theKYLIE
TIMES December 2016
TOUR DIARIES : A Kylie Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall FOCUS : Kylie’s first pop-up shop !
INTERVIEW : A backstage look with Steve Anderson
HI LOVE (R)S! I was asked to write this month‘s editorial, and I could not be any happier about it... Let me say what I have on my mind (and mainly) heart quickly so I don‘t hold you back from reading what might be the best Kylie Times yet! Where do I even start... You don‘t need to know much about me to realize that my nickname is Miss Wouldn‘t Skip A Kylie Show. Literally. I have been making impossible happen to be everywhere since the second I first tasted this exciting lifestyle, and I am more than lucky to have found a friend who understood, and jumped onto the crazy journey with me. We have fulfilled our dreams together now and then, and became closer than soulmates, but finally, this year turned out to be very Kylie uneventful. On the other side, life changed drastically. I moved from Prague to NYC. As you can picture, it was such a big step which I truly needed, however it changed every single aspect of my existence...
Thinking about it back, I wasn‘t even given a chance to miss Kylie with all the new things I was learning to adapt. Anyway, as time was going by - fast, let me say I got to a position where I was standing in the corner and watching my best friends booking their tickets for RAH and planning all the exciting things they would do. Not being able to change anything (and not wanting to either), all left there for me was to accept the fact it would be without me. When my phone rang on december 10th at night, I couldn‘t have been any happier. It was such a bliss to listen to my best friend being all full of joy after the longest time, describing every detail of the show I had missed, and feeling that I was missed, too. And then, this moment came... I caught myself missing „the bubble“ and experiencing all the energy which comes within, even though I had forgotten what it felt like, and maybe even that it existed. I wish there were words to describe this... It will never stop amazing me how one little thing can change everything, and we are all so unbelievably lucky to have something in our lives that brings so much sparkle and makes us so happy. Here I am now, saying goodbye to 2016 with the last editorial, being all emotional and grateful. Even though the past months have been though sometimes, or at least different from what I was used to, it has made life real and relationships stronger. I am excited about The Kylie Times for the first time in ages. May this issue always remind me and you all what it is like to be inspired and motivated. Both me and Laeti are (FINALLY) back on track, and you better watch this space because K30 is gonna blow you away!
The cover picture of the Kylie Times was taken by Charlie Burgio, who took many pictures of Kylie Minogue during her show at the Royal Albert Hall. Charlie has also shared his pictures in a gallery, and you can find them out on his website : www.charlieburgio.com/kyliechristmas Do not hesitate to have a look, they are truly beautiful !
the KYLIE
TIMES
DECEMBER 2016, #14
6. Step back in time! Throwback calendrier I Should Be So Lucky 10. AMERICA IS (NOT) FOR LOVERS 13. A Kylie Christmas : promo 15. Kylie‘s Pop-Up Shop 18. MERCHANDISING 20. A backstage look with Steve Anderson 24. Tour Diaries : A Kylie Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall (Act 2) 28. News 30. Fashion 32. A meeting with Kylie 37. Quiz
#STEPBACKINTIME DECEMBER 1987 - 2015
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
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A
2015
B
2010
C
2007
D
1989
E
1988
F
2012
G
2008
H
1987
I
2000
J
2009
K
2008
L
2005
Can you put dates and pictures together?
You know, we do the throwbacks calendars every month, how about you do it for us this time? Who sends us a completed list with single/album/dvd/event title wins a price! (example: 12A - Kylie Christmas at RAH) Send us your answers to contact@kylie-world.com 7 www.kylie-world.com
En, december 2k15
THROWBACK SHE REALLY WAS LUCKY
aka the random story behind ISBSL!
I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky, IIIIII SHOULLLD BE SO LUCKY IN LOVEEEEE. We all love this one (and even if you don’t, you still kind of do, don’t you). Here‘s an old story we‘ve all heard a hundred times (or more), but it‘s always nice to remember...
