, is no rival. In fact, Kylie says she’s been a « Madonna maniac » since the ’80s. On the prospect of the chart-topping pair teaming up, Kylie spilled: « I am as curious as the fans are. It would be amazing ».
Explaining what is holding her and the Material Girl back, she added: « The hard part is to get the right song and the right moment ».
Conscious of pop fans’ high expectations, she said: « Maybe any moment is the right moment… but the right song? One that’s in people’s imagination, mine included, because don’t forget I was a 14-year-old Madonna maniac. I was that kid ».
And while the day the pair record a duet may or may never come, Kylie is putting out the feelers to team up with some of her pop successors. She says there are « so many » people she wants to get in the studio with. « Miley (Cyrus) is absolutely smashing it right now. I am such a big fan of Gaga. Her talent is phenomenal. She has done some cute things recently by urging people to vote in America. There are so many facets to her. The list would go on and on ».
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
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Jude Bolton reveals high-pressure Kylie Minogue moment at Olympics
ydney Swans football club (playing in the Australian Football League, aka the AFL) legend Jude Bolton will never forget his high-pressure role in helping Kylie Minogue shine at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Jude played in 3 grand finals in his AFL career but never felt more nervous than he did holding up Kylie at the Sydney Olympics, has reported the site news.com.au. For the 20th anniversary of those Olympic Games, Bolton remembers Kylie’s performance more than any of the medals that were won then. He was 20 years-old back then, and - along with his teammates Adam Goodes and Ryan « Fitzy » Firzgerald were tasked with dressing up like lifesavers to carry Kylie into Stadium Australia on an enormous rubber thong for the closing ceremony, and, according to him, protecting one of Australia’s most treasured entertainers is what real pressure looks like. Here’s what he said: « I’d have to put it down as one of my favourite things I’ve ever done, we were part of a big moment in the 2000 Olympics. There was a lot of pressure on us. Not only are you there in your budgy smugglers […] but then you’ve got to carry Kylie Minogue. We did all these rehearsals and they were saying : « If you don’t keep the thong directly flat, she’s every chance of falling from shoulder height ». I was thinking, « I don’t want to drop her and break her leg as she’s about to go sing. It was a lot of fun, but crazy ».
Bolton said Kylie just wanted to be confident her legion of lifesavers was going to take her safety seriously: « We did all the rehearsals during that week and literally it was just: « We’ve got to get this right, guys », because she was pretty nervous. She’s gonna fall from shoulder height. That’s literally going to break your ankle or break your knee. She just wanted to make sure we were going to take it seriously and get her there safely. I had mates going, « Did you take a look up when she’s got the short, pink dress on? ». I was too worried about dropping her. It was a really bizarre time but it was awesome ».
On 1st October, Kylie herself reminisced about this event on her socials. She shared a short video of the performance on her Facebook page with the caption : « Hard to believe that 20 years have passed since The Closing Ceremony of The Olympic Games. What. An. Event!!! Rehearsals were held out of town to accommodate the number of people, technics and machinery required. I had sports players and surf lifesavers carry me on a giant « thong » (flip-flop) into the stadium for my performance of #DancingQueen. Such teamwork and so many memories... including witnessing Cathy Freeman win her 400M gold! ».
No one will ever forget Kylie singing at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games! There were over 110,000 stadium spectators and over 4 billion people watching around the world! Without a doubt, it will forever one of Kylie’s most iconic moments. 32 www.kylie-world.com
A COVER OF « DID IT AGAIN »
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n 18th September, Australian indie rock band DMA shared a cover of Kylie’s song « Did It Again » on BBC Radio 2’s « Sofa Session » before uploading it on YouTube a few weeks later. Infused with ’90s-inspired electronics and guitars, DMA’s’ rendition of « Did It Again » arrives with a fittingly retro visual of Kylie’s original clip. If you haven’t heard it yet, we advise you to be curious and go on YouTube to watch the video at least!
Female artists who who have toured the most countries
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n 3rd October, @shakirastuff_ tweeted the list of the female artists who have toured the most countries as a headlining, accompanied with a picture of the top 17. We weren’t surprised to find Kylie on the list, and she’s quite high up on the ranking! Well done K!
64 Songs about Magic (well, 62 actually)
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ecause Kylie gave us some magic in September, we thought it’d be interesting to know if any other celebrities believed in Magic too. After doing some research, we came across an article written in April 2020 which is pretty much spot on as 64 songs about magic were listed on there (in reality, they listed one song twice so that was 63 and then we checked over and over again and there were only 62 songs, but anyway…). 63 62 61 60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Song Puff the Magic Dragon You Make Loving Fun Voodoo Voodoo Woman You Made Me Believe In Magic Magic Woman Touch 3 Is a Magic Number Magic Bus Spanish Castle Magic Is The Magic Still There? The Magic Is Still There Magic Carpet Ride That Old Black Magic So Magical Magic Little Magic Glasses Magical Mystery Tour Devil Woman Magic Magic Magic Touch Blue Magic Creole Woman I Feel The Magic Black Magic Woman Bring Back The Magic A Cloak of Elvenkind December Will Be Magic Again Magic Man The Magic A Kind of Magic Magic Magic Magic Man Magic Magic Road Could This Be Magic The Magic Is Working Magic In Your Eyes Me Wise Magic I Put A Spell On You Love Potion N°9 Summer is Magic All The Magic Magic Bullet Superstition Strange Magic Love Sex Magic Do You Believe in Magic? Magic The Magic Hour Is Now Magic You Can Do Magic Make A Little Magic Magic Magic This Magic Moment Magic Abracadabra Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic 24K Magic Don’t Kill The Magic Magic
Singer Peter, Paul & Mary Fleetwood Mac Godsmack Koko Taylor Bay City Rollers The Hollies Blind Melon The Who Jimi Hendrix Alabama Helen Reddy Steppenwolf Rod Stewart ATC Kenny Chesney Johnny Cash The Beatles Cliff Richard Pussycat Dolls Tiffany Alvord KISS Colin Raye Toby Keith Belinda Carlisle Santana Jimmy Buffet Marcy Playground Kate Bush Heart Mackelmore Queen One Direction Robin Thicke J. Holiday Pilot Al Green All-4-One Janet Jackson Big Country Van Halen Screamin' Jay Hawkins The Searchers Playahitty Natalie Imbruglia Jacob Whitesides Stevie Wonder Electric Light Orchestra Ciara (feat J. Timberlake) The Lovin' Spoonful The Cars Hellogoodbye Smashmouth America Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Coldplay Colbie Caillat Jay & The Americans Olivia Newton John Steve Miller Band The Police Bruno Mars MAGIC! Kylie Minogue
Year 1693 1977 1998 1991 1976 1972 1996 1970 1967 1997 1979 1968 2010 2001 2005 1975 1967 1976 2008 2014 1979 1991 2008 1986 1970 1988 1997 1980 1976 2005 1986 2012 2008 2009 1975 2005 1995 1982 2001 1996 1956 1964 1994 2007 2015 1972 1975 2009 1965 1984 2013 2012 1982 1980 2014 2007 1969 1980 1982 1981 2016 2014 2020
a chart battle with little mix but not only
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t was announced on 17th September that British girl group Little Mix were going to release their 6th studio album called « Confetti » on… the 6th November of course! Speaking to The Sun, Kylie said: « It’s like Blur and Oasis (on 14th August 1995, Oasis released « Roll with It » - the same day Blur released « Country House », with the latter edging it into the top spot). It’s nerve-wracking enough releasing an album, but I’m excited for people to hear it in November, but now there’s this added thing. It would be amazing if I could do it. But I take nothing for granted, let’s see ».
We mentioned it in our last edition, if Kylie does manage to top the charts, she would become the first solo artist ever to have a number one album in five consecutive decades in the UK. Talking about « Say Something » and « Magic », she stated: « These songs are from the same realm, which is really nice. The lyrics of « Say Something » seem tailor-made for some of us now, but I just adore « Magic » ».
She added : « I think, especially now, you can’t take anything for granted, so to have a release and be reaching people with music and having that connection with people... I’ve always been a bit cosmic about it because it isn’t tangible, but there’s this connection… even more so now ».
She also touched-base on this in the Music Week interview, stating : « Look, you’ve always got to be up against someone ».
If we look a little closer, the competition won’t « only » be with Little Mix… we know that Sam Smith’s, Ariana Grande’s and Adele’s new albums are supposed to come out on 30th October, and for all we know, they could go straight to number one, two and three and stay there for several weeks. So, let’s just wait and see. We’re not too bothered about chart positions to be honest; we are just looking forward to hearing the album and dancing to it to forget all about what is going on in the world right now, and we reckon Kylie has nothing to prove anymore. 33 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
NFSA Launches « <3 Kylie: A Celebration »
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n 14th October, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) - i.e. basically a Hall of Fame of Australian sound - started celebrating Kylie’s countless achievements with a new online-only exhibition. It’s called « <3 Kylie: A Celebration ».
the 50 Greatest australian artists
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or the upcoming third issue of Rolling Stone Australia, and as part of a special collector’s edition, Rolling Stone counts down 50 of the most important, successful, and above all, most respected names in Australian music, created with the help of artists, music-lovers, media personalities, and more. Adding to the list, the top 50 countdown is paired with an in-depth testimonial from artists close to the listed musicians. Whether it be the likes of Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett singing the praises of Yothu Yindi, or Briggs discussing the importance of Archie Roach, it’s an immersive walk through Aussie music history, guided by some of the industry’s greats. Set to arrive on December 7th, the double-length issue (that’s 200 pages!) features a full-colour cover illustration by local artist Debb Oliver. It’s set to serve as the perfect conversation-starter for anyone who even has a passing interest in the world of Australian music. « Rolling Stone has a long history of involving artists in its content, dating all the way back to 1971, when Patti Smith wrote a few record reviews for the US magazine ».
Now available at nfsa.gov.au/kylie, this online experience features rare content sourced from the NFSA’s vast audiovisual collection, and provides an overview of Kylie’s career, from her start as a child actor on 1970s television in Australia to her decades as an international music superstar. It includes concert performances, rare tracks, interviews, clips of her film and TV acting work, awards ceremonies, news stories, posters, photographs and costumes. I went on the internet site to check this out and the only word that comes to my mind is WOW! This is SO well done and so complete. If you are a true Kylie fan, you just can’t miss out on this. On 28th October, Kylie shared a short video (which you can see on the NFSA site of course) with the caption : « I’m truly honoured that the NFSA has created this online story about my career. For starters, the clip is... EPIC!!! I hope you enjoy it! ».
I’m not telling you more about the video; you just have to see it!
explains Rolling Stone Australia Managing Editor Poppy Reid. « It makes sense then, that the story of the Greatest Australian Artists of All Time is told by the artists’ peers. We have entrusted the tales of each artist in the list to singers, producers, multi-instrumentalists and songwriters who have lovingly penned essays to honour these stylistic trailblazers. Australian music has a rich past, but with this list of the Greatest Australian Artists of All Time, it’s clearly traversing forward in significant ways ».
It can serve as a must-have addition to any self-respecting music fan’s collection or as a cherished gift, or even as some timely self-isolation reading. Just go to https://au.rollingstone.com/subscribe-magazine/ if you want this magazine, however you will have to pay a one-year subscription (4 magazines) for 59.95 AUD (approx. £33). But you know what we’re like, if we have more information on what’s written about Kylie before our next edition, we’ll let you know.
Kylie at the RITZ in london to promote « MAGIC »
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n 21st September, Kylie posted a couple of pictures of herself on her socials, tagging the Ritz Hotel in London. In one of them she stated « Lovely day chatting with some peeps about #MAGIC… single out on Thursday!!!! ». She looked stunning in a sky blue gown with mid-length sleeves designed by Victoria Beckham. She paired the dress with gold strappy heels by Aquazzura. On one photo, she’s snapped sitting down on the arms of a red chair drinking (half?) a cup of tea and the other pic is a selfie taken in front of a mirror. We know for sure that day was busy for Kylie as she did many interviews and also a photoshoot for Vogue UK. In the span of 14 hours, her post got more than 32000 likes and 500 comments!
34 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
new magazine covers with Kylie on them !
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es Lovers, Kylie is on the cover of three magazines in October 2020 (and we also know she did a photoshoot for VOGUE UK, so hopefully it will come out soon).
CRACK MAGAZINE / THE COLLECTIONS (UK) You’ve probably seen the pictures taken by Jenny Brough all over the internet; Kylie is the first cover of CRACK - The Collections, a limited edition magazine compiling the « best of the year ». The Collections is a high quality, 192-page special edition publication compiling the best articles and photography of the year along with four brand new stories. This issue stars Kylie Minogue, Avalon Emerson, Unknown T, 100 gecs, Thundercat, Yaeji, Burna Boy, Jehnny Beth, DJ Python, Santi, beabadoobee, BbyMutha, Perfume Genius and many more. We don’t have more information for now regarding the interview except that it’s called « The year is 2020. Let’s dance through all our fears ». Until then, you can buy your copy here if you haven’t already because it looks AMAZING: https://shop. crackmagazine.net/products/crack-magazine-the-collections-kylie STELLAR MAGAZINE (Australia) We LOVE Kylie’s « sunny » look on the cover of Stellar Mag Australia’s November 2020 edition. The only problem is we don’t know whether we’ll be able to buy it online, as the magazine can be found in the Australian Herald Sun newspaper (we doubt it…).
UNE REPRISE DE « can’t get « you out of my head »
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n 2nd September, Australian music artist Tom Snowdon shared on his Facebook page a cover of Kylie’s « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head », stating « I am sure you all know this song - an Australian classic by queen Kylie Minogue. Out everywhere today ». On 7th October, Tom released his debut EP called « Channel » via Pieater record label, and the album consists of a collection of his 6 song covers: • Who Can It Be Now? (Men At Work) • Lose You To Love Me (Selena Gomez) • Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (Kylie Minogue) • Unravel (Bjork) • Everytime (Britney Spears) • Blue Moon (Rodgers & Hart {Elvis / Billie Holiday / The Marcels et al}) He explained his song choice stating: « They’re deeply instrumental and rich with emotion, so the words they sing take on weight and power ».
BILLBOARD (Italia) WOW! Did you see that cover picture?! UH-MAZING. It seems Kylie had a little chat with the Italian magazine to talk about the « backstage » part of her new album. We’re not sure if we’ll find out anything new in this interview, but we’ll make sure to tell you more about the content in our next edition! She is also on the cover of the Australian magazine « THE BIG ISSUE » that you can read here: https://issuu. com/thebigissueaustralia/docs/the_20big_20issue_20edition_20623 35 www.kylie-world.com
Regarding « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head », Tom said: « That Kylie track is such an Australian classic but is probably a bit outside the space in which I usually work… But everyone knows that song. The challenge of putting it together, as with any cover, was keeping the soul of what’s special about the original but also freely interpreting it ».
Our opinion after listening to it: It’s a bit peculiar in the sense that the singer seems to be coming from another planet, but we really like it after several listens. The only thing we found not as good is the way the song ends. It just stops all of a sudden, like if the song wasn’t quite finished. Shame. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020 4. Blackpink: The Album (Oct. 2) 5. North Americans, « Roped In » (Oct. 9) 6. Loudon Wainwright III, « I’d Rather Lead a Band » (Oct. 9) 7. Open Mic Eagle, « Anime, Trauma, Divorce » (Oct. 16) 8. Various Artists, « The Harry Smith B-Sides » (Oct. 16) 9. Boy Pablo, « Wachito Rico » (Oct. 23) 10. Gorillaz, « Song Machine: Season One - Strange Timez » (Oct. 23) 11. Bruce Springsteen, « Letter to You » (Oct. 23) 12. Sam Burton, « I Can Go With You » (Oct. 30) 13. Elvis Costello, « Hey Clockface » (Oct. 30) 14. Rico Nasty, « Nightmare Vacation » (Oct. 30) 15 Kylie Minogue, « Disco » (Nov. 6) 16. Chris Stapleton, « Starting Over » (Nov. 13) 17. Josh Groban, « Harmony » (November) 18. The Avalanches, « We Will Always Love You » (Dec. 11)
DISCO in the press worldwide Evening Standard
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ovember is shaping up to be a fine month for new music, and not just because the biggest pop group on the planet are releasing their latest album. While the return of a K-Pop titan is the headline attraction, there’s plenty more new material worthy of your listening attention. Here, we’ve picked out 10 albums you need to hear over the next few weeks, ranging from an intriguing covers album to a hugely hyped debut mixtape (by Dutchavelli). So, calendars at the ready, here are the dates for your musical diary. • Babeheaven - Home For Now (November 6) • Dutchavelli - Dutch From The 5th (November 6) • Kylie Minogue - Disco (November 6) As tonics for an awful year go, a Kylie Minogue album full of disco stonkers is more than welcome. Much of the album was recorded at Minogue’s home studio during the lockdown, but the early singles fizz with dancefloor energy - it’s all gloriously retro, with synthy wobbles and flashes of brass. • The Kanneh-Masons - Carnival (November 6) • Yungblud - Weird! (November 13) • Marika Hackman - Covers (November 13) • BTS - BE (Deluxe Edition) (November 20) • Nick Cave - Idiot Prayer (November 20) • Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts (November 27) • Smashing Pumpkins - CYR (November 27)
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Los Angeles Times
e all know that the US have been ignoring Kylie for way too long now, so we were really surprised when we came across an American article from the Los Angeles Times mentioning her. She’s in their list of the « 18 albums people will want to hear this fall » at number 15. We have to admit that we’ve never heard of most of the other artists on the list: 1. The Neighbourhood, « Chip Chrome & the Mono-Tones » (available) 2. Sufjan Stevens, « The Ascension » (available) 3. SuperM, « Super One » (available)
And here is what they wrote about Kylie: « If anyone deserves to capitalize on 2020’s dance-pop revival, it’s 52-yearold Kylie Minogue, who was pairing airy melodies and ecstatic grooves before Dua Lipa and Doja Cat were born. As if to prove the point, the Australian diva’s latest - her follow-up to 2018’s country-accented « Golden » - is called simply « Disco » ».
OFFICIAL charts
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ne in every eight albums sold in the UK last year were bought on vinyl; something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by artists and record labels. The vinyl revival has brought with it an abundance of special releases to send collectors salivating: limited edition coloured vinyl, reissues of classic records and first-time pressings of albums previously never released on the format are now coming thick and fast - lots have been announced to come in the final quarter of 2020. Below is a selection of the very best. • Lady Gaga - Artpop (Release on 02/10) • Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes • My Chemical Romance - 3 vinyles (Release on 30/10) • Kylie Minogue - Disco (Release on Nov 6th) Kylie Minogue is taking us to the discotheque with her 15th studio album DISCO. As with Kylie, there’s plenty of different vinyl options. Aside from the 50 signed test pressings which are long sold out, there’s black, clear and transparent blue variants on Townsend Music, plus Amazon have their own exclusive turquoise offering. Out November 6. Vinyl singles for Say Something and Magic will also be released the same day. • Little Mix - Confetti (Release on 06/10) • Britney Spears - My Prerogative (Release on 06/10) • The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness (Release on 13 /10) • Paloma Faith - Infinite Things (Release on 13/10) • Coldplay - Parachutes (Release on 20/10) • Bruno Mars - Doo-wops & Hooligans (Release on 20/10) • Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up (Release on 27/10) • Shawn Mendes - Wonder (Release on 04/12) • Harry Styles - Fine Line (Release on 11/12)
36 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Mel C of the Spice Girls loves Kylie
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n full promotion of her album « Melanie C », former Spice Girl Mel C has given several interviews in the press. Here’s one of the questions she was asked: « As a fan, you watch your idols grow old on stage. Are there artists who do this particularly well for you? Madonna, the Stones, Iggy Pop? ».
And here is what she answered: « Oh my gosh! I’m not going to nail anyone to the cross, not in the newspapers! Iggy looks stunning, The Stones are in their seventies and still wild. They are a great role model. A great artist, a wonderful person, and the beacon for older women in pop music is Kylie. She looks wonderful, still makes great music and she lets it rip on stage. If I had to choose a role model, it would be Kylie Minogue ».
upcoming appearances
N Millions of streams for the new songs
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ylie continues to make good progress on online listening platforms, setting new records, especially on Spotify in terms of listening. On October 22nd, « Say Something » surpassed 8 million streams, with more than 8.6 million listenings, while « Magic» exceeded 1.8 million listenings for both the single (edit) and album version. This is mainly due to the fact that many big playlists which have a lot of subscribers have added the singer’s songs to their selection, thus increasing the number of streams. « I Love It » will soon reach 700,000 streams. It will be interesting to make an analysis of which tracks from the « Disco » album work the best in a month’s time. See you in our next issue for more information!
ovember will be an exciting month Lovers! The album’s coming out, that we know, but Kylie has also been very busy promoting « Disco ». Here’s what’s planned - make sure you don’t miss anything. • 06/11/2020: Release of « Disco » (yes we know that you know, we’ve all been waiting since July, but a reminder never hurts) • 06/11/2020: Kylie will be on BBC Radio 2, at « The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show » for an interview and apparently something special will be announced… • 06/11/2020: Kylie will be on BBC One’s « The Graham Norton Show », where she will perform Magic. • 06/11/2020: Kylie will be on the Good Morning America TV show to perform a song (we don’t know which one yet) • 07/11/2020: It’s Kylie « Infinite Disco » livestream Day (Yayyyyyyyyy!!!). • 10/11/2020: Kylie will be on the BBC One « The One Show ». Knowing Kylie, there will probably be other things (interviews, magazines, performances, you name it…) but for now, we don’t have more information.
37 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020
Kylie icon of the Marc Jacobs campaign
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n October 29th, new photos of Kylie appeared on the web, but we didn’t know what they were about nor where they were coming from to start with. These photos looked very much like video screenshots, so the quality is not that fantastic. A few hours later, we found out that the singer was the new face of Marc Jacobs’ autumn winter campaign. Kylie comes in several forms, in a pretty leopard print jumpsuit, a chic black mini-dress and very comfortable sweats. She was photographed by Sharna Osborne via video link in her signature lo-fi style (hence the incredible quality), Lotta Volkova did her styling, Cyndia Harvey her hair, Miranda Joyce her makeup, Adam Slee her nails (I didn’t even know you could get credited for that) and her movements were directed by Ryan Chappell. Kylie said she loved « working on this campaign with these wonderful creatives » and we’re pretty sure the creatives loved working with her as well. We’ll let you admire some pictures of this campaign (yes they’re blurry and pixelated and no, it’s not our fault, sorry).
At Home With kylie
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n October 29th, we got some other news (yes, it nearly didn’t stop for two months, we told you) : a mini-EP was coming our way and it was clearly something that no one was expecting! Available on Apple Music only from October 30th, the EP features 3 tracks: « Say Something » and « Magic » in acoustic guitar-voice version, as well as a cover of Troye Sivan’s song « Cool », on the piano. It’s a very nice EP that the singer offered us (well not quite, it’s 1,99£ on iTunes) and if the critics were very positive, it’s really the cover of « Cool » by the Australian artist that made the press talk. « I chose to cover Troye Silvan’s « Cool » as I love the way he uses 80’s influences and soft synth-pop tones in the original. He manages to deliver an understated yet powerful chorus that I really fell in love with. And of course I’m really happy to be covering a track from such a talented, young Aussie artist! ». Troye Sivan said he was thrilled that Kylie had covered this song from his album « Blue Neighbourhood ». She added : « It was such a pleasure to record an At Home Session for Apple Music as it gave me a chance to explore different sides of the singles so far - « Say Something » and « Magic » - from my new album « DISCO ». It was super special performing and singing with my co-writers (Teemu Brunila for « Magic » and Jon Green for « Say Something ») and for us to have the opportunity to interpret the tracks in a more intimate way ». If you haven’t heard it yet, we’ll let you go and discover the EP on iTunes.