1987, LONDON After the crazy and unexpected success of Loco-motion, Kylie was set to fly to London for a meet up with Stock Aitken Waterman, a well know, hit producing British team. Little did she know they’d forget her arrival… Yes, that’s exactly what happened. I Should Be So Lucky was written within 45 minutes while Kylie waited outside the recording studio. Obviously, they had just a little bit of an idea who Kylie was, and so they kinda guessed she might have been unlucky in love and wrote a song based on that. Well, what can we say… it worked. She recorded the song within an hour (as Stock says, she’s got some good memorisation skills and good music ear). Then she flew back home to continue working on Neighbours. That’s, my dear, less than two hours of work and we’ve got a hit. I don’t know how about you, but I feel like I haven’t spent my last two hours being progressive enough…
En, september 2k15
AMERICA IS (NOT) FOR LOVERS
FACTS: -CGYOOMH is Kylie‘s most selling US single -Loco-motion is the highest charting one - Come into my world received a Grammy - LAFS, Slow, I Believe in You and album X were Grammy nominated
It’s friday morning, the 9th of December. I’m lying in bed, an ocean away from Kylie stopping by at her pop up shop, all the fans getting their costumes ready and you know, all the excitement. Kylie adventures have been a bit harder to get to since the day I moved to New York. In general, life as a lover has changed much. Stanning Minogue and living out of UK or Australia sucks, but as an Eastern European, I was at least able to jump on a plane provided by some low-fare company and get to London within an hour and a half. But as a New Yorker now, the cheapest and easiest trip would still ruin me. Last Kylie happening over here was, if I remember right, the Fashion book signing somewhen in 2013… Being in a full-Kylie mode today, slightly depressed, I started thinking… Why is our Aphrodite goddess diva not famous in my current home town?
Loco-motion, the first single released nearly 30 years ago, still remains her highest charting one in the United states. It is also one from about five songs that an average american recognises when it comes on in a random radio somewhere. When asked who the singer is, it goes down the hill real fast again.
“Kylie, hmm… I’m so confused, isn’t that the young Kardashian? I didn’t know she sings?” The little percentage that do recall Minogue’s name still don’t understand why I go so crazy about her...
“She was for like a New York minute when she had that hit about a decade ago, though...i don‘t even remember what the name of it was.” They don’t know she dated INXS Legend Michael Hutchence in 80s, they don’t know she collaborated with Nick Cave in 90s, they
don’t know she successfully batteled breast cancer in 00s… They simply don’t get the story. Why is that? What does Kylie lack to be slaying the US when she clearly is more than huge on the other side of the world?
I tried googling. “Madonna. Britney Spears. We don’t need a hybrid version of these two.”
too smart. if she were this sweet and like Jessica Simpson maybe, but she has a brain.“
„Her career resurgence happened during the years when the US „The American mainstream do- music industry seemed to be quiesn‘t embrace pure dance music.” te strongly keeping their domestic market in their own hands. They „Maybe it‘s because she is not a weren‘t letting European artists big personality? Not controversial, through the airwaves at all dujailbait, or Michael Jackson‘s si- ring one point.” ster?“ “Cause she‘s a crashing bore. And there’s loads of them in „She‘s probably just too nice and America already.“
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My head was going crazy from all the rude comments, speculations that seemed nothing but wrong, and mainly Madge, Britney and Janet comparisons. I was losing my mind and questioning who I am stanning, until I found a post that got me out of the blue. „Kylie‘s „Evidence“ book is far freakier than Madonna‘s „Sex“ book. Not at all dirtier, or more vulgar - just freakier. And although Kylie seems fluffy and wholesome, you have to remember that she slept with Michael Hutchence (whom when asked by an interviewer what his favourite hobby was at the time, replied „corrupting Kylie“). You know what? All of these above were right - including the one about Kylie being a crashing bore. After all, there’s nothing controversial about her. She doesn’t get papped jumping into a cab wasted with no underwear on at five o’clock in the morning, she doesn’t burn crosses in her
music videos, she doesn’t leak her own sex tapes… What do we even know about Kylie? Majority of her lyrics is very universal and suitable for pretty much every one-hit pop star (like that Call me maybe girl, for example), and let’s face it, who else has a 30 year lasting career with up to sixty singles with this character? Correct me if I’m wrong but I say no one. Sharing joy is the main message our Kylie has always held, and even though she does get out of the track sometimes and signs up for something weird, she never offers an explanation. That’s it, after all, the reason I love her. With all of this above, I now realise why she’s really not suitable for the states, the country I actually love, too. What a POP STAR we stan though, she has reached n. #3 in Billboard, received a Grammy AND toured US despite the fact she couldn’t be any less American. SLAY.
FOCUS SPECIAL KYLIE CHRISTMAS ! Things have happened since last month! Kylie has finally released the reissue of her Christmas album: A Kylie Christmas - Snow Queen Edition! Let’s have a look at the promo we have got so far!
22.11 • BBC RADIO 2 In Sydney, just before the ARIA Awards, Kylie inaugurated the Christmas celebrations during an interview with Chris Evans for his morning show. She came back to the fact that she had spent a lot of time in Australia with her family and her sister Dannii, but she was happy to go back to England. For celebrations of the end of the year, Kylie is rather disorganized and is a last minute person so she lets her sister be in charge of that. Concerning the Christmas gifts, be creative! She does not have a clear idea of what she wants, because she does not need anything, but she wants to be surprised (Joshua, we count on you!). She then gave us some details about the recording of «At Christmas», which was done at the last minute, while she was on the set of Flammable Children. The recording was done in the apartment where she was, to be able to send the voices to the producer and be sure that the song wouldl be on the album. She also put down duvets throughout the apartment to have a good acoustics ... Rather nice as anecdote!
02.12 • QUOTIDIEN Kylie made a trip to France for the tv show of Yann Barthès, Quotidien. She gave an interview to the channel, and talked first about the Christmas album, including her collaboration with Mika. She listened to some Christmas songs in French, and talked about this time of year and how the Australians celebrate this holiday. She also talked about the Say I Do Down Under movement launched by Joshua on which she works herself, explaining that she does not understand that gay marriage still hasn’t been accepted by the Australian govern13 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, December 2k16
-ment and hopes that it will be very quickly adopted. Yann Barthes also spoke about the past year (Kylie came in 2015, just after the attacks in France) by making a point on the situation: Brexit, Donald Trump, elections in Italy, Austria and soon in France ... What does that mean to Kylie? She acknowledged that it was a difficult time, and that she often wondered what she was doing there, her place in the world, but everyone needed a bit of fun and relaxation sometimes, and that what she is communicated through music. She was also asked what she liked and did not like in the status of pop star, a difficult question for the singer. She said that there was a large part that represented a lot of work and a smaller part a lot of fun: especially bringing a lot of joy to people. Finally, Yann Barthès asked her what she thought of the fact that Kanye West and Justin Bieber sometimes have displaced acts (including Justin Bieber punching a fan in the face). Then Kylie went on stage to perform the song from the musical Saturday Night Fever: Night Fever - live for the first time!
06.12 • CASA MIKA
In Italy, Kylie participated at Mika’s show, Casa Mika. As they are long-time friends, Kylie came back on the way they met, and told us some anecdotes, including the fact that one day he came to eat pasta with her which was in a small tupperware and cooked by his mom. She performed Can’t Get You Out of My Head at the opening of the show. At the end of the program she performed two tracks «At Christmas» and «Wonderful Christmastime,» duet with Mika and snow everywhere! Some Italian fans got the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Kylie backstage, and they sang with her at her hotel. A dream moment for all the fans, you can find video on the Facebook page of Kylie Minogue Italia. 14 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, December 2k16
10.12 • JONATHAN ROSS SHOW
Kylie Minogue performed the song «At Christmas» during Jonathan Ross’s show. This performance had been recorded beforehand because the singer was performing at the same time at the Royal Albert Hall in London for her second concert. And yes, not even Kylie has figured out how to be at two places at the same time!
11.12 • X FACTOR FINAL Just after two nights of sold out Royal Albert Hall, Kylie performed live at the X Factor final in England, more precisely in Wembley. After a fantastic announcement retracing her career, Kylie opened the final with Everybody’s Free To Feel Good, hanging on a little Christmas knot before going down for the more festive part of the song and continuing the performance with the finalists Sarah and Matt. And that’s all we have regarding the different performances and interviews of Kylie for the moment ! She will sing Night Fever in Dance With The Stars in France on December 16, she will be in 50 Min Inside with Nikos on December 17 and she did another press and radio interview during her visit to France - let’s see when we get to hear that!
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Laeti, December 2k16
FOCUS KYLIE MINOGUE OPENED HER FIRST POP-UP SHOP IN LONDON !