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Kylie’s wine is now available in Australia!
ooohoooo! Lockdown is finally over for Australians so what better way to celebrate that than with a bottle from Kylie’s wine range? Yes! The wine is now available down-under! Indeed, a press release announced that the De Bortoli brand would be the official distributor of Kylie’s wines in Australia. You can find the press release right next to this text to know a little more about it. Please note that a limited edition (gift) of Côtes de Provence in a small wooden collector’s box is available. The release is scheduled for November 3rd but can already be pre-ordered on winedelivered.co.uk. It includes an oversized hand embossed wooden gift box with a beautiful bottle of the delicious Côtes de Provence Rosé and its custom-made Kylie Minogue corkscrew and it costs £45. And that’s not all, you can now order the newly released « Disco Pack » which contains two bottles of wine (white and red) and a box of salt and sweet popcorn. That will enable you to spend a nice 100% Kylie evening on the 7th of November! 38 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
DE BORTOLI WINES APPOINTED AS DISTRIBUTOR OF KYLIE MINOGUE WINES IN AUSTRALIA After the incredible sell-out success of Kylie Minogue Signature Rosé in the UK, Benchmark Drinks has appointed family-owned De Bortoli Wines as the distributor for the brand in Australia. Paul Schaafsma, MD of Benchmark Drinks commented « the interest in Kylie’s Signature Rosé across all social media channels from Australians has been overwhelming. We are thrilled to be partnering with De Bortoli Wines; one of the most respected and experienced Australian wine companies in Australia ». The family-owned company will launch the brand with the Signature Rosé this October, just in time for Spring. Executive Director Victor De Bortoli comments « The De Bortoli family are thrilled to be partnering with such an Australian icon and sharing our wine passion together ». Kylie Minogue celebrated her 52nd birthday in May earlier this year whilst proudly launching the wine brand after two years of searching for the right partner. She recently announced a new album, DISCO, which is set for release this November. Kylie’s fans from all over Australia have been calling for the wine after hearing about the popularity of the Kylie Minogue Signature Rosé in the UK and Ireland. Join the Kylie Minogue Wines community on Instagram.com/KylieMinogueWines, facebook.com/kylieminoguewines and twitter.com/kyliewines.
About De Bortoli The De Bortoli family story is one of determination and triumph that started 90 years ago in war-torn Europe and is now told, generations later, across Australia. Starting with Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli, our history encompasses the universal story of immigrants making good in an adopted land through hard work, innovation and the support of family and friends. From humble beginnings making small amounts of dry table wine, mostly for fellow European immigrants, De Bortoli Wines expanded and consolidated under the direction of Vittorio and Giuseppina’s energetic son Deen and his wife Emeri. Their four children – Darren, Leanne, Kevin and Victor – joined the family business and developed De Bortoli’s reputation for premium wine, firstly through iconic dessert wine Noble One and then via the success of the cool climate wines produced at the family’s Yarra Valley Estate. Today, as a fourth-generation contemplates entering the family business, De Bortoli Wines’ official motto, Semper ad Majora (“always striving for better”) and the unofficial one (good food, good wine and good friends) remain as true and central as ever.
News • Sept/Oct 2020
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emember when in our last edition, we told you that Kylie had created a 38-track Playlist on Spotify - to unveil some of her fave disco classics, old and new, and had shared the info on social networks? Well, on 19th September, she updated the playlist and it now contains 42 tracks. The interesting thing is that she added only songs of hers: « Dancing », « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head », « All The Lovers », and « I Should Be So Lucky » On 3rd October she updated it again. She took out all her songs that we listed above, and added some new ones. Here’s what the last additions :
« infinite disco » updated
Donna Summer - Last Dance Kelly Marie - Feels Like I’m In Love Roisin Murphy - Narcissus Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye Tom Aspaul - Dead Already (Save Yourself) Aretha Franklin - Get It Right Agnes - Fingers Crossed
Dua Lipa - Love Is Religion Kylie Minogue - Your Disco Needs You Teena Maria - Behind The Grove Empress - Dyin’ To Be Dancin’ Carly Rae Jepsen - Julien Chic - Open Up Kylie Minogue - Magic (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
« Mind » is a mental health charity in England and Wales. Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, it celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016. « Mind » offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf. When Ray and « Mind » get together, it gives us a beautiful online Exhibition called « Take A Moment ». Their motto: « Now more than ever, we need to take a moment, so let’s take a moment together ».
Ray Burmiston x « Mind »
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ondon-born photographer Ray Burmiston has photographed some of the world’s most iconic actors, musicians, and sportsmen. He is the ‘go to’ for the UK’s leading broadcasters, programme makers, advertising agencies and record companies. His subjects include David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, George Clooney, Kylie Minogue, David Beckham, will.i.am, Johnny Depp, Beyoncé, James Corden… and his work for charities includes UNICEF, Save The Children, Children In Need, Variety and Comic Relief.
The collection has been curated from a decade of outtakes from Ray’s studio, hundreds of moments where he asks his subjects to close their eyes for a few seconds, to refresh their connection with the camera, capturing powerful moments of self-reflection. Everyone from Idris Elba to Anthony Joshua, Ruth Jones, Katie Piper, Liam Gallagher, Ricky Gervais, […] and, of course, Kylie have taken part, and Ray Burmiston and « Mind » are encouraging you to participate too. There are three ways that you can become part of the art and join the « Take a Moment » movement: 1. £3 to upload your own image to the grid (eyes closed) 2. £30 to purchase an authenticated print: 3 x 3 grid of randomly generated portraits from the exhibition, with your uploaded selfie in the centre. Print size: 10’ x 8’ 3. £300 for a custom, authenticated and signed print: which lets you choose your favourite portraits. Print size: 20’ x 16’ A minimum of 90% profit of each sale will be donated to « Mind », so don’t hesitate! 40 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie Out And About (SEPT/OCT)
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ven though she has been rather discreet in October, our favourite Australian made a few public appearances recently, especially in September.
Tuesday 8th September 2020 Kylie stepped-out in London dressed down in a black baseball cap, pink-tinted glasses and a £30 face mask by Christopher Kane. She covered up in a stone-coloured raincoat, which worked well with her grey T-shirt and matching yellow-panelled joggers, opting for comfort in white trainers while adding a touch of glamour to her look with a quilted chain-strap handbag. Tuesday 15th September 2020 Kylie looked absolutely incredible wearing a blue striped maxi dress which had a split going up the front (asymmetric maxi dress by Loewe). She wore her Christopher Kane face mask, « Lauren » sandals by Chloe and a black mini Chanel bag. Her naturally curly hair was worn in an up-do and she completed her superstar look with a pair of designer sunglasses. Monday 21st September 2020 Kylie looked sensational as she stepped out for dinner with friends at the Ritz Hotel in Mayfair, London. She put on a stylish display in a Dolce & Gabbana polka-dot dress, teamed with pink strappy heels and jewellery by Amme London, while keeping her personal items in a black handbag. Her golden locks were brushed into loose waves that cascaded over her shoulders, and she used a light palette of make-up for the occasion. Thursday 24th September 2020 Kylie was seen in South London going to Jessie Ware’s (or her mum’s) house in an electric pink silk-satin shirt dress by Area. The full-length dress sheathed over her slender frame and teased a glimpse of her legs thanks to a side split. She added a boost to her height with black suede ankle boots and complemented the look with a clutch bag and gold hoop earrings. She wore her blonde hair in a straight, flicked out style and complemented her eye-catching dress with a polished make-up look. Monday 26th October 2020 Kylie was spotted as she headed home after exiting the BBC studios in London, wearing an all-black ensemble - a chic black lace blouse and tight trousers - with a cosy and long-line camel coat by Max Mara. She accessorised with heeled boots and a leather handbag and finished her classic look with sparkling silver drop earrings. Of course, she was wearing her Christopher Kane face mask - so be like Kylie Lovers, wear your mask! 41 www.kylie-world.com
Kylie supports Nordoff Robbins
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n 1st October 2020, Kylie said: « I’m so happy to be supporting the incredible charity, @nordoffrobbins by partnering with @soundwaves_art. They have released a very limited collection of artwork created from the audio of « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head ». There’s only 50 prints and 2 originals available… all signed by me and the artist », on her socials. Nordoff-Robbins is the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity. They use music to enrich the lives of people with life-limiting illnesses, disabilities and feelings of isolation. The charity’s approach to music therapy was developed from the 17-year collaboration of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins and began in 1958, and is grounded in the belief that everyone can respond to music, no matter how ill or disabled. It holds that the unique qualities of music as therapy can enhance communication, support change, and enable people to live more resourcefully and creatively. Nordoff-Robbins music therapists practice worldwide and have graduated from training programs around the world including the UK, the USA, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and the Far East. The Soundwaves Art Foundation, led by Tim Wakefield, is a philanthropic foundation that combines music, modern art, and technology by capturing the digital heartbeat of some of the world’s most iconic music in order to raise money for nonprofits addressing the world’s most pressing problems. To create each of his Soundwaves Art pieces Tim colours, distorts, and manipulates the actual soundwaves of songs through a proprietary art process he has created and honed for the past eleven years. Each piece is signed by the musician(s) behind the song, and 100% of profits are donated to charities focusing primarily on social justice, the environment, disaster relief, music education, and mental health. In order to raise money for the Nordoff-Robbins charity, the Soundwaves Art Foundation is selling the « Kylie » artworks on https://soundwavesartfoundation.com/, so if you have « a bit » of spare money (even though the timing is not ideal…), don’t hesitate to buy yours (or buy one for a Kylie fan as his/her Christmas present to brighten up his/her year!). Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
News • Sept/Oct 2020 « Can’t Get You out of My Head » (Canvas Prints) - $170.00
« Can’t Get You out of My Head » (Originals) - $3,000.00
« Can’t Get You out of My Head » (Signed Prints) - $380.00
Limited edition Artwork created from the audio of Kylie Minogue’s iconic single. Every print has been hand signed by Soundwaves Art creator, Tim Wakefield.
Limited edition Artwork created from the sound waves of Kylie’s iconic single. Each original has been hand signed by Kylie & Tim Wakefield.
Limited edition Artwork created from the audio of Kylie’s iconic single. Every print has been hand signed by Kylie & Tim Wakefield.
Kylie has also added a lyric (« la la la ») to both artworks.
Kylie has kindly signed 50 fine art canvas prints to support the incredible work of Nordoff- Robbins UK.
Every print is numbered by hand from 1/200 to 200/200. The artwork image is 24’x24’ with a 3’ white border. The artwork ships unframed in a tube.
Artwork is 40’x 40’ on fine art canvas and ships unframed in a protective tube, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. These come in two variations: Red/ White or Red Original and they have now sold out. However, if you go on the site, you can email the team to be added to the waiting list.
Every print is numbered by hand from 1/50 to 50/50. The artwork image is 24’x24’ with a 3’ white border. The artwork ships unframed in a protective tube. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. This is also « out of stock » for now, but you can be added to the waiting list.
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he month of October is known to be THE month where we all fight against breast cancer. In fact, many media put-up a small pink ribbon on their pages to show their mobilization. On October 22nd, Kylie shared a picture of herself on social networks, dressed in pink. She wrote: « This is a #flashback but in a #flashforward, tomorrow (today Down Under!) I’m going to #WearItPink for Breast Cancer Now. If you can too, send me a pic! Incredible work by everyone raising funds or donating to help research and support ». Indeed, on this occasion, the Pink Ribbon Foundation organised an auction to raise money to help people who have or have had breast cancer in England, but also to do prevention in terms of earlier detection. Kylie donated a signed presentation and other celebrities participated such as Lewis Hamilton and Elton John. Several fans also sent in pictures of themselves wearing pink to commemorate this special day.
PINK RIBBON FOUNDATION 42 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie partners with Support Act
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ustralian music charity « Support Act » have announced the second « Aus Music T-Shirt Day » of 2020. As its title suggests, Support Act created the day to recognise and celebrate Australian music by wearing a shirt of an Australian band, artist, venue or label. It is Australia’s only charity delivering crisis relief services to artists, crew and music workers as a result of ill health, injury, a mental health problem, or some other crisis that impacts on their ability to work in music. In April, they announced a special edition of the day to raise money for Support Act’s COVID-19 Emergency Appeal. The proceeds went towards both crisis relief and mental health counselling for those working in the Australian music industry affected by the pandemic. Supporters raised over $26,000 for the appeal on the first « Aus Music T-Shirt Day » of the year, April 17. On 12th October, they announced that the day will return in its regular timeslot of November. On the https:// www.ausmusictshirtday.org.au/ we can read « Practically everyone working in live music - that’s artists, crew and music workers - have lost their jobs and their income, and the future is anything but certain.Demand for Support Act’s Crisis Relief and Mental Health & Wellbeing Services has never been greater! So please help us to raise funds for all those in music who are doing it tough this year, and participate in Ausmusic T-Shirt Day! ». Support Act have encouraged supporters to get a team together, setting up a donation page in the lead-up to the Day itself: Friday 20th November. In addition, Support Act has developed a Premium T-shirt Range with exclusive, limited edition designs from Amy Shark, Ball Park Music, Cold Chisel, Dope Lemon, Kylie Minogue, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly and The Teskey Brothers, with 100% of net proceeds donated to Support Act. The t-shirts could be pre-ordered until 30th October, but will be available until they are sold-out, however, if you want to buy a Kylie t-shirt and to give your money for a good cause at the same time, don’t wait too long because these stocks are limited. Support Act posted a beautiful picture of Kylie on Instagram, saying : « We are so excited to see @kylieminogue getting into the grosse for #ausmusictshirtday, repping her very own exclusive t-shirt design! She looks amazing and we can’t wait to see her on The Sound this Sunday! ».
Contrary to some other artists, Kylie didn’t actually create a design but is using one of the T-shirts we can find in her official merch.
43 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Performances • Sept/Oct oc
the tonight show SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2020 usa Kylie was the musical guest of Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show on Wednesday 16th September, to perform « Say Something » live for the first time. As only Jimmy Fallon and the Roots have returned to the studio, Kylie’s performance was virtual of course. Whether you liked it or not (believe me, I have seen many discussions/arguments around this performance), the least we can say is that the concept of it all was interesting! When Kylie appeared on the show via a remotely-recorded performance, I think 99% of us thought the video had been filmed with some kind of vintage effect to make it look old, but we were wrong… It wasn’t edited to look like the 80’s, it was filmed like it was the 80s! Kylie shared the story on her social network « [It was] filmed on an 80’s BBC news camera » and « [I was] wearing an Antony Price dress from 1983! ». Now that’s what we call historical accuracy! Before Kylie starts singing, we see her in front of a green screen and we can hear a producer countdown and a smattering of applause, like if she was on an actual (official) video set or a real live performance. The rendition then featured an array of vintage special effects (kaleidos-
copic projections and glitter everywhere) that made it look like Kylie was performing this in the 70’s or the 80’s.
outside of her fanbase to stream, pre-order or even share the video with their friends/family; • I don’t like the execution.
The vocals were rather similar to the wonderful acoustic version of the track, and of course, she looked absolutely gorgeous (as usual). Unfortunately (although we don’t really care about chart positions), the performance had no impact on the US charts.
However, the performance was praised by the press critics:
Regarding fans’ thoughts, here’s the type of comment I’ve come across several times on socials.
- NME
Those who loved the performance: • It’s genius/different/creative; • There’s a real authenticity to this because today’s young artists weren’t even born when Kylie released « Locomotion »; • Kylie shows a real attention to detail that most people don’t even see/get; • I really felt like I was watching an old VHS. Everything’s perfect, the shots, the outfit, the editing. Those who didn’t like it that much: • There were too many effects; • We can’t even see the dress because of the effects, it’s a shame; • I don’t see why she’s doing an 80s video, as visuals from the 80s were quite horrible; • I’m not sure this will get people 44 www.kylie-world.com
« Minogue’s remote pre-recorded performance sees her sing the « Disco » track solo against a VHS-style intergalactic green screen, in a nod to the retro era her new music borrows from ».
« It looked like she was performing from inside a disco ball, her display came straight from the ‘80s, from the dance floor aesthetic to the vintage VHS tape filter ». - Billboard « Kylie nails first live performance of « Say Something »: Despite entering the fifth decade of her career, Kylie is still ahead of the curve. […] As much as I loved the aesthetic, the vocal was even better. Kylie has slightly tweaked the arrangement of the song and added a new outro, which I actually prefer ». - Idolator « Kylie longs for us all to be as one again… But! While we wait for Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
that to happen (and a vaccine), she’s happy to pay us all a digital visit in the meantime. […] The performance feels like an intergalactic transmission by a loving diva hailing from some far-off land upon hearing Earth’s distress call, or long-lost footage unearthed from the archives of an ancient variety TV show. Although a little banter with Jimmy would have been lovely (and surely would have happened in person), it’s still really special just to see Kylie’s face on TV again - let alone watching her sing a song in America, a tasteless territory that consistently fails to pay her proper respect. In short, we are unworthy ».
« The performance transports viewers back to a time when music videos were filled with charmingly cheesy effects ». - Themusic.com.au « The pre-recorded performance gives off a 70’s style vibe and was filled with fantastic shots of Minogue in front of a psychedelic background ». - GayTimes « Kylie reasserts her disco dominance. If there were any doubts as to whether or not disco still ran through her veins, Minogue handily put them to rest ».
- Muumuse
- Paper Mag
I LOVE BEIRUTH September 19TH, 2020 worldwide We talked about it in our last edition, on 19th September, 37-year old Lebanese-born singer Mika organised a heartfelt « I Love Beirut » fundraising concert to aid victims of Beirut explosion. Before the event took place, Kylie had stated on her socials: « Mika and I have been friends for a while, so when he asked me to be part of his « I Love Beirut » project of course I said yes! The situation in Lebanon is so sad, but I hope this event will raise lots of money to support the incredible work of Save the Children and the Lebanese Red Cross and their teams working on the ground in Beirut. I’m so happy to be part of it ».
There’s no other way of putting it,
the 1h40 event was a success. Mika produced and headlined this starstudded online concert filled with emotion and jubilation. It was much more than a traditional concert. Other than Kylie, the eclectic lineup for the benefit concert included Salma Hayek, Danna Paola, Rufus Wainwright, French singer Louane, poet Etel Adnan, Fanny Ardant, Laura Pausini and indie group Mashrou’ Leila. Mika’s parts were filmed in the Niccolini San Casciano theatre in Florence, Italy, and all the way through you can tell the songs were curated to send a message of joy and optimism. But the most powerful musical moment was when Mika was joined by band Mashrou’ Leila, who filmed their part amid the wreckage of Beirut, to 45 www.kylie-world.com
We also thought it was a bit of a shame that the performance was not followed by a little interview, because most people in the US don’t really know who Kylie (Minogue) is... And, quite frankly, it hurt our eyes a bit (maybe it’s age, or I need glasses), but we liked the version and Kylie was just flawless.
perform « Promise Land ». When it was Kylie’s turn, she performed a stripped-back acoustic version of « Say Something » joined by only a (masked) pianist in a London studio. Tthe background was simple as well, it was just black with little white lights. The least we can say is that this performance was stunning. Kylie was beautiful, the arrangement and the vocals were gorgeous. I think I didn’t come across one negative comment about the event on social networks. Everyone was over the moon, they loved the concert saying it was at times fun (Mika knows how to make it fun) and at times, super touching/sad and that the artist was full of love and compassion... On 30th September, Mika confirmed that the concert had been successful when he informed us that, thanks to all the people who paid to watch it, it had been possible to raise over 1 million Euros! As a reminder, the money was entirely distributed to the Lebanese Red Cross and Save The Children in Lebanon. Well done Mika, and of course, thanks Kylie for having taken part in this! Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Rumours • Sept/Oct
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the wedding in australiA
es, another wedding rumour! On the 12th October the magazine New Idea published an article stating that an insider close to Kylie and Paul said they’d been talking about marriage. We’ve already touched base on this a couple of times in our previous editions but this time we have an additional info: apparently they are waiting to be able to go to Australia to marry because Kylie wants the ceremony to take place over there so that she can have her family by her side that day.
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Next Monday won’t be so blue
n 19th October on the Say Hey Forum, someone posted « Maybe next Monday or week won’t be so blue » - so we all thought that « Monday Blues » was coming up. But nope, as far as we know, this didn’t happen, but we did get « I Love It » instead! (and we love it!).
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real groove the next single
n 23rd October, « Real Groove » was confirmed as third single from « Disco » on the BuzzJack Music Forum and is supposed to be released on the 29th of October, just a week after « I Love It » - it is not true at the moment but let’s see if it’s the next single !