Christmas before Christmas! A few days before her shows at the Royal Albert Hall, Kylie announced she was gonna open her first pop-up shop in London: right in the concert hall. The first pop up show of our princess who indeed knows how to please her fans! For those who did not know, a pop-up shop is a place where fans can find exclusive merchandising from their favorite artist for a limited time. Many artists have already done it during their tour, one of recent examples would be Justin Bieber. But since Kylie is no basic diva, she added an extra value: the costumes from last year’s RAH show were exposed in the shop, and even better: THE FAMOUS LIPS OF THE KISS ME ONCE TOUR, too! Nathan Lamb, Merchandising Manager of The Royal Albert Hall said : « This is something we’ve never done before at the Hall – the first pop-up shop in our 145 years. But it’s more than that, there’s plenty to see even if you’re not shopping, including rare memorabilia from some of Kylie’s greatest shows. It’s a way for her to give something back to the fans who’ve supported her so much during her career, and who helped to make her performance here last year so amazing. Kylie has really got hold of this idea and been involved in 16 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, December 2k16
every element of it: picking products, designing how it’ll look and which dresses will be included: the whole experience.
The pop-up shop opened on Friday, and as if we hadn’t had enough surprises to this point, Kylie herself popped up, too! She stopped by around noon to meet fans and see her shop a little. She took the opportunity to do some selfies and a group photo with the lucky shoppers. We went to the store on Saturday. It was really easy to find, as 3 giant pictures of Kylie were on display. From what we heard, the queues were not so bad on friday and everybody got what they wanted (nothing was sold out too early), so we figured no rush was needed. We arrived there at 9:50 am, 10 minutes before door was opening. Not gonna lie, the queue was worse than we were expected and right after we joined in, about 30 more people lined up behind us within a few minutes. Uhhhh... But well, the queues probably can’t live without us: when it’s not for the show, there’s gotta be something else Kylie related to queue for :). Anyway, the staff welcomed us with small cakes (Mince Pies, an English specialty with dried fruit inside), and mulled wine! Another positive stuff: the organization at the entrance. There was only a specific number of people allowed to be inside at the same time, so once you made it through (it took us about 30 minutes), it was easy to walk around and choose what you wanted to buy. At the entrance, a picture of Kylie was exposed, before arriving on a bright K and a first costume. The album «A Kylie Christmas» also played on repeat. As we have already mentioned, everything was fully stocked so we didn’t have to be afraid we wouldn’t get our size. Awesome organization indeed! We honestly wanted to buy everything, it felt like a Kylie supermarket. We even got little and superset shopping baskets (I can hear my bank account screaming «it was NOT cute, it was a REGULAR SHOPPING BASKET to me right now, but don’t believe bank accounts, they always make big deal out of everything...). Good news for Saturday shoppers was that the security cord was removed from the KMOT lips, so once you were done ruining your credit card, you could go and take pictures. We obviously made a picture like Kylie, totally lying on the sofa, and ugh. NO idea how she did it every night, it was so uncomfortable. If we had to rate the pop up show, it would get 11 points out of 10. Congratulations and thank you Kylie for this great place, and to the Royal Albert Hall for the organization and the welcome! Special thanks to Rick from the Royal Albert Hall
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Laeti, December 2k16
MERCHANDISE
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Laeti, December 2k16
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Laeti, December 2k16
STEVE ANDERSON: little backstage look at RAH!
Last year around this time, we talked to Steve about Kylie Christmas, and as the re-issue came, we decided to reach to him again. Not only his skills are on point, he is also the sweetest person! Let‘s have a look at how a Xmas album and two sold out gigs in RAH get together....
Hello again!
It’s been a year since we reached to you asking for an interview on Kylie Christmas. Little did we know we would have a reason to do it again… How did you guys come up with the re-issue idea?
Hi again! Thanks for asking me back! As the original album was so well received and we knew we were lucky enough to be invited back to the Royal Albert Hall it seemed inevitable we would record some additional songs to add to the album for this year. Plus its such a fun process we couldn’t resist going back into the studio.
When did you start recording and how on earth did you manage to keep it secret? The fans had no clue until Kylie mentioned it somewhen in November. We recorded them early September again at the incredible Angel Studios and Sarm Music Village Studios with the same musicians from last years album.
One of the best surprises was a duet with Mika. When we saw them on stage together, we hone-
stly felt like they both were born and had spent their whole lives in Disneyland… so much energy and joy. How did the recording with these two go? It seemed like the most natural song for them to duet on as they are great friends and its a really fun song. Mika is so wonderful to work with so as with everything on the Christmas album it all came together very quickly and naturally.
Let’s move on to the concerts… First of all, let us say it was B O M B. How do you guys put together setlist for events like these?
Thank you! Last year no-one knew what to expect and we were blown away by the reaction so this year it was a challenge to live up to the expectations and change enough to be different but not too much as its almost tradition already. I call this show The Kylie Christmas Proms in the way it will always start and end with the same songs but the bits in the middle can move around and we can add some different classics in there. Plus of course we have had incredible guests for both years so finding great collaborations is always part of the fun.
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pictures from @giggoers
We are gonna be honest, when we saw the setlist first, we were like “meh, still the same” but then the new arrangements and remixes totally blew us away, a few days later and we’re still speechless. You did an awesome job. How do you think about this? Does Kylie come up to you like “I want this song slowed down a little, add some disco to this one”?
Its always a collaborative process between Kylie, William and myself but this year we had a lot more costumes and props to accommodate and the show had more sections so it was more like a tour show than a concert. As far as versions are concerned again its influenced by the staging plus with the full orchestra and choir there it gives us chance to revisit things like the burlesque version of “Locomotion” and the Abbey Road version of “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” which have never been performed with that line up.
How did you pick the special guests? For this show , John Grant duetted with Kylie earlier this year at the Royal Albert Hall and we knew he would be so perfect for “Confide” , Olly was asked by William Baker and jumped at the chance and Katherine performed at the Queens 90th Birthday Celebration with Kylie so the idea came from there. The trick is they are all huge fans and luckily for us were all available for both nights.
How long does it take to put the whole show together and rehearse ?
We started on this one in September and rehearsals were just over a week. We stagger them so its starts off purely with Kylie and her band/BV’s, then we add the brass section, then the string section , then the choir and finally the dancers who have been rehearsing separately join us so the final days are pretty busy in the rehearsal room but so much fun!
We were also blown away by the light show - again. How on Earth is this done ? Do you guys get like a 3D presentation how its gonna look like before the show ?
That’s Rob Sinclair and Ali Pike - they are absolute geniuses and are in rehearsals with us for the whole time pre programming to the songs so a lot of prep is done beforehand and we trust them implicitly. It all looked amazing but I particularly loved what we call the Narnia section which included a new composition I wrote especially for the show which prequels “Come Into My World”. in there. Plus of course we have had
incredible guests for both years so finding great collaborations is always part of the fun.
Is it harder to work with an orchestra than the classic band ? Not at all, I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with orchestra’s throughout my career and for most of that I’ve had the brilliant Cliff Masterson co-arranging and conducting so its very natural for me. Cliff and I recently did a show with The Ulster Orchestra in Belfast performing dance music classics which was incredible , so much so they’ve announced the next one for next October and its nearly sold out already!
What was your favorite moment during the show ?
There are so many but performing the original album arrangement of “Confide In Me” with full orchestra and the majestic beauty of John Grant’s duet reduced me to tears. Also watching Katherine totally immersed in something so different for her and absolutely smashing it was amazing. But overall the pure joy and warmth from the audience and the truly breathtaking vocals and command of the stage by Kylie were unprecedented. She never ceases to amaze me and I’m not sure people realise how much hard work goes into making something look that effortless.
Who stresses out the most on the day of the show ?
There is never enough time but that can be productive too. We run a really tight ship as we’ve all been doing this for a while now so its all about preparation and keeping it all fun and light. We work with the best in the business and everyone knows their job and delivers without fail. Its a big family and nobody wants to let anyone else down.
Sneaky question - is RAH gonna be a thing every year now? That‘s up to them but I really hope so.
We keep on talking about work… do you have your shopping ready? I’m doing it all this week ! Thank God for Amazon Prime! From recording/mixing the album , the TV promo and prep/ rehearsals for the show its been crazy but I have one more show this week with an amazing artist I work with called Harriet http://www.harrietsmusic.com then its feet up , tree up and Love Actually on the TV!
And last question - we asked you the same one last year. Aren’t you all REALLY sick of Christmas by now?
Ha! That’s still an excellent question! I’m really not - alongside Kylie, Cliff and I produced our third album for Susan Boyle this year which was not Christmas songs but Winter themed and we started that in April. Also Christmas gives you licence to do so many things you wouldn’t be allowed to any other time of year including working with incredible orchestras and choirs so I’m more than happy to be known for that.
Thank you very much for finding time for us and we hope to see you soon, Merry Christmas and happy new year!
Thanks again for asking - wishing you and anyone that reads this the most wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year - lets hope its a good one !