The streamed Disco Show and TV appearances
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n 20th September, according to Pop Justice and the Say Hey Forum, Kylie has a big promo lined-up for November. Rumour has it she will host a live streamed « Disco » show from the V&A in London, which will include a small socially distanced audience. There will be some sort of ticket give away via a competition to be able to be part of the audience. Kylie will also be on the Graham Norton show on the 6th November and on Children In Need on the 13th of November. On the 26th September, another rumour said she would be doing a streamed concert with a selected public before « Disco » premieres. To be honest, it seems a bit late to organize such a show now, so close to the date, but we never know. We can now confirm that Kylie will be on the Graham Norton show, but we haven’t heard anything about Children In Need. Let’s wait and see…
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the disco tracklist
s you know, on the 4th October Kylie announced on her socials that she had some surprises coming up for us, and it was the album tracklist! She first announced the following titles on the 5th: « Monday Blues » and « Miss A Thing » and all of a sudden this picture was everywhere: the « so-called » tracklist with 8 songs of which: « Disco », « Infinity », « Absolute Joy » and « Through the Motions ». Of course we know this wasn’t real now, although « Disco » would have been nice considering it’s the name of the album. Nevermind… 01 - Magic 02 - Monday Blues 03 - Disco 04 - Infinity 05 - Absolute Joy 06 - Say Something 07 - Miss A Thing 08 - Through The Motions
09 - Nuit Rouge 10 - Up To Run 11 - Slide 12 - Sometimes I Get Tears 13 - The Night 14 - Eyes 15 - Wonder Why 16 - Delight Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct
Kylie & Kate Moss targeted by journalist Richard Simpson The internet site Byline Investigates stated that Kylie and Kate Moss were illegally targeted by Daily Mail journalist Richard Simpson. Simpson apparently routinely targeted top stars and sports personalities with unlawful information gathering, and Kylie and Kate were on his hit list, among other stars such as golfer Colin Montgomerie, Pete Doherty, Sir Paul McCartney and Hugh Grant. All these stars’ associates, wives, families, girlfriends and boyfriends, were also victims of his intrusion - he’s basically accused of illegally spying on all these people’s private lives. by Graham Johnson (Byline Investigates)
Two of Kylie Minogue’s ex-boyfriends became the focus of Simpson’s illegal techniques: Olivier Martinez and Andres Segura Velencoso. Byline Investigates found this out after having done an in-depth analysis of Simpson’s articles over 7 years! They realized that Simpson repeatedly made references to using unlawful information gathering in newsroom conversation and phone hacking as well. One researcher found six suspicious stories, three of them were considered as highly suspicious, and guess what? All three of them were about Kylie. Kylie dated Olivier Martinez between 2003 and 2007 as we know, but in an exclusive story in July 2007, Simpson revealed private information
and the fact that they had started texting each other after an earlier split. A few months later, he revealed that the couple met up in Paris, stating that « their meeting followed weeks of calls and texts ». This kind of call data - effectively obtaining the phone bills of Kylie and/ or Olivier, was routinely supplied by private investigator agency ELI, a firm which Simpson used. Then Kylie dated model Andres Velencoso for 5 years (between 2008 and 2013), but when their relationship hit a low in June 2010, Simpson revealed intimate details about their private lives in an exclusive story, stating that a « source said the pair had been in touch on the phone ». 48 www.kylie-world.com
He also wrote a lot of stories about the on/off lovers Kate Moss and Pete Doherty, for example that « they hadn’t even exchanged a word in weeks », and that « During Kate’s holiday in Spain, Pete was calling her on the mobile incessantly. He couldn’t get through and the line kept going dead. She eventually called him one evening and since that conversation they have been continually on the phone ». A spokesman on behalf of the Daily Mail denied everything, stating : « This article is based on nothing more than the surmise of anonymous « researchers ». As we have said repeatedly, neither Richard Simpson nor the Daily Mail has ever been involved in phonehacking ». Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie Minogue: The Diminutive Collection Podcast In case you didn’t know, every week, Kylie fans Kieran and Christy G revisit Kylie’s classic albums and relive some of her finer moments on their podcasts, and honestly, if you’ve never heard any of them, you should go and check them out! On 17th September, they posted an interview they had done with Mike Stock, the songwriter and producer who worked with Kylie during her PWL years. Here are some excerpts of the interview regarding Kylie, and I’m pretty sure you’ll learn at least a couple of new things. When you heard Kylie sing « I Should Be So Lucky » that you guys quickly wrote, did you see the star appeal straight away? Yes, when she came in and we were busy working, she would sit in the back and do some crochet and she wore little specs on her eyes while she was doing it. But when the lights go on or the mic goes on or the camera goes on, it’s suddenly a different person, it’s a sparkle, the magic appears and you go « I didn’t realise ». I’ve noticed this on a couple of other major international stars and Kylie had that. She went by the mic and picked everything up immediately. I used to put it down to her acting background, that she learned lines and the rest of it, and had a photographic memory but she picked out the tunes, the pitching, the intonation, the flavour, everything, she got it immediately. Other singers like Donna Summer did the same thing. She got behind the mic and I thought « this is a star ». I said to Matt « If we get this one right we will go into a purple patch. We’ve got a gold mine as long as we keep digging up the nuggets ». That’s why the Kylie route was different from the Hazell Dean route, there you’re always looking around for the next dance idea to overlay onto a singer, but this was the singer overlaying the song, so it was almost the reverse. Was the song really written in 30 minutes, or was it hanging around and
tweaked for Kylie? No, it was genuinely written in 40 minutes. The process took 3 hours because when Kylie was in the waiting room, I had to ring Pete who said « Oh God I forgot to tell you » then we offered her a cup of coffee and apologised, but yes it was written there and then. The feel for me about Kylie was that she was a young starlet, great in her TV show, she’d won a Loggie Award… She was just really successful so I was just thinking « Why does she wanna be a singer? » and then I thought « she may have everything but maybe she just hasn’t got love ». I thought maybe she was missing that romantic bit, and that’s what drove the idea. « I should be so Lucky » is not a happy song. How surprised were you when this went number one in the UK, Australia, and blew any kind of expectations? Well, we didn’t know we had it, we had it in a can in October/November 1987 and, having sort of insulted her in the way that we did, we left it in the can. We’d finished it off but we didn’t know we had anything and of course Kylie didn’t have a deal with anybody else, she wanted us to produce her. And at our Christmas party, one of our in-house DJ’s played it, and as soon as it came on Pete looked at me and I looked at him and he told me « This is good » and I’d kind of forgotten. So over the Christmas pe49 www.kylie-world.com
riod, we decided to put it out ourselves and coincidentally, a guy from the BBC called us to say « you do realise we are putting on Neighbours before the 6 o clock news every night » so I thought this couldn’t be more fortuitous, we could push the buttons at both ends ‘cause kylie was 18 months ahead recording the program. The stars were aligned, it all worked perfectly. But, I only realised at that point that we had nothing else, the record flies out the door and we’re number one before you know it, and someone says « what’s the follow-up? » and I was like « Oh my god I’m going to have to go to Melbourne and apologise to Kylie, I hope she wants to talk to me ». She was still filming Neighbours so I got her to work in the evenings on « Got To Be Certain » and « Turn it Into Love ». I went out with her and Jason for a couple of lunches, and also went to Kylie’s mum and dad’s to try and show them we were not that bad. « Turn It Into Love » never got released over here by Kylie. Were you disappointed it didn’t make it as a single? Was it a tough choice to give it to Hazell Dean? For Hazell, we needed to come up with a song quickly, « Turn It Into Love » had already been written and I had to go out with something. The reason it wasn’t released over in the UK is because we had already outlined « Got To be Certain », « Locomotion » and « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » and that was enough. We Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct were actually already thinking « let’s go ahead with album 2 » because Kylie was massive. But I think you’re right, we should have released it as a single, we missed that one. In terms of your songwriting process, how does it work? Is it coming from the dancefloor, do you get the beat first, or do you have the lyrics? For « Hand On Your Heart » for example. That one started with the lyrics, with the title because it’s a good title, it’s a phrase and they almost write themselves as lyrics. Once we’d got that and the basic idea, we’d be pumping up the beats in the studio and working out the bass groove and on that one we were looking at « Ten City ». We didn’t steal the baseline we were just feeling the groove and thinking it would work. This is a conscious decision; we were also growing Kylie up. When she first came to see us she was 18 or 19 and suddenly she was growing up a bit but you can’t move too quickly because you want to drag the audience with you, so it was a distinct change of feel, we thought it was slightly « older », the sort of thing you could put in the adult clubs a bit more successfully. I particularly love « Wouldn’t Change A Thing » lyrically because « If I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a single thing » is a phrase. Also in « Enjoy Yourself » we stretched ourselves a little bit with songs like « My Secret Heart » that’s so totally different from all the rest. You mentioned « Enjoy Yourself » was moving forward with maturity but then we got « Rhythm Of Love » which produced some of the most iconic songs of Kylie’s entire career, like « Better The Devil You Know », « Shocked », « Step Back In Time »… Half of that album wasn’t us though. She went over to America, which was a bit of a wrench for us because Matt and I were doing our best to accommodate to the fact that she was growing up, seeing Michael Hutchence and other things… But I remember once I was sitting at the desk, we knew we had Kylie coming up on the Tuesday and I was thinking
about titles, then Waterman came in and we went down to the pub and I said I had a title idea « Better The Devil You Know » and everyone went « Yeah, great idea » and then the song writes itself. We did that one on the same session as « Things Can Only Get Better ». Matt Aitken wanted to release « Things Can Only Get Better » and Pete Waterman and I wanted to release « Better The Devil You Know », so we had a little fight about that and we won. She went off and did other tracks with other people but I think the songs that we did served the purpose of moving her from where she was to something a bit more mature and we were definitely hitting the clubs with « Shocked » and « What Do I Have To Do ». I think « Better The Devil You Know » still gets played in places because people love it. « Better The Devil You Know », 30 years later, for all age groups, is still an iconic song. I don’t wanna sound immodest here, but looking back myself, it’s good music and it’s a great song, and that’s all we ever need. The good stuff always hangs around and survives forever. Let’s move on to « Let’s Get To It ». Matt left and you produced again a different sounding album. Was it Kylie’s choice to sit down and say « I want to go more to the R&B route »? You’re right, it’s more R&B. There are two things that lead you in that: the artist herself thinking that but also the market place. Suddenly, there was R&B everywhere in the world. At the time, all companies were going R&B and we had to go with it to a certain extent. It’s not as great a medium for songwriting because it’s heavily beat-dictated so it’s difficult to be musical with it, that’s the downside of it. The reason we made the album at all, because Kylie had already expressed her wish to leave us and move on, but Pete Waterman and our business affairs guy, thought we could do with another Kylie album just to keep the business going, but she didn’t want to be here anymore. So I called her in Paris and said « Listen Kylie, we could do 50 www.kylie-world.com
just one more if you fancied it ». We then met for diner in London and she said she would do it so that’s why we did it and we accommodated her ideas as far as we could, because I prefer doing that: bringing the artist along as well as the audience along. Waterman famously said of the video for « Word Is Out » that she’d grown up so far, I think his words were that you didn’t like the idea that she was « a prostitute in the alley ». Did you think that she was getting too old too fast in terms of being a popstar? The thing is Kylie back then, just did not realize how good she was. She’s so unique and had an almost demure innocence as well as growing-up and all that, you didn’t need to throw it in everybody’s face that she is what she is. I know it happens all the time with young women, they think they’ve got to go down that road but I always thought that Kylie never needed to do that. Going back to « Rhythm Of Love », the four singles from that album are considered as some of the coolest songs she’s ever produced. Do you feel gratified by that response? We were living in the white hot centre of the activity, in the « Kylie storm », and we got lots of criticism, we were damned if we didn’t, we were damned if we did. If we were doing pop, people were like « oh it’s cheap sugary pop» and if we went tougher with it, it was « Oh it doesn’t work anymore, Kylie why are you doing that? ». In the centre of the storm that’s the way it looks but when you step back from it, as we are doing now, it’s a different look, but that’s always been the case. You’ve got to wait sometimes a few years for it all to settle down and for you to put it into a proper perspective, and yes I’m clearly gratified that those songs with Kylie are still going strong. When Kylie did leave PWL, just after doing the « Greatest Hits » album with two new songs, did you feel like the rug had been pulled under your feet? Were you worried about the future Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
because she’d been such a big part of your success? Well SAW were themselves dividing and splitting at the time. When I look back at it I do think her leaving was perhaps one of the final nails but the point is that, as I was saying earlier, in the middle of all of that, we got a lot of bad pressure, a lot of people were telling us how rubbish we were and some of us started to believe it and you do tear yourself apart then. That’s the reason why Matt left because there wasn’t any point anymore. Before she disappeared, you produced « Where In The World » and « What Kind Of Fool » which was kind of a hurl back to the early sounds of SAW, was that a deliberate effort to go back to where it started? It’s a good point you make because in fact you are right. The reason I did « What Kind Of Fool » is that I was being asked to - well you know the songs from « Let’s Get To It » for example, they weren’t as massively selling, they weren’t as mainstream - « just do like you used to, a pop song with Kylie ». So I did it because there was a call for me to do that, because they may bring Kylie’s mainstream a bit more. What did she say when she heard the backing track to « What Kind Of Fool » for the first time, was she shocked? No I don’t recall her being shocked because she sat with me and came up with some of the lyrics for that song, which she kind of co-wrote so I think she was alright in that regard. She made a great video and she delivers it all perfectly as she always does. I think she might have been in on the fact that we just wanted to do some pop, just a one-off trip down memory lane to just try and win back a bit of the centre ground. Did you still follow Kylie’s career after she left, like with the Kylie 94, « Impossible Princess »? Yes I did. I know the « Impossible Princess » thing got shelved for diplomatic reasons I think. I’ve seen her headline songs that she makes; I follow all of it through, the « Golden » ones as well
as the current one. I watch her and see where she’s going, she’s always brilliantly produced and styled. I’ve said publicly if she ever wants to do a kind of classic album type of style where you’re singing pop songs to dance bits ever again, knock on my door and we’ll do it properly. You got to remix one of the Christmas songs a few years ago. Was that a reunion of sorts? I don’t know why that happened, she’d just signed up with BMG at that point and Pete and I were asked if we would do it and we said yes of course. The difficulty was that we had to start from what we had, an already existing song. What did you think about « The Abbey Road Sessions » album? Hearing your songs in such a different kind of stripped-back way? I absolutely loved that. « Never Too late » for example. My brother in law is his late eighties, he’s a songwriter and had hit songs in his day, and he rang me after seeing that. I thought it was a new album and he said « no it’s the old songs and they’ve just done them in a different way ». But actually it’s what I would have done if somebody had asked me. I absolutely loved it. Before we let you go, we have this thing where we ask our guests which Kylie songs are their « Kylie Smileys » and which ones are their « No-Nos ». Can you give us maybe two of your Kylie smileys and maybe two of your « no-nos » ? I haven’t got any that I’d say « no no » about. The song called « Say The Word » which is a B-side, well I would slightly change that if I could, I should have done it another way but I just didn’t have the time, so that’s my Mino-no, ‘cause I’d just like to go back and change one bit of the song. And « Better The Devil You Know » would be my Kylie smiley because we hit the bull’s eye with that. It was only number two here, I don’t know what prevented it from being number one, but looking back it should have been. 51 www.kylie-world.com
« Can’t Get You Out Of My Head » was the song that made her very international, what did you think of it? Did you think it was the best or the worst thing that could have happened to Kylie? I don’t think you can turn your back on the song, but I don’t call it a song personally, I think it’s quite thin in terms of the song. But as a record and I always draw a distinction, the good songs, the good records and sometimes they can come together - it works. She was going for this look in the video, the robotic sort of thing, that’s arty and I think that’s where Kylie was going at the time which is fair enough, I’m not criticising that. I suppose the records that you can make in this 21st century are different from the ones you could make in the 20th century because of technology, so all electronic aspects are done on computer and I’m moving away from that. I’m realising that the sound is just as good. I’m using all the old synthesisers and pianos etc… and that’s good enough for me, if I have a decent song and a decent singer. During the interview, Mike was also questioned about the musical he has been working on for quite some time now, a musical all about the Stock Aitken and Waterman successes by Kylie, Sonia, Rick Astley… He explained that because of COVID-19, progress has been stopped but that in any case, they were still working through script ideas, which he’s not entirely happy with for now. However, he’s looking forward to working on the project again, but that another thing makes it difficult: SAW have too many artists and too many songs to choose from. Mike added that it will be the rarest of musicals because there will probably be a « bunch of number one hits from all over the world, not just a few occasional hits ». You can get in touch and say hello to Kieran and Christy G at thekyliesmileypodcast@gmail.com or @thediminutivecollection on Instagram and Facebook, and you can listen to their podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ kylie-minogue-the-diminutive-collection-podcast/id1514916862 Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct
KYLIE ON STAGE
Shoes being photographed to record their condition during micro-fade testing
On 9th June, the Arts Centre of Melbourne put online an article regarding the « Kylie on Stage Exhibition » which we found rather interesting. Here it is below.
Shoes designed by Manolo Blahnik, worn by Kylie Minogue in Encore, « On A Night Like This » Tour, 2000
Kylie on the road
artscentremelbourne.com.au
How do you tour an exhibition that includes precious costumes and objects? First developed for exhibition at Arts Centre Melbourne in 2016, « Kylie on Stage » celebrated iconic moments from 12 of Kylie Minogue’s highly successful concert tours. Attracting over 250,000 visitors in Melbourne, the exhibition was drawn mainly from Kylie’s spectacular stage wardrobe held in the Australian Performing Arts Collection. With support from Creative Victoria (the government office in the city of Melbourne) the exhibition toured to four regional Victorian galleries and beyond to the Western Australian Museum - this exhibition had a long distance to travel! Across all five venues the tour reached another 70,000 visitors, more than half of these in regional Victoria. Taking such an extensive exhibition of delicate costumes on tour required thorough planning and hundreds of hours of work from specialist staff - so what does this work entail?
Planning ahead
The exhibition travelled between venues in climate controlled art freight trucks. When the exhibition toured to Fremantle, it was decided that a Collections staff member would escort the precious cargo during the five-day road trip.
To ensure protection and preservation of the costumes and objects throughout the tour, the Collections Team put in place an extensive risk management and monitoring program. This involved assessing each venue, and mitigating against every possible risk from theft and vandalism to environmental factors, pests and fire.
« Couriering collection objects can be highly stressful, having to make continuous risk assessments to ensure the safety of the objects, but it also has the benefit of taking you to places you might otherwise not have travelled ».
Preparing and packing the costumes
Out of the box - installing an exhibition
The lengthy process of preparing and packing the costumes involved careful documentation of each object’s condition, creation of supports, and fitting-out or building customised boxes to hold complex and delicate costumes such as spectacular headdresses. While travelling, objects are at risk of damage from a variety of sources - ranging from interaction with packing materials through to vibration during transport - so each one is carefully packed with conservation materials. The intricate construction of many of these costumes inspired clever solutions to protect delicate beading, diamantés and fabrics.
Installation image of « Kylie on Stage » exhibition on display in Melbourne. Photo: Arts Centre Melbourne, 2016
Jenna Blyth, Registrar of Music and Art
The work of installing the exhibition at different venues was the culmination of months of collaboration between Arts Centre Melbourne Collections staff and host venue teams. The combined team would take over a week to build and install the exhibition. By the way, if you have a few minutes, we advise you to go and watch the time lapse video (to see how this unfolds in minutes rather than days) on the Arts Centre Melbourne website.
Carmela Lonetti (left) and Ari Hunter installing the Kylie on Stage Exhibition
Keeping an eye on Kylie’s costumes Even once the items were on display, our team’s work was not done - a thorough monitoring program included condition checking and documentation of all items before and after the exhibition opened and closed at each venue. Dust and pest traps were placed in discreet locations of the exhibition, light levels measured on each object and comparison images of items taken to determine any fading. « Such practices not only help protect and preserve the collection for future generations but also
inform the responsible access and use of items after long display periods ». Samantha Hamilton, Head of Collections, Preservation and Access At the end of the tour Now that the exhibition has finished touring, Kylie’s costumes have been carefully condition checked and returned to safe storage within the Australian Performing Arts Collection archive. Curator Margot Anderson and Samantha Hamilton, Head of Collections, Preservation and Access condition report a costume before it is installed.
Costume designed by Julien MacDonald, worn by Kylie Minogue in Opening Act « On A Night Like This » tour, 2000
WHY WE CAN’T GET KYLIE MINOGUE’S « CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD » OUT OF OUR HEADS 19 YEARS LATER The Australian artist celebrates the anniversary of her most successful song, with which she became the queen of pop-dance. by Daniel Garrán (los40.com)
« La la la, la la la la la, la la la... ». Few songs can be recognized so easily with such a simple chorus. Kylie Minogue shattered all expectations and charts with « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » and even nineteen years after its release, it is still considered by many people as the Australian singer’s best and most iconic song of her long and fruitful career. The artist is about to release a new album, and she’s ready to hit the dance floor again with a disco flavour that we’ve already heard with her first single. But Kylie knows that we like nostalgia, that remembering the best times and songs of our lives makes us happier. That is why, 19 years after the release of « Can’t Get You Out of
My Head », the artist asked a question to all her followers on her social networks: she wanted to know where we were when she released the song - which is in her eighth studio album « Fever » - in 2001. The song was written by Cathy Dennis and former guitarist Mud Rob Davis. They originally made the song for S Club 7, after their manager Simon Fuller asked for a catchy song that would work for the British pop group. It was eventually discarded and passed through several hands before reaching its final destination. It ended up with Minogue’s record label A&R Jamie Nelson, who, after listening to the demo cassette tape of the song, reserved it for her to record. 53 www.kylie-world.com
Dennis, one of the songwriters, referred to the song in the Songwriting magazine: « It was organic; we weren’t trying to do anything artificial, so Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct when something stood out and « sparkled », we would just welcome it, jump on it and follow it ». This song was Minogue’s first major hit since « The Locomotion », which reached number 3 on the charts in 1988. It became the singer’s most successful single to date in musical history. It was a global success reaching number 1 in more than 40 countries, such as Australia, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand or Switzerland. It was also the most widely broadcast tune
of the 2000s in the UK, according to PRS for Music, even surpassing Britney Spears’ « Toxic ». Much of its success can be credited to the video presenting the song; it was something completely new, never seen at that point in time. Video director Dawn Shadforth featured a Kylie in a now-more-than-recognizable dress, driving a future car from the perspective of 1960s’ utopia style. The white hooded jumpsuit with revealing cuts and a neckline
plunging down to her navel was something that was widely discussed beforehand because of its style and the fact that it sexualized the singer. In the book La la la, William Baker admitted that the robotic dance was developed on purpose to relate Minogue to a very specific style of choreography, just as we have associated Madonna with a very specific fashion style for decades. In this way, it was intended to build trends so that Minogue would be out of the ordinary, not to introduce her into an existing trend.
Kylie Minogue’s 5 greatest hits With no less than 40 years of career to her credit, Kylie Minogue has marked the years with many successful songs. Here’s a summary of her 5 biggest hits. nostalgie.fr
« I Should Be So Lucky » (1987) It was Kylie Minogue’s first song to enter international musical history, the dance-pop track « I Should Be So Lucky » was released on December 29, 1987. In Europe, it was the lead single from her first album « Kylie ». Upon its release, « I Should Be So Lucky » reached the top of the musical charts not only in Australia but also in many European countries, including Germany, Switzerland and England. Seduced by its catchy rhythm and the harmony of keyboards and guitars, the public praised the song. The particularity of the song? It was written and recorded in less than 2 hours! Written in 40 minutes by three British songwriters and producers, it was then recorded in the studio by Kylie Minogue in just an hour. An express track for a timeless success! « The Loco-Motion » (1987) The same year, Kylie Minogue re-
corded another one of the greatest successes of her career: the cover of « The Loco-Motion ». It was originally a popular song released in 1962, written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Kylie Minogue then transformed it into a catchy dancepop track that made the whole world dance, especially thanks to her music video. The track « The Loco-Motion » sung by the Australian singer is even ranked by the Rolling Stone magazine in the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, at the 350th place. « Hand on Your Heart » (1989) Kylie Minogue’s success story continued as she released, in 1989, the song « Hand on Your Heart » which also had a worldwide success. As the lead single from her second studio album « Enjoy Yourself », this song, again in the dance-pop vein quickly positioned itself at the top of the charts. It reached the first place of the British charts on the 54 www.kylie-world.com
week following its release. « Hand on Your Heart » is therefore no less than the artist’s third song to hold a number 1 place in the United Kingdom. « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » (2001) It is probably the artist’s most famous song. « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » stands out as one of the greatest pop hits of the 2000s. Kylie Minogue launched herself into electro sounds through this track whose chorus remains anchored in all memories. « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » was released in September 2001 and carries the artist’s eighth album, which is called « Fever ». At that time, the song was being played constantly on the radio and on music TV channels all around the world. The single has sold over 10 million copies and the song is also considered to be the most listened to song in the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2010. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
« All the Lovers » (2010) One of Kylie Minogue’s last big successes came to life in 2010 with the electro-pop track « All the Lovers ». This
was the first single from her 11th studio album « Aphrodite ». « All the Lovers » has sold nearly a million copies worldwide. This love song that the artist dedicates to her fans - who she
calls « Lovers » - during her concerts, is a commercial success in the world and particularly in Europe, where it reached the top of the charts in many countries including in France.