TOUR DIARIES : A KYLIE CHRISTMAS AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL ! (ACT 2) It feels truly weird not to have En writing the tour diaries, but she unfortunately couldn't make it this time, so you're gonna have to deal with me :) I went to London with a friend who isn't a fan of Kylie (important detail) for the Christmas concert. Arriving late on Friday night, I could not make it to the first concert. Actually, me and my friend had booked this weekend with the main purpose to visit London a few months before Kylie confirmed her shows. You know, sightseeing and all this tourist stuff... Ok, let's stop the lies. I did check the website of Royal Albert Hall to see more or less where Kylie could perform and picked these days according to gaps in between confirmed gigs. Hell yeah, it happened and I got correct date, too! For once I was lucky! Nicole was/still is in the United States, so this was gonna be my first concert (and my first trip to see Kylie) without her. And I will not hide it, it was super sad not to have my bestie with me, especially because we are so similar when it comes to everything on a trip: food, mood, the rhythm of life ... I'm not even going to talk about my Friday, there was really nothing Kylieciously interesting, except for that little moment when I saw a group of people with Christmas hats near the Royal Albert Hall, and I immediately knew what they had been up to earlier that day. If you wonder why I went to Royal Albert Hall, yes, it was simply because I was sad missing out on the opening show and so I hung around "just because." Don't we all do that... I tried to go to bed without watching too many videos or the setlist to keep the surprise for the next day. My morning kicked off very Kylieish way - I went to visit the pop - up shop. Even though I arrived before it even opened, the queue was already very... impressive. Along with my non-Kylie friend and crying credit card, I waited for my turn, got in, met so many friends, did some choreography on the KMOT lips, you know, as you do... I gotta say my picture poses might have been funny, but it was nothing compared to what I saw in front of me: some girl took about a billion pictures of her dolls on the lips, and then didn't even pose herself. Wild. Hopefully she won't do any voodoo magic with these... After this weird doll experience, I felt like I had had it and finished my tour around the store. After all, my bank account had had it too.. it was time for a little walk around London, and concert preparations in the late afternoon. My friend who had never seen Kylie and was not a fan, kept calling her Kilie. You know, with that french accent and high pitched i that drives you crazy, especially when you're a dedicated lover. It felt like a sin, just one step away from singing na na instead of la la la. And I'm not about this life. Girl got taught, a proper lesson on how to pronounce our goddess' full name and memorization of "La La La" lyrics. 24 www.kylie-world.com
Laeti, December 2k16
Arrived at the Royal Albert Hall around 7pm, I waited for my friend Mathias who had the tickets (how I can trust so much, I will never know... Love u Mathias). Obviously, everything went crazy, he got stuck somewhere in the underground and barely made it on time, I started panicking and wanted to cry. He made it after all, THANK MINOGOD. I saw so many familiar faces inside, and I must admit, I had missed the atmosphere and seeing the fans !!! I think that beyond the concert, my favorite thing is to be with the Lovers, because I really feel like I am myself. Shoutout to Cesare Polini whom we bumped into at the merch and who's name Mathias screamed basically until he took a picture with us, hahah.
I am not gonna hide it, I did not like the seats we were about have. But we had to take 4 seats at once, and we all know the war which takes place every year on the RAH website, so we were still quite glad to have managed to get ANY tickets. We were in Rausing Circle V, last row. Honestly, I was expecting a catastrophic view, even though I knew it would be good anyway as it was a small arena. Well I was pleasantly surprised since last year I was on the Stalls and this year the view was much better, and not as far away as I thought. The advantage is that you can really see everything that happens, including the disco ball. No-
thing like front row, though. Another thing I’m not gonna hide, I wasn’t really excited about the setlist which was about the only thing from previous night that I had checked. No Every Day’s Like Christmas, no Wow, but kinda the same as all these shows I’ve already seen, and just as always. And ugh, the same opening and closing songs a last year. Nothing too new... Maybe I’m a drama queen, but I wasn’t feeling it, anyway I would not speak until after the show when I’ve seen it, heard it and was fully able to make my own opinion.