Kylie: Behind The Princess of Pop’s Most Stunning Reinventions by Conor Giblin (ThisIsDig.com)
90’s Kylie: The Princess Of Pop Flexes Her Creative Muscles Kylie marked the beginning of a new decade with 1990’s « Rhythm Of Love », a pure pop record that was notably more mature and fully formed, in comparison to her previous efforts. It included the soon-to-be-hits « Better The Devil You Know », « Back in Time » and « Shocked ». The 90’s was a hedonistic decade during which underground music began to receive more mainstream attention, with artists such as Björk and Massive Attack breaking through with their trip-hop sound. During this period, Kylie may have felt some pressure to prove that she also had the potential to be experimental and in 1993 she signed with the UK indie label Deconstruction - a partnership that would lead to the production of two of her most alternative-leaning albums. In 1994, she released her self-titled album « Kylie Minogue » which features some of her career-best vocal performances. Her creative risk paid off, as the album’s lead single, « Confide In Me », reached No.2 on the UK Singles Chart. With 1997’s « Impossible Princess », Kylie continued to make boundary-pushing pop music influenced by dance, techno and elements of Britpop. It was also one of her most personal albums, inspired by her travels around the world. While none of the album’s singles managed to reach the Top 10 in the UK charts,
the album debuted at No.10 (6 places lower than Kylie’s peak). Despite being a stunning record, the album’s commercial performance pushed Kylie back towards a more accessible pop sound. 2000’s Kylie: A Return To Pure Pop The new millennium saw Kylie returning to her pop roots with a fresh perspective and a greater willingness to incorporate different sounds into her music. 2000’s « Light Years » was pop with a splash of disco, while Kylie rebooted herself as a sex siren for the new millennium. The album featured two of her most successful singles to date, « Spinning Around » and « Kids », the music video for the former easily being one of her best, with Kylie challenging anyone to rock gold hotpants as confidently as she could. In 2001, Kylie served up yet another killer pop record filled with bangers. « Fever » featured the incredible singles « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head », « In Your Eyes » and « Love at First Sight », all three of which charted in the UK Top 3. After this hat trick, Kylie was firmly back in the game and in 2002 she had one of the biggest nights of her career, at the BRIT Awards. Winning the Best International Female and Best International Album awards for « Fever », she gave an iconic, futuristic performance of « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head » while wearing a custom Dolce & Gabbana outfit. Appearing onstage lying across a giant silver record, Kylie 55 www.kylie-world.com
killed it in a pair of amazing knee-high silver boots. In 2003, she received her first Grammy nomination in the Best Dance Recording category for « Love At First Sight » and kept the momentum going with the album « Body Language », a seductive pop record which featured « Slow », « Chocolate » and « Red Blooded Woman ». Sadly, in 2005 Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer and all of a sudden her career was on hold. However, she would soon begin the process of another reinvention… All The Lovers: From X To Aphrodite Kylie has been a long-term ally to the LGBTQ+ community, who have embraced her bold sense of style and consistent ability to serve up dancefloor anthems. Though her music has always captured the interest of her gay fans, it had a noticeably queer spirit during the « X » and « Aphrodite » eras, spanning 2007 to 2011. « I remember being picked up from school one day, getting in the car and hearing « In My Arms » ».
recalls Kylie fan Aaron Downing of the first time he heard the single. « The opening lyrics are, « How do you describe a feeling? I’ve only ever dreamt of this » and for me at the time, as someone who was in the closet, it felt quite personal ». Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct While Kylie is singing from the perspective of a heterosexual woman, the lyrics clearly strike a chord with queer people whose first feelings of samesex attraction can sometimes be difficult and confusing to process. The track, produced by Calvin Harris, was also accompanied by an intoxicating music video brimming with vivid colours and sleek, futuristic outfits. « X » was regarded as a comeback album, despite only being released 4 years after « Body Language ». It was certainly a spicy, eye-catching return to form: a hard-hitting, proudly pop record with clear influences from dance and electronic music. It still sounds fresh today - even more impressive when you consider that the album was created around the
challenging period of the singer’s breast cancer diagnosis and recovery. Kylie built an even deeper connection with her LGBTQ+ fanbase during the « Aphrodite » era, especially through the music video for « All The Lovers », which showed couples of various sexualities, genders and ethnicities making out in the streets. It’s a triumphant declaration of free love and the sign of a true ally.
music history… that entrance in the clam shell! Her performance of « Everything Is Beautiful » on that tour is one of my favourite live performances by her » ».
« 2011’s Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour » was a highlight of her career, as it featured some of the most impressive staging to ever grace the world’s arenas. Kylie super fan Luke McWilliams thinks that « the whole first segment of the « Aphrodite » tour is one of the most amazing things in live
Kylie Minogue’s charisma and catchy tunes have led her to become a national treasure - not just in her native Australia, but all over the globe. She’s constantly evolving, giving her fans something new and always being her true, authentic self. We cannot wait to see what she does next…
Intergalactic Dancefloor Diva Fast-forward to 2020 and the Princess Of Pop’s intergalactic incarnation in « Say Something », the first single from her 15th studio album « Disco ».
Here’s What Kylie Minogue Geeked Out on While Doing « Disco » In Quarantine When Kylie Minogue approached her 15th album with the goal of « going back to the dance lane », it should have been an easy task for the Australian legend - after all, she has 14 No. 1s on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart to her name. But 2020 had other plans. « Lockdown happened, and I had to figure out how to do everything remotely », says Minogue, who has turned her London flat into a DIY studio during the pandemic. « I thought, ‘If 11-year-olds can do this in their bedroom, I can figure this out ». Thanks to many Zoom calls and a few audio-suite crash courses, she did; « Disco » will arrive Nov 6th. by Joe Lynch (billboard.com)
BRAUNER VMX
LOGIC
Minogue started preliminary work on « Disco » using a Shure SM7B microphone she had around the house while waiting patiently for the arrival of a pricier one in the mail. « Opening the case for the Brauner VMX was such a moment », she recalls. « It was very exciting to get the equipment, fire up my logical-rational brain and find the right place in the house to put it. I was dragging [around] duvets and blankets and clothes racks to make [my lounge room] good for sound ».
Switching from GarageBand to Logic, Minogue says the audio workstation intuitively made sense to her « Mac brain », and she was able to self-record her vocals and send them to her producers. « I got really into it, and I’m annoyed with myself it took this long for me to get a handle on it », she says. « It’s good to add new skills to your set ». PURPLE RAIN VINYL While making her Nashville-flavoured 2018 album, « Golden », Mi56 www.kylie-world.com
nogue placed a Dolly Parton record atop her stack of personal LPs; for « Disco », she swapped Parton for Prince’s « Purple Rain ». « It’s not quite disco, but it’s in that awesome, a bit over-the-top realm », says Minogue. « I was 14 years old and went to see [1984 film] Purple Rain, I don’t know how many times, with my girlfriend at the cinema: We would scream, we would cry. I loved that he was there ». YOUTUBE WORMHOLES While on Zoom calls with writers and producers, Minogue would frequently pull up performance clips of Earth, Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Wind & Fire and other bands with « one foot in the disco arena » to keep her collaborators on track when they veered too far into « electro pop ».
From there, it was a short hop to watching clips of « fantastically bad looks » from the 1970s and ’80s, such as 1979’s « D.I.S.C.O » from
French group Ottawan. « It’s all good inspiration », she says.
Hear Me Out: Kylie Minogue is the best popstar of all time Kylie’s brand of pop is life-affirming and dancefloor-filling, and there’s no one else quite like her. by Emma Burke (Fashion Journal Australien)
The original mononymous Kylie (don’t even think about copyrighting the name anytime this century Ms Jenner) has a new album out. I saw her in all her glittery, eternally radiant glory performing live (as much as one can during a pandemic) on Jimmy Fallon last night and for a brief, fleeting moment, everything felt okay. Better than okay - it felt electric and fun and brimming with possibility. The new song was neither here nor there (this new era is not my favourite Kylie era and I firmly believe nothing can top « Fever »), as Kylie Minogue has always had that effect on me. From the moment sevenyear-old me first saw her oozing an easy, carefree brand of sexiness in tiny gold booty shorts in the « Spinning Around » music video (truly one of the most iconic songs and videos of all time) I was sold.
party I attend. Without fail, every single person, even people who moments prior were bemoaning whatever top 40 « trash » was playing, are brought together by the pure, unbridled joy that is a Kylie bop. Kylie is now 52 years old (not that you’d know it, as she looks cryogenically frozen in time) and in the process of releasing her 15th (yes, 15th) album, which means there is literally no better time for me to take the stand and make my case for Kylie being, unequivocally, the best popstar of all time.
Kylie makes pure pop and is one of the last truly great, consistent popstars of our time For all the flak it cops, you’d think that pop would be an easy genre to master. Sure, if you’re making phoneit-in pop music it might be, but there’s no longevity in that type of pop. A true popstar knows how to play the long game – they’re not a flash in the pan. They’re a tastemaker, someone with their finger on the pulse and an ability to blend music and style in a genius way – an album cycle becomes an entire era, with its own unique sound, persona and beauty and fashion aesthetic. Some would argue that Kylie hasn’t had the cultural impact that a popstar like Madonna has. While it’s true that she hasn’t been as transgressive or boundary-breaking, in her own more subdued way she has made an indelible mark on the fabric of pop culture over the last 30-odd years. She’s released a bevy of albums that undeniably transformed the pop landscape and still influence so many artists today.
I’ve always loved pop music – as in really, really unashamedly loved it – for its ability to help you transcend reality momentarily. For three glorious, saccharine-filled minutes, the feeling of having an all-consuming crush or being at an incredible party is siphoned into your veins. I can, and do, talk about pop music for days. I firmly believe that even the most adamant pop-hater can be swayed by the right popstar, or the perfect sticky sweet hook, a theory that has been proven correct time and time again by my insistence on playing Kylie at any and every house
The sheer amount of grit, ambition, vision and raw talent it takes to sustain a pop career across more than three decades and 15 albums is hard to comprehend, but Kylie somehow makes it look effortless. To save this article becoming a small novel, I’ll only touch on a few key Kylie 57 www.kylie-world.com
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Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct eras. The albums she released in the ’90s under indie label Deconstruction, particularly her self-titled 1994 album and 1997’s « Impossible Princess », showcased a Kylie that wasn’t afraid to steer away from commercial pop. Her sound became infused with trip-hop, electronica, drum and bass, techno and rock, and, despite the albums not being recognised as such at the time, this era of Kylie has since reached cult status. Watch the video for « Did It Again » and you’ll see what I mean. The year 2000 brought with it a return to pop pop, with the album « Light Years », which featured « Spinning Around » and, perhaps Kylie’s most unassuming but hard-hitting dance floor filler, « On a Night Like This ». The following album, 2001’s « Fever », give or take a few tracks, is an utterly perfect dance-pop masterpiece - the fact that « Come Into My World », « In Your Eyes », « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head » and « Love At First Sight » all exist on one album is literally mind-boggling to me – in their own right, each song is a career-defining track, but all four on one album? Simply incredible. Popstars of today can only dream of having an album packed with that many timeless hits. 2003 brought us « Body Language », one of my personal favourite Kylie eras, and with it came a very vampy, sexed-up aesthetic. All I’ll say is if you haven’t seen the video for « Red Blooded Woman » then you need to remedy that right now. I could go on and on about all the eras of Kylie, but if this four year period in the early 2000s solidified anything - aside from the fact that Kylie is a popstar who isn’t afraid to experiment - it’s that she has serious staying power, and staying power is the mark of a true popstar. She just seems really, really lovely.
Look, there is not a lot to say here, mainly because everything I’m going to write is based on other people’s accounts and an excessive amount of time spent watching Kylie interviews and reading fan’s heart-warming anecdotes, but I think Kylie has got to be one of the nicest, most genuine popstars to have graced this spinning blue ball we call earth. Her personality is effervescent - she is the human form of a glass of delicious yet affordable French champagne. I say affordable because Kylie would want everyone to taste the delicious French champagne, not just rich people. If you happen to be a popstar who is also a diva (popstar speak for insufferable asshole) you might be able to conceal the true nature of your personality from the public for a few years, but there is simply no way you can pretend to be humble, kind and caring for this long. If Kylie was a diva, we would well and truly know by now, but thankfully, she is the real deal - a down to earth, genuine Aussie gal and the best popstar of our time. She is a gay icon and a style icon. Gold hot pants, a white, hooded navel-gazing jumpsuit and more sequins, leotards and thigh boots than you can shake a stick - it’s no wonder Kylie is one of the most enduring gay icons of our time. She told Billboard in 2018 that the first time she became aware of her devoted LGBTQ following was in the late ’80s while visiting Sydney’s « Gay Golden Mile » and realising that there was a Kylie-themed drag night taking place. Kylie’s fan base – more than any other popstar - is heavily populated with gay men. She’s performed at Sydney’s Mardi Gras countless times, and has said that it was the gay community who stood by her in the early 2000s when she 58 www.kylie-world.com
fell prey to the uniquely Australian affliction of tall poppy syndrome. « I think they felt a bit protective of me. There’s no judgment - just support », she told the New York Post in 2018 when reflecting on that period. Like the living legend she is, she has wholeheartedly embraced her status as a gay icon, campaigning for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2017 and even vowing to not marry her then-fiancé until it was legalised. She’s even included on Wikipedia’s « Gay Icons » page, alongside icons like Cyndi Lauper, Bette Davis and RuPaul. Style-wise, Kylie has pulled some serious looks in her time, and has been a champion of numerous emerging designers like Richard Nicolls, Gareth Pugh and David Koma. Unlike other popstars of her era, Kylie’s look has always felt very authentic and honest - it never feels like she’s trying to become something she’s not. Elle US’s former creative director Joe Zee has described Kylie as being « very different » to other popstars. « From what I see, her image is much more reflective of who she is. It’s about being fun and sexy ». Pop, at its core, is fun and sexy, and the fact that Kylie has embodied this inimitable combination throughout her career solidifies her status as pop’s true queen. Let’s just admit it, everyone loves Kylie. Because I talk to a stupid amount of people about Kylie, I can say this with total confidence - I have quite literally never met a single person who doesn’t like her. Sometimes I find myself in a heated debate - generally with a man - about pop music, me trying to prove its brilliance and them trying to write it off as meaningless fluff. But bring Kylie up, and they suddenly switch tack. « Oh, well Kylie is different, she’s a classic. Who doesn’t love Kylie? » Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
is the common refrain. Precisely! Kylie is uniquely beloved the world over. Her music is the soundtrack to my most memorable moments - belting out « In Your Eyes » on Singstar as a precocious 11-yearold at a friend’s birthday party to a somewhat lacklustre audience, and hours spent working with close friends in a second-hand clothing store in my early twenties
playing « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » as we closed up on a Friday night. Walking down the street in Berlin a few years back, four aperol spritzes deep on a summer evening, « Come Into My World » on full blast in my headphones. Hearing the swelling of strings marking the opening of « Confide In Me » at Hopkins Creek Festival and grabbing my friends’ clammy hands in utter delight, dancing
along with thousands of people at Golden Plains to the infectious « I Believe In You », and straining my vocal cords to sing « On A Night Like This » at the top of my lungs in a private karaoke room on my 26th birthday, my leopard print mules sticking to the pleather couches as I strutted across them, living out my popstar fantasy. Here’s to many more years of pure, unbridled Kylie.
Stereotyping you by your favourite Kylie Minogue song To celebrate the only woman alive who could release a Greatest Hits album every year and change the songs on the tracklist each time, I’ve gathered the most essential hits from Kylie’s discography to identify who you really are. No questions asked, this personality test is greater than anything the zodiac will tell you. Without further ado, here’s the list, it’s time to uncover the crevices of your soul and embrace the new you. So, what does your favourite track of Kylie say about you? by Michael Di Iorio (tonedeaf.com)
In Your Eyes You don’t get stared at from across the room on the dance floor, you’re the one in the middle of the floor staring at everyone with lustful eyes. You’re just THAT hot. Can’t Get You Out of My Head Not only are you gay as hell, but you think Stonewall is the greatest nightclub in all of Australia. ARQ is soooo 2018. Spinning Around Music gives you motion sickness. Love At First Sight You don’t break hearts; you get your heart broken. But hey, you just LOVE love. Slow We get it, you have sex. Stop telling all your friends about it oh my God. All the Lovers You are a professional orgy host.
I Believe In You « « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » is overrated and everyone who loves it doesn’t know where Kylie’s REAL talent lies. The whispers in this song send SHIVERS down my spine ». - You, probably. In My Arms You know how to have a good time and literally every party should have you invited or they’re just missing out. On A Night Like This You really love New Year’s Eve, and the year that Kylie hosted the fireworks show drove you IN-SANE.
aren’t you. Can I give you my number? Is it hot in here or is it just you? Red Blooded Woman Red Wine gives you that kind of buzz that White Wine just could never, so you’re strictly on the reds at all occasions. The One Babe, what can I say. You have TASTE. Come Into My World At some point, you realised Kylie has too many hits and you couldn’t pick just one, so you just closed your eyes and picked the underdog.
Your Disco Needs You You have some insatiable lust for the ’70s that cannot be contained. You also probably have a poster of The Village People that you pray to somewhere in your home. 2 Hearts God you really are a seductress 59 www.kylie-world.com
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Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct Wow Soft drinks get you higher than any drug could ever. You’re absolutely twitching for a Pepsi as we speak. You wish your taps shot out sparkling water. Get Outta My Way You just love chairs. Home decor is your forte and you have no qualms about letting the world know. Timebomb Your ears are clogged and need to be checked immediately. Kids At some point in your life, you’ve wanted Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams to be your parents. Better The Devil You Know While everyone at the club is confused as to what this BOP is, you know, and RUSH to the dancefloor to celebrate it in all it’s glory because my GOD it’s incredible. I Should Be So Lucky You’re so happily single it’s infectious. And if you’re not, by God you want to be after meeting Fabio the bartender and thinking about him ever since that fated encounter. Celebration You’ll fight to the death for this song. You just want to party and nobody will
stop you goddammit. The Loco-Motion When your train is delayed by 40 minutes, you don’t care, because the mere thought of your favourite public transport soon arriving fills you with pure ecstasy. You’re more than happy to wait for that rush of the many wheeled beast pulling in to your station. Also, fuck buses. Give Me Just A Little More Time Every night, without fail, you put one palm to your forehead and faint onto your bed dramatically, then let out a huge sigh into your empty bedroom chambers. Never Too Late You’ve never owned a watch in your life and by God, you won’t start now. 100 Degrees You’ve had your Christmas tree up since July.
Confide In Me You’re not a spy okay you’re just scaring everyone with those speculative eyes of yours. Tears On My Pillow You just love a good cry. In fact, you’re crying while reading this. Dancing You own like seven cowboy hats because you STAY ready for the occasion when you’ll need them. At least three are glittery. Stop Me From Falling You’re a horse lover who never quite got over their obsession with ponies. Skirt Raver. The Neighbours Theme Song Neighbours from the ’90s onwards just wasn’t the same.
I Was Gonna Cancel You’re the reliable friend that everyone can count on. Everyone could do with a bit more of you in their life. Aphrodite Everywhere you walk you’re imagining that you’re on a catwalk and it’s intimidating.
Kylie’s 30 greatest hits according to The Guardian by Alexis Petridis (theguardian.com)
30. Put Yourself in My Place (1994) Her eponymous 1994 album was not the triumph some expected, but it did contain that rarest of things, a great Kylie ballad in the shape of the trip-hoppy « Put Yourself in My Place ». 29. Your Disco Needs You (2001) Only a single in Europe and Australia, but it gets in the list because it is both preposterous and preposterously good fun… It involves Village People backing vocals, an Abba-esque chorus and « I Will Survive » strings.
28. Breathe (1997) « Impossible Princess » in 1997 doubled down on its predecessor’s fruitless quest for alternative cred, but people didn’t want Kylie singing Manic Street Preachers songs. Still, it has its moments such as the shimmering synths and the Balearic beat of « Breathe ».
singer’s voice doused in electronic effects, but it lodges instantly in your head.
27. Wow (2007) « Wow »’s big selling point is its hook. There’s not a great deal to it the title repeated three times and the
25. The One (2007) You could mistake the sound of « The One », if not the lyrics, for Pet Shop Boys. Its relative lack of commercial
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26. Timebomb (2012) « Timebomb » felt like an afterthought on release but it is a great track in its own right, powered by a surprisingly dirty, distorted electronic riff.
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success may have had more to do with the fickleness of the mainstream pop market than its combination of shimmering synths, stadium rock guitar riff and big chorus. 24. Better Than Today (2010) Minogue said she felt « let down » by the fairly frosty reception accorded to « Better Than Today », but it is certainly a better single than its relatively lowly chart placing suggests. 23. Crystallize (2014) « Crystallize » was left off 2014’s « Kiss Me Once », later turning up as a standalone single that did not attract much attention: perhaps its radio play was hampered by the fact that she somehow manages to pronounce the word « suddenly » in a way that sounds like she is singing « sodomy ». 22. Hand on Your Heart (1989) One of the best Kylie singles from the Stock Aitken and Waterman. The song itself - most notably the bridge and chorus - is strong enough to withstand the identikit production job. 21. I Was Gonna Cancel (2014) « I Was Gonna Cancel » barely grazed the charts, stalling at number 59. It deserved a better fate. Written and produced by Pharrell Williams, it is equal parts Daft Punk’s « Get Lucky » and Beyoncé’s « Green Light »: 10 years earlier, it would have been a smash.
18. Kids (2000) The duet appeared on both Robbie Williams and Kylie’s albums. « Kids » captures the Williams/Guy Chambers hitmaking machine in full flower: lyrics audibly influenced by Ian Dury, beat sampled from Sisters Love’s 1973 soul classic « Give Me Your Love », big old stadium chorus. 17. In Your Eyes (2001) « Fever », in 2001, was overstuffed with potential hit singles. « In Your Eyes » was a more straightforward proposition than « Can’t Get You Out of My Head », but it is a contagious, classy pop song nonetheless. 16. Where the Wild Roses Grow (1996) In an era when boundaries between pop and « alternative » music are blurred, it is hard to imagine just how jarring it once was to see Kylie with Nick Cave, singing about having her head smashed in with a rock. But « Where the Wild Roses Grow » is not a novelty: it is a classic Cave ballad, and the apex of Kylie’s indie period. 15. Say Something (2020) The first single from Kylie’s forthcoming album « Disco » features Radio Ga Ga-influenced electronics and a pure bubblegum chorus. You could, if you were so inclined, read its lyrics as a comment on Brexit, but, let’s face it, they are probably not.
20. Come Into My World (2001) « Come Into My World » is a rare occasion on which a remix of a Kylie single tops the original. Another Rob Davis/Cathy Denis composition, the official single is cut from a similar musical cloth to « Can’t Get You Out of My Head », but the Fischerspooner’s version is the one you need to hear.
14. 2 Hearts (2007) A cover of a track written and originally released by electronic duo Kish Mauve, « 2 Hearts » represents something of a musical departure for Kylie. It is in effect the sleazy electro-glam of Goldfrapp’s « Strict Machine » put through a glittery Kylie filter: less intense, ominous or redolent of a sex dungeon but it still works.
19. Step Back in Time (1990) Notwithstanding the slight oddness of hearing Kylie (who was born in 1968) demanding remember « the old days » of late 60s/early 70s soul, « Step Back in Time »’s loving, reference-packed homage to the music of SAW’s youth is a total joy.
13. I Believe in You (2004) « I Believe in You », co-written by Jake Shears and Babydaddy for 2004’s Ultimate Kylie, is « I Feel Love » synths and a lyric that shades into « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » stalker territory, which lends the killer chorus a hint of creepiness. 61 www.kylie-world.com
12. What Do I Have to Do (1990) « Rhythm of Love » was the pinnacle of her SAW years and « What Do I Have to Do » is great, a shamelessly pop-facing take on Italo-house. 11. Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi (1987) Kylie’s early singles suffered from the application of SAW’s blaring, cheap, one-size-fits-all production, but « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » had a genuinely lovely tune. 10. On a Night Like This (2000) It was a track intended for a Swedish Euro-dance singer called Pandora. It’s got a frantic beat, acid house-infused synth line and subtle nods to ATB’s trance smash 9pm (Til I Come), but it is really all about its chorus, which is completely indelible. 9. Dancing (2018) « Golden » was a bit of a mess, but « Dancing » is the exception: a gleaming country/pop-house hybrid, complete with a hook that bizarrely recalls Ocean Colour Scene’s « The Day We Caught the Train ». 8. Love at First Sight (2002) « Love at First Sight »’s backing track offers a pretty brazen reworking of Daft Punk’s « Digital Love », released less than a year before, but the song itself is fantastic: a masterpiece of the songwriter-for-hire’s dark art. 7. All the Lovers (2010) The song is anthemic and strangely melancholic: amid the fizzing synths, there is something elegiac about its catchy chorus. She refused to remove the same-sex couples from the video and subsequently retooled the song live as homage to her LGBTQ+ fans. 6. Slow (2003) A strikingly minimal concoction of drum machine and analogue synths, « Slow »’s surprisingly skewed brand of pop is understated by the singer’s usual standards and hypnotically irresistible: entirely electronic, but warm and sensual, and apparently Kylie’s favourite of her own tracks.
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Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct 5. Shocked (1990) Most SAW artists who attempted to assert their individuality came to grief, but when Kylie did it, they appeared to rise to the challenge, writing better, classier songs and, in the case of « Shocked », commissioning a remix by DNA which is very 1990 and a delight. 4. Better the Devil You Know (1990) They may have been cursed with no sense of quality control, but SAW could be masterful pop craftsmen and « Better the Devil You Know » is the evidence: an effortlessly soaring melody, a perfect updating of disco’s cocktail of jubilant music and lyrical heartbreak. 3. Can’t Get You Out of My Head (2001) It became so ubiquitous that it is easy to forget what a weird pop single « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » is: there are no verses, just
Kylie Minogue Was A ’90s It-Girl: A Gallery by mike wass (idolator.com)
Kylie Minogue is rolling out « Magic » as the second single from « DISCO » this week, which is all the excuse I needed to, ahem, step back in time and do a little reminiscing. The theme of this gallery is the ’90s — more specifically, the pop star’s status as one of the decade’s true It Girls. Not only did the enduring hitmaker’s music undergo a radical shift in the ’90s (she made the lead from bubblegum pop dolly to indie-pop goddess look easy), but so did her image. The Girl Next Door was replaced by a sexy, fashion-forward vamp.
There was the iconic pixie cut phase as well as Kylie’s underrated flirtation with red hair. The Aussie pop legend bounced from full glamor to on-trend street fashion without missing a beat, and still managed to serve superstar. By the end of the decade, Kylie was starting to tire of the party scene and alternative crowd. She finally turned her attention back to pure-pop on « Light Years » and kicked off the second imperial phase of her long and legendary career. Here’s some of Kylie’s best ’90s looks.
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a chorus and a queasy-sounding bridge; there is a distinct darkness about its coolly delivered lyric about destructive obsession. 2. Confide in Me (1994) The moment when Kylie’s bid to reinvent herself as a more self-consciously sophisticated artist looked like it might work perfectly. « Confide in Me » is atypical among her greatest singles and an utterly fantastic song: sultry, atmospheric, bolstered by strings playing the melody of Jane’s a capella 1983 indie hit « It’s a Fine Day ». 1. Spinning Around (2000) Kylie has tried her hand at being Indie Kylie, Moody Kylie, Mature Kylie etc… but the fact is that Kylie was essentially put on this earth to make glitzy, euphoric, ballsout pop bangers, and « Spinning Around » is the glitziest and most euphoric of the lot; a perfect pop-disco nugget, a single only the terminally joyless could fail to enjoy.
Kylie Minogue’s « X » Is An Underrated Masterpiece And We Should Give It The Respect It Deserves by Joseph Earp (junkee.com)
Even to this day, critics tend to talk about « X », the tenth album by Kylie Minogue, as her « comeback record » - which is weird, given that she never really went anywhere. After all, her previous album, the sexy and languid « Body Language », had been released a mere four years before. In the early two thousands, that was par for the course - musicians were given the luxury of time in a way that they’re not these days, and some of the biggest stars of the era routinely took long vacations away from the press. Instead, it was Minogue’s cancer treatment that had the critics constructing their own narrative of triumph and catharsis. It was widely known that Minogue had briefly questioned whether or not music was for her while in remission for cancer, and she had spent a year not writing anything at all. But that was only a blip, and the pop star quickly and repeatedly reassured her fans that she was in it for the long run when it came to the disco hits on which she had forged her reputation. And yet the critics couldn’t be abated. In the weeks ahead of « X »‘s release, journalists geed themselves up for a human, trembling work of honesty and tragedy; the sound of a storied musician overcoming the odds. When it hit, they quickly realised that X was firmly not that. Funny, light and energetic, it shrugged off expectations and stood firmly on own two glittering feet. And so the critics ignored it. Though Kylie fans were as onboard as ever, the al-
bum’s reception was lacklustre, and has only grown more so in the years since. Even today, « X » doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. Which is a shame, because with its big, throwback choruses, it’s one of the most enjoyable and odd pop albums of the early two thousands. A Record About Love Since her debut, Kylie Minogue had always been obsessed with coupling. But usually, she took that phrase euphemistically, writing long, gold-plated records about sex and flirtation. « X », by contrast, is in it for the long haul. The opening track, « 2 Hearts » is genuinely romantic, suffused with the desire to settle down and keep passions burning forever. Which is not to suggest that this is some chaste, serious work. There’s a chintzy sense of fun to the entire proceedings, from the glitchy and techno influenced « Heart Beat Rock », to the tongue-in-cheek « Nu-DiTy ». That latter song in particular laid down the formula for everything that Lady Gaga would do in the first five years of her career, mixing up big choruses with an avant-garde sense of deconstruction. It’s pop drilled down to its most bare essentials, and lit up with an arch sense of fun. Yet the record’s most understated pleasure remains « The One ». Released to an apathetic listening public in Australia - the song didn’t even crack the charts here - and sniffed at by most critics, it is Kylie trading in winking jokes and ribald eyebrow-raises. 63 www.kylie-world.com
Sure, the album sold over a million copies. But its impact on the world of pop culture at large was negligible. The Aftermath Kylie sprung back pretty quickly. Her next album, « Aphrodite » was cited by multiple writers as a « return to form », as though « X » were indeed the ugly blip on the radar so many had treated it as. « Aphrodite »‘s commercial impact, however, was relatively subdued - it would be a few more albums before she started to shift units like the Kylie that the world had once known. In the years since, there have been only muted attempts to resuscitate the reputation of « X ». In Kylie Minogue rankings, it always underperforms, and makes up only a slither of her recent live sets. That’s a shame. But despite such unfair dismissals, « X » still had a major impact in one way - on the careers of Kylie’s contemporaries. The album’s omnivorous attitude towards sonic influences and its sincerity obviously had an effect on Madonna, whose Hard Candy is a kind of sister album to X. Lady Gaga obviously listened to X, as did P!nk - Funhouse is the most giddy and enthusiastic record that the pop-rocker has ever released. Nowadays, « X » sounds better than ever. Even its daggiest moments, like the gloriously dated « All I See » make perfect sense in a culture saturated by irony and nostalgia. We have ignored one of Kylie’s best records for years. It’s time we put some respect on its name. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct
From Nick Cave to Kylie Minogue: The ultimate guide to the most influential Australian musicians by Lil Bonhomme (far out magazine)
At a time when music venues appear to be a no-go area amid the current health crisis, music fans have been afforded a time to explore new abenues of sonic exploration during the period of flux. Here, prepare yourself to travel down under as we look at the strongest influences from Australia. Whether your favourite Aussie is a sensational popstar or a member of one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Australia has a wide range of Grammy-awarded and innovative artists. So here we go. First on the list is probably one of the biggest pop stars of all times, the Goddess of pop, the Madonna from Melbourne. Yes, it’s Kylie Minogue. Although she started as an actress in a number of TV series including Neighbours and The Sullivans, the « Can’t-Get-You-Out-of-my-Head » singer has released no less than fourteen albums and has definitely brought her own twist to the dance-pop of the nineties and noughties. Her first album - « Kylie » - was a worldwide triumph even though some music critics considered it as bubble-gum pop. Since then, her conversion from pop star into a Goddess with « Aphrodite » in 2010, as well as her other successes has kept Kylie at the top of the charts in the UK and many more countries. The pretty blonde has surely made a name for herself since her debut single « Locomotion » which made her the biggest selling artist of the nineties in Australia. Other female artists from down under have entered the pop music scene since then. Sia, for example, has conquered the world with her multiple hits and huge back catalogue
of hits she has written for others. Iggy Azalea is another one, bringing her rap and hip-hop to new dimensions across the US. Taking a closer look at the rock scene, it’s easy to see it has also been innovated and brought to life by various iconic artists and bands. When mentioning the genre, we immediately think about AC/DC and the symbolic Young brothers as well as frontman Bon Scott, their heavy guitar riffs, and that one and only high-pitched voice luring us to follow them on their « Highway to Hell ». Nick Cave is another one who had to be part of this list. From The Birthday Party to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and finally Grinderman, the singer is seen as one of the first to have written songs flirting between blues and rock during the post-punk era. Add to that a little bit of gospel, a dark-long-haired man and you get the gloomy and mysterious style of Nick Cave, dealing with religion and other shadows he feels have been following him throughout his life. One thing is for sure, rock wouldn’t be what it is without the new, crude passion he has brought to it. When thinking about Nick Cave, we can also think about The Saints, one of Cave’s biggest influences and one of punk’s most influential bands all together. Ticking all the boxes of the early-punk music characteristics, their first single « (I’m) Stranded » released in 1976 made them the first band of that genre to release a record outside the US, before the Sex Pistols and the Clash took over. Radio Birdman was another Australian band 64 www.kylie-world.com
considered as punk during that time, and who played an important part in the genre’s history. Midnight Oil have also played an important part in forging that Australian-feel about rock music. Lead singer Peter Garrett is not only known for his bald head, his unique stage presence with rather interesting dance moves, he is also very involved in politics and environmental issues. Having said that, when listening to Midnight Oil’s songs, especially their signature « Beds Are Burning », it is very clear Garrett and his band use their music as a way of sharing their views on various societal topics. Olivia Newton-John is also an Australian artist who has shown a lot of support for environmental and animal-rights issues. As well as playing Sandy in the biggest musical of all times—Grease, she has been crowned with four Grammy awards and five number one hits. « You’re The One That I Want » with John Travolta was with no doubt one of her biggest-selling titles. Newton-John released her first album in 1971 - « If Not For You » - which featured the title track written by Bob Dylan. Of course, the singer became worldwide-famous after her role in « Grease », but she had already released her leitmotif « I Honestly Love You » in 1974 which immediately reached the number one place in the US and Canadian charts and put Olivia Newton John’s name up in lights. Next on the list of icons from the land of Oz is Jimmy Barnes. Mostknown for being the lead singer of Cold Chisel, he has become one of Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
the biggest selling artists of Australia, with a record-breaking number of hit albums. Cold Chisel were recognised for developing a type of rock which already existed before but hadn’t really been put under the spotlight so much: pub rock. Being a mixture of blues rock, hard rock and progressive rock, this genre was very popular during the seventies and eighties and has influenced a lot of artists during the noughties as well. Coming back to Jimmy Barnes, his « Working Class Man » track was definitely one of his most well-known releases ever. With his band, it was « Khe Sanh » that truly stayed with the Aussies, becoming an all-time classic. Inevitably, Michael Hutchence had to be part of our selection. The frontman of INXS was known for his captivating and magnetic presence on stage which made him the symbol of the band. Speaking of which, before the release of their third album « Shabooh Shoobah » in 1982, the pub rock band weren’t very well-known in the rest of the world. However, that soon changed when they released a song written by Nile Rodgers in 1984 – « Original Sin ». From that point, the band only went onwards and upwards. Come to the end of
the eighties, INXS were considered as one of the biggest bands of the century, next to big names like U2 and The Cure. Their number of breakthrough hits only got bigger and bigger with « Need You Tonight » and « Suicide Blonde », which was inspired by Hutchence’s girlfriend at the time – Kylie Minogue. As we are honouring some of Australia’s most important singers, we couldn’t leave out John Farnham. One of the greatest celebrities from down under, he is the only Australian artist who has managed to stay at number one for five years in a row, and whose album Whispering Jack was the second best-selling album in the country’s history. And that’s not all. Although he might have achieved breakthrough records, the man who was once considered as a teen pop idol is also appreciated for his personality. Many music critics have described him as an ordinary guy who has firmly kept his feet on the ground. Looking back at the fifties, one name that definitely caught the attention of many people was Slim Dusty. The country singer was the biggest and most awarded star at the time. Undoubtedly, he has be-
come a sort of symbol of Australia’s culture and brought country music to a new level. Not only did he sing songs composed by his wife - Joy McKean, Slim Dusty also recorded a number of poems. Australia has had an impressive number of artists and hits over the decades, and we can be sure to hear even more Aussie singers in the future, considering how many current artists are at the top of the charts today. Troye Sivan is the prince of pop right now and let’s hope he continues to wear the crown with enough danger to keep the monarchy interesting. As well as the crowning of a new pop icon from Oz there has been a somewhat kaleidoscopic invasion of late as bands like Tame Impala and King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard have brought psych music back to the forefront of our music minds. It’s been a change that has far outreached the confines of rock and roll. One thing is for sure, that Australia has a wide and varied output of music. Whether it’s sunshine pop or the darkest of blues, Oz always has something up its sleeve. We can’t wait to see who will surface from down under next.
Townsend’s Bruce McKenzie on how sales did not decrease during lockdown BY Andre Paine (MusicWeek.com)
The recorded music industry is weathering the storm of Covid-19, but there have still been dips in revenue as a result of lost physical sales for the majors. However that’s not the case for Townsend Music, a trusted e-commerce partner for majors and indies: despite the challenges of Covid, it’s been a growth period
for Townsend. The company has reported 15% year-on-year sales growth during the lockdown period. So the pandemic did not adversely affect the company’s financial results for the 12-month period to August 2020. « We’ve been really busy during the lockdown period and have actually employed six extra full-time 65 www.kylie-world.com
staff strengthening our marketing, finance and technical teams ». said sales director Bruce McKenzie. « We’ve just hit our year end, which has shown a 20% sales increase on last year. It is really encouraging, especially as Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct many scheduled campaigns have been moved to roll out later this year ». So with releases pushed back, how did Townsend still achieve sales growth? « During lockdown, a lot of our label partners have been really good at putting together catalogue releases ». said McKenzie. « So we sold thousands of major label releases from bands including Coldplay, Iron Maiden, Metallica and New Order. People want to buy deluxe physical music and that’s been a big part of our growth during lockdown - just celebrating classic records and making them available. Labels have been really proactive in getting those reissues
available in coloured vinyl, which people want ». McKenzie suggested that without gigs to spend money on, fans are investing in both catalogue and new releases on vinyl. « I think it’s definitely that, and people are working from home and saving on travelling. We’ve not seen any slowdown at all during lockdown. For people who want vinyl, it doesn’t matter when it’s released. They are happy to stream it but they’re still committed to buying vinyl. If the content is right and the price is right, then people will buy it ». Townsend is now looking ahead to a busy Q4, including partnering with BMG on Kylie’s new album :
the week of release ». he said. « For someone like Kylie, a lot of our sales are outside of the UK ». McKenzie expects more big artists to seize the e-commerce opportunities. « Cardi B set-up her own subscription model recently, because she understands that fan engagement is important for her career ». he said. « People will want to pay for that content ». We’re happy that Covid-19 has not been a problem for everyone, it shows that there’s still hope!
« With a huge artist, we can still take about 30% market share in
The women who put bloke city on the musical map by Sophia Deboick (The New European)
Melbournians have a long history of outspokenness. The 1854 Eureka Rebellion of miners which led to an expansion of the electorate, the 1856 stonemasons’ march on parliament which resulted in the eight-hour day, and even the last stand of Ned Kelly, symbolic of defiance of the colonial authorities, are foundational events of the city’s history. This is a place where freedom is important and, as a place where music is an equally valued concept - Melbourne has more live music venues per capita than any other city in the world - the city’s boundary-pushing artists have been synonymous with creative freedom […]. In fact, the city has produced a stream of female artists who have defied expectations of them – both 66 www.kylie-world.com
as women and as Australians – to achieve record-breaking success. The first was Dame Nellie Melba, born in the city in 1861 as Helen Porter Mitchell, but later taking the diminutive form of her home city as her stage name. Initial musical training and performances in Melbourne proved her talent, but paternal disapproval of a woman singing in public and the whims of an abusive husband threatened to thwart her musical ambitions. Regardless, Melba went to London in 1886, aged just 25, and with a three-year-old son in tow. She soon became the most celebrated soprano in Europe, amassing a huge personal fortune. Some six decades on, another Melburnian woman would also defy Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
a failed marriage and the restrictive expectations of motherhood to make it big abroad. Helen Reddy, who died last week, first appeared onstage aged four as part of a family vaudeville act, but she rebelled against the show-business life and married an older man in 1961, at the age of just 20, and had a child. When that relationship failed Reddy found performing was in fact in her blood, and she won a 1966 TV talent show prize of a trip to New York to record with Mercury. She upped sticks and left, taking her three-year-old daughter with her. In America she found a new, supportive husband, but little enthusiasm from the music industry for a new female artist. But although success wasn’t instant, when it came it was stellar. It was the B-side to 1971’s « I Believe in Music » that launched Reddy […] but it was the following year’s « I Am Woman » (1972), co-written by Reddy with Sydney songwriter Ray Burton, that really made her name. Reddy was the biggest selling female act in the world in 1973 and 1974. Her determination to succeed gave her a platform not just to champion women in her songs, but also to support other female artists. When Olivia Newton-John made her career-crucial move to the US in the mid-1970s, it was at Reddy’s urging. The British-born Newton-John lived in Melbourne from the age of six and, like Reddy, she rebelled against her background, pursuing show-business instead of the academic path of her linguist father. At just 16 Newton-John got the same break as Reddy - winning a talent competition prize of a foreign trip, this time to Britain. […] It was a Dylan cover, « If Not For You », that saw Newton-John’s 1971 breakthrough in both Australia and the UK. The song was produced by NewtonJohn’s one-time fiancé, the Shadows’ Bruce Welch, and fellow Melbournian John Farrar […] Like Reddy, who was dismissed as « the queen of housewife rock », Newton-John’s apparent mildness has obscured the grit it took to obtain her record-breaking success,
and as a campaigner on breast cancer and founder of a research hospital in Melbourne, she’s been a champion for women. The biggest-selling Australian artist of all time came from humble beginnings in Melbourne’s eastern suburb of Surrey Hills, going on to become so famous she is known mononymously as just « Kylie ». Kylie Minogue’s Welsh mother was a trained dancer but worked as a hospital tea lady to make ends meet, and the stage provided a route to a less humdrum existence for the young Kylie. After early appearances in Melbourne-produced dramas like The Sullivans, her Neighbours role came in 1986 and a signing to Melbourne-based Mushroom Records led to her debut single, the following year’s cover of Little Eva’s « Locomotion ». It would become the highest-selling single of the decade in Australia, but Stock, Aitken and Waterman made a completely different version for release on the UK market after Minogue began working with them and had a UK No.1 with « I Should Be So Lucky » (1987).
her « Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour » of 2011 are the kind of projects that have placed her at the intersection of pop culture and art, a relationship explored in a 2007 exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, while the Melbourne Arts Centre preserves her « Spinning Around » (2000) gold hotpants and « Can’t Get You Out of My Head » (2001) white hooded jumpsuit in their permanent collection. While Kylie has stopped short of an avowed feminism, she had proven she is rather more than a mere « pop princess ». The two worlds of Melbourne’s music clashed in surely one of the most unlikely pop singles ever, Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue’s « Where the Wild Roses Grow », in 1995. It was both evidence of the continuing difficult position of women in music – Minogue’s chance to stand in the reflected glory of Cave’s coolness came at the cost of being cast as a victim in a murder ballad – and that Melbourne’s music always defies expectations.
The same year’s follow up, « Got To Be Certain », with a video filmed in multiple locations around Melbourne, had reached No.2. The pop svengalis would direct her career for the next four albums. But while it seemed pop success was easy for Kylie, she has rarely taken the easy route. In 1993, Kylie jumped ship from the Stock, Aitken and Waterman machine and signed to independent label deConstruction. The brooding « Confide in Me » (1994) was her own physical moment - a deliberate move towards a sexier, more grown-up pop - and collaboration with the Manic Street Preachers for 1997’s « Impossible Princess » followed. Kylie’s « Come into My World » (2001) video directed by Michel Gondry, shoot with Marilyn Monroe photographer Bert Stern for Vogue Australia in 1994, and Dolce and Gabbana-designed costumes for 67 www.kylie-world.com
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Kylie In The Press • Sept/Oct
How Kylie Minogue made « The Loco-Motion » become a worldwide hit again Originally, there was a pop song which was very successful in its time. Then the young Kylie Minogue seized it to make it one of her most unforgettable successes. by href (cheriefm.fr)
A 60’s pop hit « The Loco-Motion » was born in 1962 and was penned by a duo of songwriters united by their love of music, but also by marriage: Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Carole would become a very popular singer on the other side of the Atlantic in the seventies. Originally composed for the singer Dee Dee Sharp who refused the song, « The Loco-Motion » finally ended being interpreted by a very young beginner, Eva Narcissus Boyd, better known as the strangely named Little Eva. Propelled to number 1 in the US charts, « The Loco-Motion » was also a huge hit in the UK and South Africa, and quickly gave birth to a choreography of the same name. In France, the « yéyé » movement (FYI - a style of pop music that emerged from France, Italy and Spain in the early 1960s) took hold of the trend, and like many American tracks, « The Loco-Motion » was made « more French ». French singer Sylvie Vartan then sang the song, which became « Le Loco-Motion » and she also reached the top position in the French top 50. In 1977, French singer-songwriter, composer and musician Laurent Voulzy even paid homage to this planetary song in one of the verses of his legendary « Rockollection » song. A hit born by accident « The Loco-Motion » was covered multiple times in the years following its release, including in a rock version by the group Grand Funk Railroad or
in disco version by the Ritz trio. But at the end of the eighties, it is Kylie Minogue who released her own version of the song with a bang! And yet, it all started by being more or less an « accident ». In 1987, the beautiful Australian was not a singer yet, but she was already known to the general public in her country for her participation in a very popular television soap, Neighbours. Touring the country-continent to promote the soap, she sometimes takes the stage with her on-screen friend John Waters to have a singalong. And during a gala organized during an Australian football match, Kylie Minogue offered a mini-concert consisting of two covers: « I Got You Babe » by Sonny and Cher and... « The Loco-Motion ». That evening, representatives of the Mushroom Records label were there and decided to offer her a contract to record a first single for them.
menon. Kylie then flew off to the UK, where she started working with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, the creators of electro-pop hits across the channel (we owe them the hits of Bananarama and « Never Gonna Give You Up » by Rick Astley). The three producers rearranged the track, which was released in July 1988. This international version of « The Loco-Motion » will become the song’s most famous version ever. The whole world loves this young woman: the song reaches the Top 5 of the singles sold in France and sold half a million copies in the UK as well as in the USA. A phenomenon was born.
A global tsunami This single would therefore be the cover of « The Loco-Motion », or rather the covers of « The Loco-Motion ». There are indeed two versions of the song. An original version was released in OZ stores on July 13, 1987 under the simple title: « Locomotion ». The track was an immediate hit: certified platinum, it would become the biggest hit in the Australian charts that year, and would even be distributed in some countries such as New Zealand, Italy and Sweden. The rest of the world had to wait a bit before also giving in to the pheno68 www.kylie-world.com
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Interviews • Sept/Oct
SiriusXM - Pop2K sEPTEMBer 21St, 2020 usa and canada
On 21st September, Alex Di Trolio tweeted that she had interviewed Kylie stating : « Had such a lovely time chatting with Kylie on whether her writing and album process has changed throughout the years and whether it’s personal or guided by changes in the industry ». We thought we’d prepare a little summary of what Kylie said. • About making the album during lockdown: « I think all of us have learned new things during lockdown, and that’s great but I do miss some of the old things, that’s for sure. Once I’d wrapped up the album I thought, OK, I need my lounge room back so I moved everything to a different room that’s got clothes. It makes it sound very glamorous but it’s not a glamorous room. Everything was moved and kind of just dumped there and then I had to do something just last week and I said « oh theoretically I can do it but it might take me a minute just to get my brain back in that space » ».
• About the first thing and/or performance that come to Kylie’s mind
when we talk to her about « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head »: « Many things come to mind. I remember first hearing it in my A&R’s office at the record company and 20 seconds in I was like « yep, that’s good! ». I couldn’t wait to record it. I had been a fan of Cathy Dennis - who was one of the co-writers on it - and the song was largely guided by her demo and her delivery, so I pretty much just echoed her, mimicked her. Then the fact that in the video, all the different parts lined up to make something kind of epic, and it doesn’t always happen like that, there might be a song that has it all but the video doesn’t quite match, or the other way around. My favourite performance of that track, well the one that comes to mind first anyway, was the Brits ».
• About songwriting: « It’s a personal change. I didn’t write when I started out but I think I learned a lot just from listening and watching and so I started writing a lot more around 1999/2000 and then jumping 17 years when I had a trip in Nashville for my last album. I ab69 www.kylie-world.com
sorbed so much about songwriting on that trip and with the people I worked with. I feel like I’ve turned that corner and that it has stayed with me through this album as well. The recording part hasn’t changed much from the industry but the release part has. Regarding algorithms and all that, I’ll just be in the studio and just say « I’ll just make the song and you guys figure that out ». I understand creating, performing, connecting, but a lot of the way music is released now is different. I just roll with it ». Kylie also mentioned that she was due to team up with Jake Shears for her new album, so that they could write together. Indeed, she had a writing trip to Los Angeles planned in March which of course was cancelled. It’s really a shame otherwise we would have had another Kylie/Jake Shears collaboration. She said Jake is just « solid gold » as well as a fantastic writer and performer. Let’s see what the future holds, maybe a new collaboration WILL see the day! Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Australian radio presenter Kent Small, known as « Smallzy », interviewed Kylie via FaceTime on 24th September 2020. They talked about Kylie setting-up her home studio alone during lockdown: she confirmed that nope, no one « physically » helped her. She told Smallzy that if he had any issues in the studio, she could help him with cables, buttons and stuff via Facetime. They mentioned the release of her new single « Magic » that had literally just dropped. When Kylie was asked how it felt to have her new baby out in the world, she said it was amazing, exciting but a bit nerve-wracking and that it’s a big moment for her. They discussed the release of Kylie’s rosé in Australia: Kylie said it was a lovely way of connecting with people and that she received a lot of pictures of people with a bottle, mostly in their backyards, obviously. She was asked if she served her own wine when she has friends over for a dinner party, she didn’t really answer but said that with Paul yes, they had firstly tasted it and then just enjoyed it. Then Smallzy asked her questions during his « Real Talk Segment », segment during which he asks celebrities questions about really mundane thing that normal people do, and it was quite funny. What’s your signature dish when you’re cooking? Do you cook ? Yes I do, I didn’t use to and I’ve only done so for a couple of years. I am no longer the family joke with cooking. I
would probably do baked fish and vegetables ‘cause it’s so quick, easy, healthy and delicious. How do you take your coffee in the morning? Oh fast! I have like a latte, but with a bit less milk than usual, or a piccolo latte and being a Melbournian, I am that awful annoying person when it comes to coffee worldwide. What time do you normally wake up in the morning ? I probably get going maybe at 8.30, which is reasonable. If you get to have a sleep in, what time do you think that means you get out of bed ? Maybe 10, maximum 10.30, but that’s Saturdays, Sundays, to cook, to garden.
NOVA 96.9 sEPTEMBer 24TH, 2020 australia Let’s pretend you’re not cooking that baked fish and that you’re desperately hungry and you need to get a take-out. Where are you going ? I have a great Spanish restaurant very close to my house and they’re like family so I can call them and say « could you just bring something ? » and bless them, they do, so tapas is one of my favourite things, and if for some reason I wasn’t feeling like that I’d get some sexy sushi from down the road. Let’s pretend Mc Donald’s is the only place left open, what burger would you get? Oh God! I would probably have to go for a fish burger, a Filet-O-Fish. 70 www.kylie-world.com
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Interviews • Sept/Oct globe starting to catch up with her. Talking about « Golden », her energetic 26-date European tour two years ago, she tells me:
THE SUN sEPTEMBer 24TH 2020 united-kingdom Kylie has praised her boyfriend for swooping in and saving her, following her self-confessed breakdown. She has admitted Paul Solomons had a baptism of fire during their early days together when she fell ill on tour. She was forced to cancel a show due to sickness, struggled with the relentless pace of touring and was still recovering from what she called a « nervous breakdown » after splitting from her then-fiancé, British actor Joshua Sasse. Talking about Paul, she said: « He’s been great. He is great. He got thrown in at the deep end dating me, like, « Now I’m going on tour »... Things are really good and he’s excited about this next phase for me ».
Kylie was introduced to him by mutual friends, just as she was getting over her heartbreak from the end of her engagement to Joshua who she later said she was « deluded » to think she could marry. The pair split in 2017 following suspicions that the man she once said made her « deliriously happy » had cheated on her with his US
TV co-star Marta Milans. Kylie later told how she was left « broken », adding: « I just wanted to stop ».
But things are clearly different with Paul and after Kylie speaks so lovingly about him, I can’t help but ask if he has popped the question, pointing out she has two gold bands on her ring finger. Looking down at her hands as if in shock, she pauses, laughs and says: « I do, but I just put these on today. So, no. I literally put those on before. We’re really low-key, we’re very real, very supportive. We’re just taking things as they come for now, for always. Who knows what’s to come? ».
Right now, her focus is on her 15th album « Disco », which is out on November 6th, and its second single « Magic », which was released yesterday. It’s a joyful, radio-friendly tune which has already had fans dancing around their houses. However, now the bona fide music icon is finding her three decades of entertaining audiences across the 71 www.kylie-world.com
« It was particularly tough. I had to soak in ice afterwards. It’s like being a sportsperson. I’m terrible, I have to have someone else tell me « Can you please take better care of yourself? ». It’s gruelling. You push through and you wreck yourself a bit more. My boyfriend would say, « Just don’t go 100 per cent tonight », and I’d say, « OK, I’ll go 80 ». He’ll say, « 75 », I’ll say, « Look, I’ll start at 84 but I’ll max out at 102 ». It’s this running gag ».
Despite the pain she went through on her last tour, Kylie is looking forward to getting back out on stage to perform beneath a giant disco ball, to match the new album’s theme. Sipping tea opposite me in the garden of The Ritz in central London, she says: « As soon as things change and I can safely announce a tour, I’ll be knocking down the door. It’s taxing, more taxing than when I was 22. But I haven’t locked up my road cases, never to be opened. They are waiting, I’m waiting… but who knows what state I’ll be in, and what state the world will be in? ».
Last week we told how psychologists had found that the ideal leg length is 1.4 times the upper body, whereas 5ft Kylie has an outstanding leg ratio of 1:1.57, earning her the title of the best legs in showbiz. When I tell her, she says: « It’s very complimentary. They must have been looking at the good pictures, not the bad, because the angle is everything ».
but Kylie showed off her legs in a promo photo for her new album, and I tell her, as politely as possible, that they really do look incredible. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
She says: « I don’t live in a make-believe world. There’s your reality when you wake up in the morning and there’s the mirror, and there’s a picture like that. I do my best to make the picture but there’s a difference. I wish I woke up like that ».
Although I am sitting at a safe distance from Kylie due to social distancing, I can see she looks remarkable for 52. Asked the secret to her youthful complexion, she says: « Taking my make-up off, for a start. It’s less than the fingers on one hand, the nights I’ve gone to sleep without taking my make-up off. I just can’t do it ».
It’s remarkable to me that she still has the drive to continue on the treadmill of making albums and performing, in an industry where so many burn out after a few years. Speaking about the decision to get back in the studio for « Disco », she says:
credit for this ». I said it as a bit of a throwaway thing, then by the end of the album I thought « I’m totally getting an additional engineer credit! ». I did all the plugging together and stressed about it ». It is her album which helped her to deal with being trapped indoors during lockdown. She says: « It did present its challenges towards the end, when it all caught up with me. I’d been going, going, going really hard to get it done but it was a distraction, a coping mechanism. I had one producer say, « I just realised today that doing this has kept me sane ». We all had that common thing of a place to focus your energy and a place to pretend for a minute. You’re not watching the news while you’re doing that, so you didn’t have to see it. We were aware of it and I’m not sure that through lockdown lyrics were written about that, but they were coloured by it, for sure ».
« I’m too curious. I’m like « That’s all good and well but I want to make some new music ». We started last year not really knowing what the album would be. There was no concept, I just wanted to get in and see what happened ».
When the album comes out on the first Friday of November, it will put Kylie head-to-head with the sixth release from Little Mix, in what she said earlier this week could be a chart battle to rival Oasis and Blur in 1995, but whatever happens, the loveliest lady in pop is just proud to still be making music. She adds:
The pandemic has meant it is her most hands-on album ever, as she had only recorded previous single « Say Something », current tune « Magic » and one other track before lockdown hit in March. Having mastered the intricacies of sound engineering at home, she says:
« I’m so grateful. I’ve had so many peaks and valleys of my career and nobody hands it to you on a plate. I think you need a lucky break but then you have to act on that, but then it’s just work. It’s not just the physical work that is kind of obvious, or the behind-the-scenes work. It’s work to keep believing in yourself, and I’m lucky I have the desire. I love making new music and something to be creative with like that, but it’s work ».
« There’s nine songs that came from my living room, and I think the four bonus tracks on the deluxe version are all from home as well. I joked when we were working on the album. I said to the people I was working with, « I’m going to need an engineer
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Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Interviews • Sept/Oct
ASH LONDON LIVE sEPTEMBer 24TH, 2020 australia Kylie had an interview with Ash which was shared on the radio station’s social media on 24th September. Funnily enough, even though the show is called « Ash London Live », it’s an Australian radio show. During the 9-minute interview, we found out that Kylie hadn’t forgotten her Australian slang and also that there is a hidden gem that will not be on the new album. We’ve summed-up the interview for you. Kylie, when you think of « Magic », what comes to your mind, what is magical to you? All sorts of things, especially at the moment. In 2020, magic just seems like a lot of simple things: being able to connect with people, to have a beautiful day, to be able to take a walk… But I guess more what the song is talking about is that magic of falling in love and finding the right person, and that is a bit like magic, because it takes so much chance. I’ve yet to pull a rabbit out of the hat, I have not tried that. Kylie Minogue the new David Copperfield! You could sing the hits and then do a magic show, like a two for one; it would be a great value for your audience. Well, in the video for the song, I had this massive wand that would light up and I felt like that did have a bit of magical powers. I don’t know if anything happened but that was the feeling. There’s one outfit in the video which we were calling « Mystic Meg », she did the star signs each day in the
paper in the eighties (in the UK). I did try to inhabit Mystic Meg, it’s crossed a little bit with Gandalf and Grace Jones at a disco. I don’t know what it is, but somehow it works. What was the first little seed that dropped, that you knew for this album, this is what you wanted to go for, this is the sound, and this is the inspiration. Where did it start? « Say Something » and « Magic » were both recorded last year, and « Magic » was a really good backbone, a starting point for us. It just made sense, it sounded really good and you need that starting point. I knew that I wanted to make an album that was about the dancefloor, I didn’t quite know it was disco, but like most albums, I was keen to go in the studio, write some songs and see what happens. Late last year, and definitely at the start of this year, we decided it was going to be disco. Just before lockdown, we were in the studios every day just galloping along, knowing why we were waking up every day: disco, disco, disco, and then we had to carry on at home and remotely. You worked with Alex Gaudino (Italian DJ and record producer) and Ozzies love this guy so that’s pretty special. That song is going to remain a hidden gem because it’s not on the album. He was adorable; it was a really great session. Once you’re on a roll and you’ve got your songs, it’s really hard to say which ones make it and which ones don’t, so that’s hovering around and I’d love to see it out there 73 www.kylie-world.com
one day. I’ve heard rumours that you were holding blankets and duvets around your house to try and get the right vocals. It was decidedly unglamorous. As this is Australia I can say, and you’ll know what I mean, some of that was « hard yaka » (= super hard work). I really had to engage my practical brain. Being a bit stubborn, I did try and do it all myself but I also had a couple of real engineers at the end of the line and they were so good with me, and like with many things, when someone tells you what to do, you go « Oh Ok, got it! ». It’s one of the blessings of COVID, we’ve all learnt new skills. I spoke to David Guetta last week and he told me he’d learned new software since lockdown and you’d think he knows everything about production. I have a similar story. My boyfriend told me he’d seen an interview of Mark Ronson where he was saying a similar thing. And I was like « Mark Ronson? But he can just do anything! » and he was saying (more or less) that he normally has people to do these things. I did take a lot of solace hearing those stories about the joy of having these new skills. Two side notes from the Kylie World Team: • Firstly, if you don’t know who Alex Gaudino is or what music he’s done, go and listen to « Destination Calabria » you’ll recognize the music instantly; • Secondly, Kylie if you’re reading this PLEASE RELEASE A B-SIDE AND UNRELEASED ALBUM! Thank you xxx Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
FREE RADIO sEPTEMBer 24TH, 2020 united-kingdom Kylie was interviewed by Jordan Lee from Free Radio on 24th September, and during the interview she said more or less the same thing than during the other interviews (well, the questions are always the same so, of course, so are the answers)… We’ve summarized it for you: • Her new album « Disco » was the escapism that she needed for this year because her collaborators and her had a great distraction and didn’t think too much about anything else than what they were doing; • This album will be slightly more special than the others because it was made during a very different time. Kylie put it this way « it will never be forgotten »; • When she started working on it, things were normal, but lockdown was imminent, so at that stage they were yelling « wash your hands! » being conscious of it but then the big doors closed and all went quiet for a while; • In the early days of lockdown, Kylie didn’t know how to dress, she just rotated three t-shirts and a trackpant to make her album, and maybe jeans or shorts because it was so hot; • The video for « Say Something » was full of glitter and was intergalactic because she couldn’t imagine doing a video « in the real world » anyway at that point. 74 www.kylie-world.com
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
ITV NEWS sEPTEMBER 25th, 2020 united-kingdom Kylie arrived to the 30-minute interview with Nina straight from a photoshoot with British Vogue magazine. They talked about the new album « Disco », Glastonbury, lockdown and new skills learnt, the record Kylie might be about to break, sexism and ageism.
more behind you and I’m a sucker for that anyway. It wasn’t something I had in mind. For me, it was more a reaction to doing a « Greatest Hits » tour in 2019: all of that reminiscing, looking back, which is great, celebratory, and emotional but it did light up a fire in me and made me want to do new music.
It’s wonderful to be here and to be doing a promotional interview for new music. It’s something we can’t take for granted anymore, it must feel pretty good? It feels great to have music that is one of the things that people can feel connected to and that can reach them. You press a button and it’s magically in your front room, in your car or in your ears so it is magical to have that. Promotion’s difficult, we’re practically yelling to each other across a very vast coffee table, but to release new music is an absolute joy and privilege.
There’s something particular about « Disco ». When we think about joyful, uplifting genres of music, people will generally say we’ll talking disco and that 70’s vibe. I think that it’s the younger generation who are like « Disco? What? ». It makes me think of when I was a teenager and my parents would say « that’s groovy » and I was like « don’t say the word groovy or whatever it is of whatever decade » (laughs). But I was born in 68, so as a 9-10 old, in 1977 and 1978 my eardrums were peaking with Donna Summer, Saturday Night Fever, Abba,… It’s always been in my system, and after doing « Golden » in 2018, which had a country influence and which was just so enjoyable and so important for me, it was obvious we were heading back to the dancefloor. We decided to even narrow that further and call it disco at the start of 2020.
I’m really struck by the fact that you’ve made a disco record. Did you know before you started recording your album but there is this nostalgic vibe going on with people? There’s a huge surge of people streaming disco music now so you’ve hit onto something. I don’t know if I was aware of that. In my early twenties, I had to be modern, I had to go clubbing and all of that but when you reach a certain age there’s just more nostalgia, there’s
The irony is of course, it’s a vibe of heading back to a dancefloor and that’s exactly what we’re not doing. Are you quite sad about that? 75 www.kylie-world.com
Yes, but I do believe enough that disco, or dance or that kind of feeling is somewhere within us. Please don’t make it solely dependent on going physically to a nightclub. As you say, it’s really popular now, it’s a kitchen disco! We can’t go to the disco but it still felt right. I did question that « Does this still work? Should we still release it? » and we’re not saving the world by not releasing it. We asked around and it seemed like people were ready so I did it. The album comes out in November, but you won’t be going on a world tour. So many things are different. I LOVE touring! It’s difficult and I destroy myself a little bit more with every tour but it’s the one place where you have to be there to feel it! I am really missing being able to announce a tour or even think of when I might tour, so that’s a bit of a pipedream at the moment. You’re hopeful though that this part of the normal routine will return? I’m trying to stay hopeful. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be anywhere soon, certainly not the way we have known it, and why would we not have taken that for granted? Let’s see. The manner in which you recorded the album is interesting. You had to go out and buy your recording gear? Well I didn’t go out and buy it, I stayed home and brought it like most people. My last big show was in Sao Paolo on 6th of March, and even leading up to that I called my manager’s office every day to ask « Is it still happening? » It did happen and thankfully everyone was fine. When I came back, I was in the studio more or less every day, sticking to the disco theme, and if anyone veered off, I reared them back in. Then we knew that lockdown was approaching, and my last day in the studio was in Brighton, a friend of mine has a studio in his basement and the three of us that day, as the clock was ticking to knock off time around 6, I remember this weird feeling came over me and I said « it feels like the last day of school holidays, I don’t know when Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Interviews • Sept/Oct we’ll see each other again ». Then there were a few weeks of nothing, of mild panic and eventually I did get the equipment to record from home. Part of me was thinking « it’s about time you learnt this stuff ». I was nursing this expensive microphone and really having to use a different part of my brain to understand everything. Once all that was done, we would do songwriting and recording sessions and now I can record the vocals and send them which is pretty cool. Everyone’s had to learn and discover new things and new skills. I wish it was other but under the circumstances, we made it happen and it was a great distraction for me. What? To have something to occupy your mind? I was more or less working full weeks remotely with everyone and they’ve got kids, and it’s so different. Of course we would prefer to be in the room, but one of them would say « I can do 1.30 to 3.30 then I’ve got to put baby down and I’ll come back », so it was a lot juggling, I did feel kind of overwhelmed like maybe five weeks into it, I was like « I really need some help » but now, I’ve got something to show for that time which is awesome. Do you think you’ve learnt things that will always be the way you operate from now on because other artists have said: « I’ve learnt these skills and maybe that will take away the need to travel so much ». Yes, travel and it’s just quite liberating! I’m a people person, I love being in the studio with people, especially if we’re writing and creating, there’s a total beauty and it’s addictive to have that synergy. But if I had to just deliver some vocals, would I do them from home now or would I go to the studio, it would depend. Quite a few people I worked with were saying they were busier than ever because they would get into sessions anywhere in the world that previously they would
just not have been in. So I think it has changed how we’ll record from now on. What about touring? Travelling, getting on a plane, even that become a very difficult thing to do. It seems insane now. In 2018 and 2019, I toured a lot and just to think about that now, it’s hard to put my head in that space. It seems so extravagant, it seems quite wild. If this was the world we’d known and if there was a film about that world we’d go « no way, that’s amazing! You’re in a different country nearly every day? ». As much as I’ve done it nearly my entire life, I’m looking at it completely differently. I long for it but at the same time, it seems pretty wild. Would you do it again if things change in the coming months, if more air travel is allowed? I would not feel confident to do that, no. My crew are like my family on the road, I worry enough about them anyway and people are worried about me, so no, this is not on the cards for now, but as and when we can, I’ll be the first to put my hand up « can we please please please go on tour? ». Just over a year ago, we were watching you at Glastonbury. It was very emotional, tens of thousands of people there. It’s almost like a historical artefact when we look at it now. It was hard for me to grasp that moment anyway so now it seems even more ridiculous to me that there we were with close to 200 000 people. I didn’t get there the first time I was supposed to so I was very glad to get there the second time, and now I’m thinking wow if it was this year, none of us would have been there. It must make you even more emotional knowing that we haven’t had a Glastonbury this year and we still don’t know for sure whether we’ve got one next year. 76 www.kylie-world.com
It’s almost unthinkable I’m saying these things. I know and I’ve yet to experience Glastonbury on the ground, in the mud, in a tent or whatever it might be. I was ready to go see Diana Ross perform the Legends’ slot. I’m doing it backwards! I’ve performed on the main stage and now I want to see it with everyone, so that’s another thing on the list of things we hope to do. There are so many people, not least the fans, but the promoters, the bands, the technicians who are just waiting for this thing that they love and festivals in Britain bring millions of people in, it’s massive for the economy and they’re just waiting to see whether they can get back to work. I know you work with technicians, sound engineers… I’ve worked with some of my crew for 20 years; we’ve all been through some stuff during the time we’ve known each other. I’ve been able to keep working but I think about all those people. Nicki Sizer my drum tech, he’s probably the oldest member of our crew and I think about Nicki Sizer, when’s he gonna get out on the road, when’s he gonna be able to gear up someone’s drums. It’s not only their livelihood; it’s their way of life, that’s what they do! They’ve lost not only their means of earning but also what defines them. I’ve had a little bit of something like that though lockdown, not having the routing and connecting and that fairly consistent adrenaline did lead to a little bit of the blues, but fact that I was able to get an album done, be with people, be creative and stimulated definitely helped pick me up. The situation’s very stressful for all of us in the workplace and people are talking very openly about mental health and the pressures on their mental health, so that applies to Kylie too? Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Yes! Everyone’s having to deal with whatever they’re having to deal with. I’ve never felt further from home, from Australia. Australia’s far but I already felt very fortunate that I have the means to go there without giving notice at work for too long or sort the kid’s schooling… I had that luxury to say « I really need to go home, I can buy a ticket » and now I don’t have that, and it was the first thing that really got me. So, you’ve struggled like many other people? Yes! Now we’re trying to find a new « normal », trying to traverse these new waters. Of course I was able to work and I’m so thankful for so many things, but in my own way yes, we’ve all had to deal with this. Obviously, I feel more for everyone else, but we have to acknowledge some of the changes and the things you’re going through. Any prospects of getting back home? Australia was doing so well earlier in the year that I’d though « I’ll get my album released and I’ll go back to Australia and everything’s going to be great » but Melbourne and Victoria, have just gone through it and I feel so helpless for my family. They are not through it yet so they’re looking at maybe another week and then some easing of the restrictions. Again, we just cannot take anything for granted or presume anything. Who knows?... You’re set to break a record and quite an astonishing one. Oh my God, I’m so nervous about that! Yes, I might be. It’s always excitement and nerves with any album release and the fact that there is this statistic, I can’t even tell you what it is, I only half hear it and I know it’s there but… You’d be the first female solo artist to have a number one album across five consecutive decades. How does that make you feel? Excited, nervous, astonished for sure, how did that happen? And as
I’m asking myself that I have little snapshots of bits and pieces through 30 plus years and I’m just seeing myself, my first video, my first song, just being so excited to make a record. Yes, it would be amazing, it’s still amazing. I’m here, talking about a new album, and yes it’s a strange world right now. I feel so grateful and it’s a privilege to be able to find that way into people’s homes or into their lives or their stories. It may sound corny but that’s the ultimate moment of what I do. And it’s that longevity which is still a rare thing in the music industry in the UK which is extraordinary, isn’t it? I was probably meant to be a one hit wonder, I must have been written off so many times, I know I have been but I like what I do, I’m always learning, there’s always something new to learn, new people to meet, new songs to make. It’s the same notes and people write new songs all the time. Even with a song I know, the second it goes to radio, it’s different to me, it’s the same record but it sounds completely different, so to be on the verge of releasing more music, yes I get nervous. You have been privileged to see how things have radically changed within the music industry. Have they got better for female artists or are you still fighting for parity? I think in general, it’s better because people are talking about it. It definitely has made me look back at my history, with a slightly different lens and try to investigate. I really asked myself when and where I had been subject to sexism... I’ve had to fight my own fight, and the highs are great and we can celebrate them but they just don’t exist without riding the lows. It’s not been too bad for me, I would say it’s just more general but I hope that I inspire other women to do this (job). I had my heroes as a young girl; I was dancing to Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cindy Lauper... There were females in the industry to look up to, granted there were more men, but I guess I looked mostly at 77 www.kylie-world.com
the women, and Prince and Adam Ant, OK, a few of the guys as well (laughs). I would have to go back to the way I was raised. Because it’s a topic of discussion now, my mum will remind us « you do what you want » so I never felt that there were issues, at least in my personal round, that I had to hurdles I had to get over. As a woman in your fifties, do you feel that the world is a better place for women who are older? You were just in a photoshoot with Vogue and that is one industry that is addressing the problem. They are going for gender, age, race, diversity like never before. You can see the change on morning TV, in the papers, in the magazines, in the billboard, you see it and it’s a beautiful thing! Diversity, inclusion and less judgment and I’ve definitely been on the receiving end of that. It’s no fun having to justify who you are and why you should be there. Maybe six years ago or so, I just was being asked the question all the time! I was then 44/45 « How do you feel being a woman? », « When should you stop being sexy? », « When should you not wear this? » and I was like « I don’t know the answer, just stop asking me this question! ». I then addressed that in the song « Golden »: we can’t make ourselves older and we can’t make ourselves younger, we just are who we are at any given point in time. It’s great to not have to explain the obvious anymore, it’s refreshing. You’re in a good place now though, you’re making music and you look great! The looks might be one thing; I am 52 so things do get more difficult. After filming a video or a photoshoot I’m like « I got through the day OK » but the next day no. I kind of go one step at a time up the stairs at home and I wonder if it’s my age or because of lockdown because I actually haven’t done anything during that time, and suddenly it’s Zero to Hero. So yes, things change but you have to accept that and just adapt. Accept and adapt. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Interviews • Sept/Oct
BBC RADIO 2 september 25th, 2020 united-kingdom BBC Radio 2 have publicly said that they LOVE « Magic ». They interviewed Kylie about it on Friday 25th September, the day after it was played for the first time on that same radio station. When you look at your career, how do you continue it so successfully? I know that you work hard. Yeah! Sometimes I think « Hmmm I did Ok » but I always think there’s more to do. That’s incredible! You’re doing it with more enthusiasm than ever. I think I do, it’s what I love to do, it’s pretty much the only thing I’m good at. There’s always a new challenge and sometimes you get it right, sometimes it’s not quite right. Where do you think you work ethic comes from? It must come from the family; my dad worked a couple of jobs to keep us three kids going, not that we ever felt the pressure of that as kids, then, I think, starting at 11 years old in a TV show and then more consistently from 16, and then into Neighbours when I was 19… I’m really thankful for that experience where you’re part of a team, you know your lines, you do your job, you go home you repeat the next day and everyone has their part to play. We try to get it done, to make it fun and yes it can be a strain sometimes but I love it. Sometimes I do say to my team « That’s it! I can’t, I just can’t » and they’d go « Oh, let’s talk about this tomorrow, shall we? » (Laughs).
There are some serious beats on the album and also on « Magic » as well. It was so exciting to hear the first live play yesterday with Zoe and hear the chorus of it, and just speaking to you about it is exciting! I would imagine that when you recorded this, you were just dancing the whole time in the studio? A bit of dancing and also going « Man, this song is quite high! Ok, concentrate to get up to the top ». We recorded it late last year, so it makes it all the more exciting to finally be able to share it with people but yes, I have definitely had a dance since and I’m always curious to see other people’s dance moves. What about the downtime? In our household, « Married At First Sight - Australia » is our guilty pleasure. Is it something you put your PJ’s and your slippers on for? I’ve never seen it. I know it’s really popular, I don’t know if I wanna open that can of worms. I really liked « Money Heist ». One of my producers was watching it and my other writer was watching as well, so to get involved in the conversation, I had to get on that. I’m enjoying « Ghosts » at the moment and I’m excited for the second series of that. I nearly fell off the sofa when I was mentioned in the first series. One of the guys started reciting « I Should Be So Lucky »! I sent a message to the producers to say I was really chuffed about that. 78 www.kylie-world.com
Going back to the album, I know you’ve co-written all the songs. How did it work? Ok so « Magic » came in as a demo, which I completely fell in love with, and when I went in to do the vocals for that, I was able to help finish-off the song, so that was a late involvement. Other ones like « Say Something » again we started last year and there were just four of us in the room. I would say the majority of the rest of the album was written in lockdown, so it was on Zoom. It starts with lyrics or it starts with a beat or a vibe from the producer, kind of all different ways really, but I love writing and creating, it’s just such a thrill to start the day with nothing and then end-up with something. It may not be the song that is the next song but it is all part of the process. I’m presuming that we will be able to get hold of some serious mixes of the songs? Yes, there’s some planned for « Magic » so I’m looking forward to that. Oh, and I just wanted to ask you about your wines! It is such a fun project, and I think people are really into it. The most important thing when I met the team which is a very small team that come out of the bigger companies - is that it’s very familial and that we wanted to try to deliver something that you’re really get a surprise of how good it is.
Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Interviews • Sept/Oct
Table Manners sEPTEMBer 28TH, 2020 united-kingdom English singer-songwriter and podcaster Jessie Ware hosts a weekly podcast about food, family, and the beautiful art of having a chat, direct from her very own dinner table. This podcast, produced with her mum Lennie, exists since 8 November 2017 and is called « Table Manners ». Each week, guests from the world of music, culture or politics drop in for a bite and a bit of natter. On 28th September, the guest was no other than our favourite Australian lady and the least we can say is the podcast was super cool and funny. I loved every minute of it! It all started on Jessie’s socials that morning when she posted the picture below. Of course, fans quickly identified Kylie because they had seen paparazzi photos of her a few days before wearing the same electric pink dress.
Then, when putting the podcast online, here is what Jessie Ware wrote : « This is big. This is huge!!! The one and only ultimate pop princess and style icon arrived in Clapham, followed by paparazzi on a hump day. Kylie was the first concert I ever went to and we named our guinea pigs after her (and Jason) so who can blame me for the fangirl situation! Kylie tells us all about her upbringing in Australia and her journey to fame, where Charlene’s famous overalls are now & how she’ll only have a questionable half sized cup of tea. As if we couldn’t love her anymore, she arrived with a special delivery of her delicious wines @kylieminoguewines - We should be so lucky!! ».
*** Jessie Ware was nervous. As said, her first ever concert was a Kylie Minogue concert at Docklands in 1991. In her house, Kylie has been loved forever (her mum watched Neighbours when she was pregnant). That night, Lennie was cooking halibut in butter and olive oil pan-fried, butter beans in salsa verde and spinach cooked the « Italian way ». The Wines Kylie told Jessie she had started 79 www.kylie-world.com
drinking more rosé in the last few years, that this is a journey to learn about wine and that it’s been fascinating so far. She really likes the team of three people she’s working with, they work really well together. Kylie brought some KM Cote de Provence (CDP) for the diner, she apparently doesn’t drink other wines, and she’s not a big drinker anyway. Kylie wanted to handle the wine release sensitively because of the timing and a lot of people going through tough times. If the wine had come out last year, there would have been a launch, a party, a frivolous kind of thing, but it was this year so they did a soft launch and let people just get to know it. The gays love the wine, they are big supporters, it’s lovely to see pictures of them, home alone having a meal or with their bubble friend or at the park. Promotion for « Disco » They talked about the promotion being different; Kylie said that not flying around like a maniac felt quite odd but also nice. Who cooks in the family? Kylie’s mum was mostly doing the cooking in Melbourne, which was pretty standard as she had three kids to feed every day, but in the last 20 years she’s gotten better, doing sushi rolls for example. Kylie’s brother Brendan and sister Dannii are great cooks, and Paul, her boyfriend, is also good at cooking. That’s one of the things they do together, and Paul also helped Kylie build her confidence by saying « just do it ». Kylie states it’s a lovely thing to cook together but we find out that she sends him out to do the big shopping. « Dannii’s a good cook, she’s the one who is in deep. She could have her own podcast and TV show ».
The LGBTQ Fans Kylie stated that the LGBTQ community followed her almost from the beginning, around 1991. One day she was in Sydney working and when passing by one of the main Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
streets where the most famous gay clubs are, someone said to her that there was a Kylie night on that night, and she’d never heard of such a thing. She wanted to go but her manager refused, which is fair enough, but that night she was made aware these Kylie nights existed and were quite something. Since then, she has been to Kylie nights, one night, she ended up taking a picture with four other Kylies – big Kylies and her – and she stated she was « the least Kylie of all the Kylies » and that it was hilarious. About the picture, she says that it looks like she shouldn’t be there. How did Dannii and Kylie become involved in singing and performing? When Kylie was about 11 years old, Dannii went to a song and dance town school. Around 7 to 9 years old, Kylie wanted to be in Abba, there was Grease, she was already a pop addict and then at the age of 10 in 1978, there was disco, it was all about Donna Summer, the Bee-Gees, Abba. She loved music and didn’t really think about acting. Actually, she was never even in school plays. Then her mum had an acquaintance who worked in the casting department of a production company and they were looking for a young girl for a TV role and Carol was asked if she would bring Dannii and Kylie in even though they’d had no experience. So Carol took them in, Kylie was 11 years old and got the role in a show called The Sullivans. The weirder part is that before they started filming that, the same production company asked if Kylie could do one day’s work for another series and Jason Donovan was her brother in that show, that’s when they first met, and they didn’t meet again before Neighbours which was years later. So she did those acting roles and didn’t act again until she was 16. She’d just mentioned to her mum that she’d really like to do that again, but her mum wanted her to have at least her diploma. In the interim, Dannii had become part of a show called Young Talent Time which is like Mickey Mouse
club. One day, one of her parents just called the production company and it so happened that they were casting for another show, so she auditioned for it, dressed-up as the character for that role (Henderson Kids), and the work lasted about six months, and that’s when the bug got Kylie. Then she got her diploma and nothing at school sounded appealing to her, she just wanted to act and started taking some singing lessons at the week-ends with a little bit of money that she had. She made a demo tape when she was 17, and actually found a copy of the tape recently and played it on this vintage walkman that she got, but she’s scared to play it again in case it breaks. Kylie states that she sounds like a little mice, singing « Dim all the lights » by Donna Summer, « Just Once » by Quincy Jones and « New Attitude » by Patty Label, because that’s what she was into. The practical side of her was thinking that this would help for acting, but that she did harbour the bedroom dream of being a pop singer but she didn’t know how to get into that path. About touring and working hard « There’s not much I haven’t ridden (lol), the angel, the horse, you name it, and I’ve done it in stupid heels, trying to sing at the same time. It’s the things that no one would imagine that are hard ».
chine, because she likes good coffee: « so don’t give me some crap ». Also, funny fact, Kylie often asks for « half a cup of tea », because there’s no time for a whole cup of tea to cool down, you get one sip of tea and then you forget about it. « Half a cup of tea solves the problem because it cools down faster ».
One particular memorable meal « I am a foody, I get really excited about simple things but good things. I’ve been to Portofino a few times and there’s a langoustine restaurant called « Da Ö Batti » and Oh My God. I can’t even explain it, I’ve been there four times and I dream of going back there, and of course it’s a secret recipe ».
What her dream meal would be before going to a desert island (starter, main, desert and drink?) The starter would be asparagus, just grilled, with salt, pepper and oil. The main dish would be the langoustines from the Portofino restaurant. The desert would be something flourless and with dark chocolate (Kylie loves dark chocolate!). The drink would be the KM Côtes De Provence.
Indeed people generally know that touring is gruelling and that you can’t even have any other fun, and trying to travel from A to B in heels, to do quick changes, to do all that you can to try and get a sip of water in… that’s hard too. Kylie often thinks that she should really give herself a break but then again, she’s missed touring this year. She’s used to having this low level of fairly consistent adrenaline and to not have had that this year was strange. Post-tour depression is a classic thing.
Does she have some regrets within her career? Yes she does, and it’s quite difficult to name them. « It’s more like a little bit here, a little bit there, wish I hadn’t have done that, wish I had done that differently, I could have done that better... Mostly a perfectionist, there are some areas, when I’m really on the fence about something, it can go either way. I’m not sure how correct I am in saying, in the last five/ten years, I don’t let things slide; but if I look back to some things in the past, I have the idea that haven’t always spoken up, especially when I was young, even though I was very successful ».
What is she like in « real » life? Kylie says that she’s boring, she just needs a kettle and a coffee ma-
Jessie noted that sometimes in the music industry women have to feel « apologetic » if they disagree with
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Interviews • Sept/Oct something, although she is finding it easier now that she has more confidence. To which Kylie replied: « Thankfully, it does feel like it’s changing, and sure if you get younger people on this show, it would be great to know how they feel about it - not that they know what to compare it to as experience, but what they’ve read about, heard about - but it does seem like the younger girls now have stronger voices ».
Kylie then added : « I think one of the reasons it worked well for me, I didn’t know any different, they were unashamedly and rightly so called « The Hit Factory » and I came from a soap opera, « I was written out of neighbours, it would take two weeks to travel from Australia to here, they’d have to write « Charlene goes to Brisbane or something » ». There was a period where I was doing both Neighbours and music, and that became too difficult so I left Neighbours to pursue music. I didn’t know anything about songwriting, barely knew anything about singing and performing. It was like playing a character and doing what was asked of me. In the kind of 5 years with them and me, going from a 19 year-old to early twenties, I wanted to be with them in the room rather than in the waiting room until they were ready. That’s just the way it was ».
Nowadays, she would go into the studio any day because she loves it. Kylie then congratulated Jessie on her album (she added one of Jessie’s songs, « Soul Control », to her « Infinite Disco » playlist) and told Jessie they should write together one day, that she would love that, and Jessie agreed that they should, before adding : « When I made « What’s Your Pleasure? », I felt like I was pretending to be Debbie Harry and Kylie Minogue, and I felt like you should have been doing the second verse ».
Kylie answered : « Why didn’t you call me? I only live over the river ». and Jessie’s answer was : « I don’t know, maybe I should have, but you’re fucking Kylie! ».
Jessie’s VHS Memory « I had the VHS of you, it was « Kylie on The Go », where you were playing the piano and I remember you had the most amazing Mozart-esque sleeves, do you remember you had a white blouse, and I’ve always dreamed about this blouse. That would probably be my Prince fantasy ».
« Maybe I had a waistcoat, like a vest with it, with some embroidery and probably massive earrings and curly hair ».
Where are the gold hotpants? The shorts are with pretty much all my costumes, and my performing things and memorabilia that I donated to the performing arts museum in Melbourne, so if I hit tough times I have nothing to sell, no hotpants, Charlene’s overalls, all the showgirl stuff. I loved my overalls and I love that Charlene was feisty. What kind of food are you missing from Australia? The food there is excellent. My mum’s food or when we’re all together, barbecues. Kylie, diner party, five guests, who are you inviting? Paul Newman, because he’s gorgeous. I think everyone wants Marilyn at their diner party.
If « Disco » gets a tour « My dream for this tour would be to perform in the round, which I’ve never really done, and to have the world’s biggest disco ball above and make like a big love fest, so we’ll see. I don’t want to think about it too much it’s so sad ». About gardening during lockdown Yes, Kylie took-up gardening during lockdown: « I did try growing vegetables; I got some tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans… I got quite into it ».
However, she admitted her results haven’t been too successful. « And then a squirrel attacked everything and that was that ».
Australian Home? When asked by Jessie if England would be her home forever, Kylie answered : « When Paul’s there. He’s a Welshman but he’s been in London for almost twenty years, there’s just not going to be an Australian home. I have a British passport and an Australian passport. Some people forget I’m Australian actually. The Brits have adopted me. I like people, I like kindness, and I believe kindness comes back to you ». 81 www.kylie-world.com
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Interviews • Sept/Oct The album « Disco » heaves with floor fillers and party-starters such as « Real Groove », « Monday Blues », « Last Chance » and Kylie’s favourite « Dancefloor Darling » that pay homage to every golden age of dance music, and they deserve to be playlisted everywhere.
music week october 12th, 2020 united-kingdom Kylie graces the cover of Music Week magazine Q4 special edition which includes a new interview and some new pictures. We hope you grabbed your copy Lovers! If you didn’t (or if you couldn’t because you don’t live in the UK, like us) we’ve summarized it all for you. Music Week first reminds us that the highlight of the « Golden Tour » was the Studio 54 section, where Kylie reconnected with her pop-disco heartland via classics such as « On A Night Like This » and « Spinning Around ». Kylie stated: « That section was the home stretch, when you’re digging deep, the adrenaline’s taking over and the finish line’s in sight each night. I absolutely loved it and, suddenly, I just knew I wanted to spend more time there. After « Golden » and the « Greatest Hits », I just wanted to be on the dancefloor again ».
Despite the retro disco vibes of the new album, Kylie and her label are adamant it’s a step forward, rather than another « Step Back In Time ». « It was really important that we came back with something that turned people’s heads. Kylie’s known to some extent for making disco records, but she’s not made
any real dance music in some years now. And, bearing in mind what’s gone on in the world over the last six months, it feels absolutely on message in-terms of what people need ». says Jamie Nelson, BMG UK’s VP, A&R, whose working relationship with Kylie goes back as the album « Light Years » (Parlophone). Of course, there’s a certain irony in Kylie embarking on making a spectacular, non-stop dance party of an album just as almost every club on the planet was forced to close its doors. Kylie said that she did wonder at one point if it was viable or just unpalatable? but Jamie tested the waters in a few different places and it came back with « Yeah, we really want the new music » and that gave Kylie the positive note that she needed. BMG’s VP of UK marketing, Gemma Reilly-Hammond reported that some of the streaming results they’ve seen early doors are really encouraging, way beyond what they had on « Golden ». She then added: « We’re really clear on best practice around Spotify, we’re regularly releasing music every four weeks and we’ve got remixes with really notable remixers to help with pulling in new audiences ». 82 www.kylie-world.com
BMG says Kylie’s cumulative streams are up by 183%, with a 101% uplift in Spotify followers to over 1.1m since the day « Golden » was released, even though Kylie admits she’s more old school: « I don’t understand a word Sam Hill (BMG senior director, digital marketing) is saying once he goes into digital land. He’s got me for the first four seconds then I’m gone. But they really want to make it work and I feel like they care. You either have that or you don’t, and I’m very lucky to have it ».
Polly Bhowmik of A&P Artist Management, who manages Kylie alongside Alli Main, is positive: « It’s all great pop music and it’s great to see pop music in the headlines. If Kylie manages to get the No.1, she’ll be the only female artist to have had No.1s in five different decades ».
Talking about the Kylie/Little Mix Chart Battle, Gemma Reilly-Hammond said : « I’m sure the media will make it into an old-fashioned chart battle. We’ve got our heads down, concentrating on doing our best job and continuing to think creatively and ambitiously about what we can achieve. We don’t have any control over the other camp, but it’s really healthy to have that there. If you come at it with the right headspace and attitude and enjoy it, it will ultimately bring a better result, because you’ve got that healthy Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
competition ». Kylie said : « Look, you’ve always got to be up against someone. As I’ve said to the team, that’s what we know at this stage but anyone could drop anything at any time and then you’ve got competition you were completely oblivious to. So let’s try and get things as right as possible and carry on doing what we’re doing ».
The actual interview started after Music Week stated all that. They talked about how the lockdown was for Kylie, about her doing her vocals herself, that it was a different experience making an album under those circumstances (basically like in the other interviews). They also mentioned the fact that Kylie’s songwriting lessons in Nashville would stay with her forever, that she had no idea last year that the disco sound was coming back into vogue. She stated that if we want to feel a little nostalgic but find some new dance moves as well then « Disco » is for us, that she never had a mentor (someone to advice her on a bunch of things) and that she would have loved to have one and that she had to learn everything on the job and in the public eye: « I would have loved to have someone to talk to about the psychological parts of the job and dealing with people, I think I would have found it very helpful ».
Here are some of the other questions she was asked (which are a bit different to what we’ve read so far). How does it feel to have made 15 albums? On the one hand I go, « Wow, 15 albums », and on the other I go, « That’s not so many! ». It’s weird. I got off to a good start - PWL was one every year, so I managed to get some pace in early.
How is it being on BMG? I first worked with Jamie in 1999. I met him and Miles Leonard at Parlophone and they were great, heady days – that was my full-on launch back into pop with « Spinning Around ». Jamie would not let go of « Spinning Around » until it was right – and he was right. He’s a fantastic A&R. He went elsewhere, I went elsewhere but we’ve come back together on this – he was really pivotal. You started off in the CD/cassette era. How do you feel about streaming? It seemed much simpler back then. I have a friend who used to work in a record store in Australia and she said she fudged the charts each week to help the band she absolutely loved. So it wasn’t foolproof! But at least there was a transaction at the till, there was a physical product… I listen to streaming, so I love it as a consumer, but where it puts me chart-wise and to understand who you’re reaching, that’s tricky. I know BMG are really making an effort to get more streaming for me but my audience is probably a bit like me, with one foot in the old world and one foot in the new world. So I’m doing as best as I can to move with the times.
remember saying to my family or my manager, « Who are these people? Where’s the person that we never get to see and would say never this to my face? ». Sometimes, the media were absolute bullies. You didn’t have social media where you could react, although I largely don’t react. It’s just the easiest thing to do. Maybe I was educated in that because I couldn’t in the beginning. So there’s tons of stuff that is different, but there are similar threads as well. You’d still have to deal with criticism.
Is it strange to not have hit singles in the same way anymore? Yeah, I’ve had to recalibrate my understanding of success in that way. You’re just able to let go and let the song do what it’s going to do - you’re never quite sure what it’s going to do, although you have your hopes for it. Success to me right now is being on playlists, being played on radio and just reaching people. I’ve got to just remember that and focus around the album. Are you glad there was no social media back then? I honestly don’t know how I would have dealt with that, but I do know it was difficult when there were nasty things written [in the media]. I’d check myself, were they being nasty or was I just taking it personally? But no, a lot of it was just nasty. Even back then, I 83 www.kylie-world.com
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uol october 16th, 2020 brazil Your very last concert before the pandemic was here in Brazil. How did it feel? I had no idea that it was the last concert that I would do. It was incredible. I can literally still hear the noise of the crowd. It was a lot of Brazilian love. Your new album is inspired by 70’s/80’s music, and it’s all about dancing and having fun but we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. What is the message you want to spread through your music? Sadly, I wish we could do this otherwise but it unifies us because we’re kind of all in this together. I started on the theme of disco last year, the beginning of this year, and then lockdown happened, I set-up a home studio and that was a whole thing in itself. I did ask myself the question « is it right to release an album? », especially an album called disco, but the important part that I reached thinking about it was « what do I achieve if I don’t release it » and the answer was easy « I don’t achieve anything ». I guess the message is, we still and I still need a place to escape to and to dream about and hopefully this album will do that. You’ve flirted with disco in the past, in other songs of yours, but, especially this year, there’s a lot of disco inspired songs by Dua Lipa, the
Weeknd, Miley Cyrus… All of which are fantastic! What is special about disco and the seventies, why do you think everyone is trying to remember that time and put that in new songs? I guess it’s really interesting for the younger generation exploring disco because they were further from it than I was. In the 2018 « Golden Tour », we had a section called the « Studio 54 », so that was creating my fantasy version of what Studio 54 might have been like, the imagery and the songs are so strong from that time and it’s about liberation, inclusion and escapism and all of these things that are quite fantastical but they do come from a place of need. Let’s just say it’s a good dream scape, but just reminding myself that a lot of the best disco songs ever, if you think of some of the best disco songs ever like Gloria Gaynor’s « I will survive » it’s actually from a dark place, and a difficult place so it’s through that adversity that they created this beautiful thing called disco, so I tried to do my version of that. Your fanbase here is really massive. But what is your connection to our country, have you ever listened to any Brazilian music, do you like anyone, did you have the chance to meet someone? I actually really didn’t meet anyone; my last trip was so fast. I did manage 84 www.kylie-world.com
to go out for a couple of diners locally which was really good. The first time I went to Brazil must have been in 1990, I shot the « Celebration » video there, and it was just so exotic to me. It was a trip of a lifetime, I took my girlfriend with me, so I had my friend to hang out with whilst working as well, and then I had a couple of trips for film conventions and a couple of concerts. The passion, the rhythm and the exuberance in Brazil, it’s impossible not to love. This is your fifteenth studio album, and you are one of the most solid pop acts in music. When you look back did you think you would become such an icon? No. The short answer is no. I may have dreamt about it, or had a daytime fantasy about it, maybe not being an icon, but certainly being a singer, being a pop singer. I do recall around that time I had this little daydream that the father who lived next door was a record producer and would hear me sing. It’s a slightly embarrassing thing to confess, but I do remember that. I pretended to be Olivia Newton John, I did have those dreams, and then after my first record, I was really excited to be in the industry and had to learn everything about the job. But to be here 30 plus years later, there’s no way I could have thought that far in advance or thought that big, no. It’s so incredible to think that you and other artists with so many years of career and a long path in this industry are still releasing music that’s so fresh to everyone, and have so many young people still listening and enjoying. How does it feel? I think it’s a very tough competition in this industry with a lot of new artists popping up every now and then? How does it feel to be a part of this until now ? It’s still very exciting, I have to admit it confuses me sometimes, I don’t understand the charts anymore, there are so many more platforms, I’m trying to play catch-up with that but at a certain point, I just hand that over to the label and just focus on what I feel is my zone. Get in the studio, make the songs, and then Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
put the images to then connect with people. But we’re a long way from the old days, I’m like learning maths at school. That’s long gone, so yes, there’s a lot of competition, but I think if you love the industry, you love that as well. If there’s great music out there or music that’s inspiring you, it’s gotta be a good thing. People usually say that music in the past was better than now. Do you feel that way somehow?
What do you enjoy listening to nowadays? And how do the new artists inspire you? Is it better? I don’t know. It’s easy to say that it is better because you’ve got more memories and emotions attached to them, they just have more depth by the fact that they’ve been around for a long time, and they’ve stood the test of time. If we’re still listening to « Freak Out » by Chic or « Love To Love You Baby », they’re good and they have that depth, but new
music is totally exciting. I don’t know how many examples there would be of new music that has no connection to anything in the past, I don’t know if that’s possible, so there will also be that link. When I heard Jessie Ware’s album, it’s beautiful and you can hear all the references and they’re a comfort but done with a modernity and with a new take. That seems to be the sweet spot right now.
papel pop october 23RD, 2020 brazil I wanna know if you are already missing us here in Brazil. Yes of course. March 6th is burnt into my memory, it’s the last concert I did and it was incredible. Your concert here was our last memory of fun in a crowded place so it’s also very emotional for us. The couple of weeks leading up to the gig, I was anxious and would keep calling my team and asking « are we still going? ». There was that uncertainty. I am so thrilled that we were able to visit you. The only thing that we didn’t prepare for was the sound of the crowd! I’m sure you have a lot of performers just being blown away by that and I think the first four or five songs I was like « I literally can’t hear anything [of what I’m singing] », it was incredible and amazing. When you performed here, I could
see you were genuinely happy. Can you describe the energy of performing because it’s like you are observing the love we give to you. There’s a ton of love from Brazil and it’s such a thrill for me to be on that stage and sharing that moment. I don’t get to visit very often and who knows when the next time will be, but it’s a crazy love, I adore it, and I love being on stage, being with my team, my crew… It is hard work obviously but it’s a bit like your school camp, you’re all in it together. It’s a really nice synergy and to have an audience like the Brazilian audience, it’s great. I’m curious about what you ate here; I’ve heard you loved a very popular dish here in Brazil in the restaurant next to your hotel. Can you remember what you ate? I do remember it was a famous chef, I’m sorry I don’t remember what 85 www.kylie-world.com
it was called but it was delicious. I always try to leave the hotel and go to a restaurant and I would normally ask the local peeps to recommend somewhere where they would go. You were eating a Picadinho. It was chopped meat and maybe an egg, with cheese bread? Yes that would be it, it was delicious. There were almost like little donut, and yes there was cheese bread! It was cheat night, I was like « just give it all to me, I’ll eat it all ». Let’s talk about « Disco », it’s the 15th album of your career, right? If people hadn’t told me and you would ask what number album this is, I would probably go « I’m not really sure » but yes it’s my fifteenth. Fifteen albums, three decades of career, it’s a lot. Only a few artists come this way. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Yes, there are not so many and I would not have imagined that this would be my story. I know what it takes from me and what I give to it, but it would have been the stuff of dreams and it’s a reality. I’ve heard like five tracks already and I’m blown away. It’s funky, it’s groovy and it’s all about the disco but it’s also a very mature pop record, how happy are you with it? I’m so please that people are now slowly starting to hear it! The day it comes out and everyone can just press play and listen to the album from start to finish, I will be beside myself, I will be so happy. I said last year it would be grown-up disco, because grown-ups need to have fun as well. But I definitely can track my journey to this album from the 2018 « Golden Tour », from the Studio 54 section, I loved being in that world, everyone had kind of a sassy attitude, I loved the gold dress, I wanted to expand upon that. The album is about to reach everyone which is extraordinary. Now everyone’s doing disco inspired albums (Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware) but that’s not something new for you because 20 years ago you were releasing « Light Years ». What do you love so much about disco music? I didn’t ask myself that when I was making the record. Doesn’t everyone love disco? I know things come and go, and the fashion of pop will be something else next and then we’ll go back to « Disco ». I fell in love with it when I was a kid, I love Abba’s looks, and they are basically forever inspirations. Then I was kind of clubbing in the 90’s which is the same thing as a disco with a different name, and then Daft Punk basically reinvented disco and that was a game changer, I nearly wore out my Daft Punk CD. So, there are different versions of disco, and I have my version, like « Spinning Around », which is a dance song. Your « pop sweet disco », that’s what I call your music.
Or sometimes it’s melancholy for sure like « All the Lovers » and « Say Something » but for this album it was mostly coming from a place of escapism and celebration. I love it when you collaborate. One of my all time favourite songs is your duet with Nick Cave. Can we just talk about that for a week because I love it.
ld, it was a moment in time that will always be with me, I’ll always be thankful, I’ll always miss him. From what I hear, the documentary is a good opportunity for people who didn’t know him beyond that « bad boy of rock » image, which is not the way to describe him, there was so much more to him, and I do look forward to seeing it.
I could talk about it for a year because it’s so beautiful... How do you choose someone you want to collaborate with? It could have been with Dua Lipa maybe, Jessie Ware… More often I’ve dueted with men than with women, I had a duet with Tove Lo last year which was fantastic. She’s awesome and I’m a huge fan, but in the case of Nick Cave : he had this idea and thankfully we were able to do it, and every experience I’ve had with him have been so beautiful and elevated, and he’s a gorgeous person, so I’m so fond of that song. It just turned 25 years old and I nearly fell off my chair. I get if it’s my song and there’s always anniversaries, but it’s quite different when it’s a duet that’s 25 years, I though « I’ve known Nick for 25 years, that’s incredible! ». I’d love to talk about the Michael Hutchence documentary « Mystify ». It was so beautiful seeing you together, that footage was so powerful. I know you talk about him a lot but seeing that was bigger than your words to describe him. Was it emotional for you to watch? I have not seen the documentary. I’ve seen my part. I just haven’t seen it yet. I don’t actually know what’s stopping me. I’m just waiting for the right quiet moment to watch it, I hear it’s beautiful, I knew it would be beautiful and respectful because I know the director and that’s why I felt comfortable to share that footage with him. It’s really moving just to see us both, we both look so young, I look like a baby, and to think that I was « whisked » away by this guy and discovering the wor86 www.kylie-world.com
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Interviews • Sept/Oct
ESQUIRE october 21st, 2020 united-kingdom In a year of plague, turmoil, and hardship, Minogue returns with another musical hedonistic escape-just as the genre is experiencing a third wave. Thank God.
But Minogue’s latest, which debuts November 6, is the most on the nose. Its title: « DISCO ». « In for a penny, in for a pound ».
she says of the title. It’s a late-summer afternoon in London, where Kylie Minogue, one of the grande dames of pop, is philosophizing about disco music. It’s transformative, she explains, because if you’re in the right frame of mind, the music can carry you away on its signature bass lines and horn sections. « When you’re at a club and you’re surrounded by people, you can still just shut your eyes and feel like you’re the only person on the dance floor ». she tells me. « Or you can be the only person in a room and feel like you’re out, surrounded by all this energy ».
I am talking to Minogue because in this tumultuous year, disco is experiencing a renaissance. Minogue is among several artists with new albums in 2020 that sound as if they’re echoes of the 1970s. Newly minted superstar Dua Lipa and pop chameleon Lady Gaga each put out chart-topping records this spring that served as bombastic revivals. Doja Cat cracked the top 40 with her single « Say So », an undeniable Chic callback. Jessie Ware’s latest is a steamy retro embrace, and even R&B’s King of the Underworld, The Weeknd, toyed with Technicolor production on his 2020 set, « After Hours ».
« Let’s just say what it is ».
It makes sense that the genre is seeing a revival in this god-awful year. Disco - born on Valentine’s Day 1970 in New York City - was pure fantasy, a strobe-lit, sexfuelled response to the late- ’60s uproar and civil unrest. The fouron-the-floor beats invited revellers into a new decade, one in which the dance floors never cleared and the parties never stopped. Incorporating salsa, pop, funk, and soul, it promised not just inclusion but liberation under the mirror ball. As long as you were down to hustle, pump, and duck, it was all groovy, baby. Now, at the dawn of another new decade, with enough crises and death to make the ’60s feel almost quaint, the prospect of beaming into an alternate existence - imagined or MDMA-induced - is irresistible. « It’s three minutes of escapism and euphoria ».
Minogue says of disco. « People need that ».
Minogue was two years old at the time of disco’s inception, but the Aussie was the foremost architect of its second coming. She scored her first hit in 1987 with a cover of « The 87 www.kylie-world.com
Loco-Motion », which topped the charts all over the world. Her self-titled debut LP arrived a year later and was effectively the birth of what people eventually called nu-disco. The resurgence burbled through-out the mainstream in the late 1990s and early aughts with releases from Jamiroquai (« Canned Heat »), Madonna (« Confessions on a Dance Floor »), and Daft Punk (« One More Time »). Even U2 wanted to flirt: « Lemon », from the band’s 1993 record, « Zooropa », is bathed in ’70s nostalgia. Minogue followed her debut with five albums in eight years, collaborated with fellow Aussie Nick Cave, and starred in films opposite JeanClaude Van Damme, Pauly Shore, and Stephen Baldwin. « DISCO » is as much an ode to the 6:00 a.m. set as it is a musical mission statement for the star, one of the biggest-selling female artists in history, with just as many honorifics as awards. The album is a return to everything she’s ever done well in song: gooey melodies, sheeny production, spell-binding reverie. In meetings with her creative team and co-writers, which began in person last fall before moving online as London went into coronavirus lockdown, Minogue says she kept everyone on track by routinely pulling up videos of Earth, Wind & Fire. She knew they were onto something when her longtime collaborator Biff Stannard called her in tears after finishing the sparkling lead single, « Say Something ». It was the first week of Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
mandated quarantine, and London was eerily silent. « We were barely breathing ».
she says of the pervasive feeling— but the track cut through. Hearing his reaction : « made me cry ».
she says. « Not just out of sadness, but that hope within the sadness. It’s that sweet spot of tears on the dance floor ».
Minogue’s twinkling plea for unity and togetherness did the same for me. The song became my soundtrack to a summer spent at home, blaring in the kitchen, the backyard, or the living room fashioned into a workout studio. It lined the make-believe concerts of my mind, drumming up anticipation for the crowds that will (hopefully) gather in 2021 and, more than once, despair from missing the throngs of people of years past. It prompts the existential question the entire genre faces as it resurfaces: What is dance music without a dance floor? Disco was born in the club, and when it returned in the early 2000s, it did so as the large-scale festival exploded in America. (DaftPunk’s 2006 « Coachella » set is widely considered the best show the event has ever seen.) But, at least for the time being, any revelry is currently confined to quarantine bubbles and at-home stereos. The clubs are closed, the event calendars cleared. It’s an oddity Minogue acknowledges. « It’s a kitchen disco ».
she says. « It’s your lounging disco. A virtual disco ».
Reality may be damned, in other words, but the daydream lives on.
Entertainment weekly october 21st, 2020 usa Kylie spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her forthcoming record. Here’s the interview. In its early stages, Kylie publicly described her 15th album as disco for grown-ups. « I didn’t even really know what I meant ».
The Australian icon clarifies with a laugh. But when the pandemic forced the artist to finish 90% of the project in her home studio, she gained a much firmer grasp on its themes of escapism. « Even grown-ups need to have fun. Grown-ups can dance like they’re still 17 ». she says. « I’m realistic but hopeful. I don’t think it’s an album of throwaway subject matter; even if it feels like singing about the dance floor, it still has its place ».
Amid global strife, Kylie is well aware that the album’s euphoric soundscape lands at a « slightly odd » time when dancing together at a club remains a far-off dream, but she hopes listeners will work out the ethos of the moment through the art of the groove. And she’s made it 88 www.kylie-world.com
easy on « Disco », tracing the genre’s evolution from the ’70s through the 2000s, with ethereal piano keys melting into brass (« Magic »), talk box effects (« Miss a Thing »), slithering ’80s strings (« Real Groove »), and even self-referencing sounds that nod to her own hand in shaping disco’s modern revival on albums like « Light Years » and « Fever ». « Disco » isn’t just a roadmap for the genre’s progression, it also marks a turning point for Kylie as a master of her own music. After the spread of COVID-19 put a brief halt on recording, she took control and set up a personal booth in her London home’s posh lounge room, admittedly referring to herself as a « guinea pig » for production: « It was lots of off the clothes rack, moving the clothes rack, moving the duvet... It was pretty DIY, usewhat-you-can ». she recalls with a laugh […]. « We realized this isn’t going to be perfect, but we’re passionate about this and will do our best to make it work ».
Those raw, borderline improvised moments opened the floodgates for Minogue to explore a new side of herself as a lyricist, making « Disco » Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
Interviews • Sept/Oct a progressive dive into new narrative territory unlike anything she’s done before. « There’s a song called « Celebrate You », it’s about a person, Mary. It came about on one of the last days before lockdown. We knew we weren’t going to see each other in the studio for a while ». she explains, suggesting that the unorthodox circumstances prompted a bold risk: telling a story in the third-person. « This is quite new for me in that, when you hear the song, you might ask the same question like, « Who’s Mary? ». We don’t actually know, but she’s all of us. She’s anyone who’s feeling a bit down and needs to know that we’re loved or that you’re more than enough. I can’t think of a song of mine in the past that is that direct, even though that person is any number of people ».
But « Disco » is more to Kylie than a gateway to shimmying catharsis for stir-crazy fans. Recounting days spent losing herself to the bliss of her father’s Donna Summer records, she feels the project represents her power in providing musical remedies of her own with a beat that’s long lived in her soul, ready to come out at the right moment in ways that are healing to listeners. « We didn’t want the lyrics to be too heavy-handed, but we couldn’t help but be aware of the relevance they had ».
she explains of songs like the optimistic subtle banger « Say Something », adding that her investment in delivering eclectic forms of relief is what kept her committed to the foreign genesis of the album. « When I was younger, I was successful before I had the experience. I was on the back foot for a long time. Now, I love utilizing the tools I have. I know which fuel to put in the engine. There’s drive to be successful and do good things, but to reach people and connect them, it means something. I wanted more of that ».
Bild am Sonntag october 26th, 2020 germany Guess what was asked to Kylie during this interview? Yep, she was asked what it was like to record her album during lockdown (we know the answer…), what she did during lockdown (gardening, and trying to soak up the sun as much as possible), and who takes care of her (Paul of course!). So we didn’t write this down again, we just listed the other questions and answers below (I really wish the press would change their questions every now and again…). How important is music in the currently difficult Corona period? I think people have a great need right now for music which reminds them of the good old days or of our wishes for the future, to go on the dance floor again or to meet people. What memories do you have of your time at the disco in the 80s and 90s? In the 90s my disco nights were pretty wild and long too. It often went on until 5 or 6 a.m., and then I moved on. I wish I still had that energy today! In the early 80s, as a young teenager, when I went to the disco for the first time, it was a « blue light » disco... What is it? Parties organized by the police. Police officers monitored the clubs where teenagers under the age of 18 were allowed in. So as a teenager I went to the disco with police protection (laughs). I still remember my parents taking me there and I said to them: « Don’t park right in front of the entrance! Please stop at 89 www.kylie-world.com
the corner, I’ll walk from there to the club by myself ». I was so embarrassed. I didn’t want any of my friends to see my parents. …And what about today? When people my age hear the word disco, certain images flicker in their memory. How to try to get to the disco for the first time, how to get refused by the bouncer, how to flirt with someone on the dancefloor for the first time, or how to go nuts over a song...? For me, the disco is a place where people are accepted, where they can be who they are or be anyone else. It’s a place where you can have a lot of imagination. At the moment, it’s more of a place we dream of. I hope it won’t be long before discos are part of our reality again. You hardly seem to age, you look almost exactly the same in your latest video as you did 20 years ago. What’s your secret? Do you exercise a lot and count calories? I don’t really diet. I eat normally, but always in small portions. But it can also happen that I forget to eat. Then suddenly I feel like I’m starving. I missed doing sports a lot this year. I was on tour in 2018 and 2019 and it’s a great way to stay fit. I usually do some yoga and climb up and down a lot of stairs. I’m not doing more at the moment. It takes two incredible makeup artists to look good! I try to take care of myself, eat healthy, have a good dermatologist and take care of my skin. But it always depends on whether I’m having a good day or not. Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
DRESS Nadya Dzyak 90 www.kylie-world.com
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JUMPSUIT SHOES
Off White
Chloé Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
BODY SHOES
David Koma Jimmy Choo 92 www.kylie-world.com
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DRESS Antony Price (1983) 93 www.kylie-world.com
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Gabbana David&Koma BODY DRESS Dolce SHOES
Pollini 94 www.kylie-world.com
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Victoria Beckham Koma BODY DRESS David SHOES
Aquazurra 95 www.kylie-world.com
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DavidRabanne Koma BODY Paco DRESS 96 www.kylie-world.com
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BODY Area DRESS 97 www.kylie-world.com
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PreenKoma By Thornton Bregazzi BODY DRESS David SUNGLASSES Gentle Monster 98 www.kylie-world.com
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DavidGermanier Koma BODY DRESS Kevin headPIECE BODY ROBE Area Judy Blame 99 www.kylie-world.com
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David Findikoglu Koma BODY Dilara DRESS 100 www.kylie-world.com
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DavidMarmo Koma DRESS BODY Taller 101 www.kylie-world.com
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BODY Max Mara COAT 102 www.kylie-world.com
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David De Koma Vincenzo TOP BODYMarco Kane David Koma skirt BODY Christopher SHOES BODY Aquazzura 103 www.kylie-world.com
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Meanwhile, on social media... â&#x20AC;¢ Sept/Oct
FACTS
LIFESTYLE
FACTS
FACTS
FACTS
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Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
LIFESTYLE FACTS
© Stefan Hanmor
AMEN
LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE
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Laeti, Sept/Oct 2K20
Kylie Reactions • Sept/Oct
What I imagine Kylie looked like when setting up her home studio with cables, cables, cables
Me reading all the gossip regarding Kylie
The migraine I have every single day when I get out of work
When you want to kiss someone but have to keep you distance
What I thought Kylie would look like in her « Magic » video
When I pretend not to hear what I’m told
Me in France on 7th November calling customer Service because I haven’t received « Disco » from the UK yet
My face when people don’t know who Kylie Minogue is
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Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
All Kylie fans when they receive their 9817 different formats of « Disco »
My face when people tell me they don’t like « Magic »
My reaction when I found out « I love It » was also gonna be released before « Disco »
When I hear « Say Something » and pretend to be Kylie in my living room
When I know that we’re only a few days away from the new album
When a radio station pretends to play Kylie just to get a video ID from KM
When Kylie is asked how her lockdown went for the 1000th time
Me every time Kylie posts a new photo of her on Insta
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Isa, Sept/Oct 2K20
The Kylie Times is made by Kylie World Website : www.kylie-world.com In partnership with Kylie Brasil Founder : Laetitia Berry Editorial : Laetitia Berry, Isabelle Marin Design : Laetitia Berry Translations : Laetitia Berry, Isabelle Marin, Junior Barreto, Deyse Reis Website : www.kylie-world.com Email : contact@kylie-world.com SPECIAL THANKS TO : A&P Management Isa for all the great work on this issue Junior and Deyse from Kylie Brasil Sol for the ÂŤ Disco Âť promo poster CREDITS : All photos belong to their authors respectively. Our last issue :