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Laeti, December 2k16
The opening was kind of a medley of a few songs that were going to be played during the concert, which perfectly put us in the mood right at the beginning. Kylie then opened the show with "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year": let's stand and start singing. Then she sang Wonderful Christmastime - I was hoping that Mika would be present, unfortunately it was not the case, I would have loved to see this duet live. After Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Kylie sang Christmas Wrapping, saying that this song had about 7000 words. At the end of it, she was proud enough to have managed to sing all the lyrics without forgetting any. We were proud too Knowing what Kylie is like. Usually we know the lyrics better, this time I personally failed big time. The first act ended with a song that I adore: At Christmas. The atmosphere in the arena was already great, I love the Christmas concerts because the audience is different from the concerts on the tour, it is always incredible, but Royal Albert Hall is just different. And I'm not even much of a Christmas loving spirit! Act 2 began with Come Into My World, in orchestral version. And oh my god, gimme some tissues. This act allowed Kylie to show once again her talents, her voice was just perfect. She continued with Confide In Me, a duet with John Grant, who put everyone in agreement. Honestly I had no words. I spent my time telling Mathias that everything was too perfect and that this concert was great. Then she performed The One, emotional version then more electro at the end, which put us in the mood for Act 3, which began with Better The Devil You Know. For this song, Kylie invited Olly Alexan26 www.kylie-world.com
der, singer of the Years & Years to come on stage. Mathias's ultimate crush, imagine how loud he screamed (the same as me when I saw Dannii and Kylie together last year). She then sang Celebration (my friend told me at that moment: oh I know this song! yes but originally it is not a Kylie song, too bad lol). We unfortunately did not have Stay Another Day on Saturday, but the song was sung on Friday. Act 4 started with Your Disco, with the presence of Katherine Jenkins, followed by 100 Degrees, where we really hoped to see Dannii but she was probably catching some sun in Australia, then Spinning Around, before performing Christmas Lights. For the occasion, everyone had activated their flash on the phone, which gave a special atmosphere and it was very beautiful. The act 5. First song: Locomotion. I am not particularly fan of this song (En's note: she HATES it), but when it's sung live, I like it. Now, I must say, the burlesque / sexy version just killed me. Never ever in my life did I think that I could love this song so much. There is nothing to complain about as everything was well done: choreography, arrangements and lights. Everything was perfect. We then had Let It Snow, Santa Baby, and Everybody's Free To Feel Good. I love this song with its early emotion part and much more dance afterwards. And the best moment of the concert was there: the songs were we can dance on : Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, Night Fever and Love At First Sight. See me already jumping in all directions - I honestly think I did two hours of work out with this concert even though half of it was slow. Then Night Fever... Laeti, December 2k16
It's pure madness live, the audience LOVED it! The big disco ball at the top really transformed the arena into an incredible dance floor. She concluded with All The Lovers. There was a lovely moment too, when the audience shouted "Kylie Kylie Kylie" very long, which made her cry a little‌ our little cutie!
The Encore started with Silent Night (a new song on a new reissue of the album?), Especially For You and the famous I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, with a drop of balloons at the end and Joshua Sasse on stage dressed as snowman, to hand a bouquet of flowers to Kylie and give her a little kiss.
What to say ? That concert, its arrangements, this atmosphere, it was the best Kylie concert of all the time. There was nothing to complain about. So yes, in the setlist there were songs that I didn’t want, but it was actually perfect like that. Kylie's voice was just incredible, the guests were able to fit perfectly into the show and the lights with the arrangements made it unique. My seat was finally very good since I could really have a complete view of the arena and the lights. My only regret ? Not being able to share that with Nicole. But I'm happy that I managed to my friend, who wants to come back to see Kylie live again! For all who missed the show, I really hope there will be a DVD or that it will air on TV so you can see it and see just how incredible this show was. Of course, there will always becritics, but for a second Christmas concert, where you have to constantly impress people, there was no-
thing wrong, just thank you Kylie. I hope this tour diary will please you, although it is a little different than usual and that Nicole writes it much better than me (I got her to sparkle up this one a little, too, haha). And if you think I did not have a problem like both of us always do in every tour diaries, it's my pleasure to announce that you're wrong. My bus to the airport arrived 2h30 late, that I had a plane to take at 8 pm, that I arrived at 7:30 pm, I ran across the airport with my Kylie Christmas bauble in hand, my iPhone died when I had to show my online boarding pass, my credit card got blocked on the plane because I had obviously spent too much (the merchandising of Kylie just killed me) which caused my uber never coming to pick me up, and I gave cookies to another taxi driver to pay the race. A diary tour without disaster is not a diary tour!
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NEWS KYLIE MINOGUE AT THE 30TH ARIA AWARDS Skipped the red carpet and surprised us at the very end! Wrapped in her fiancé’s, Joshua Sasse’s arms, she unexpectedly appeared at the Aria awards in Australia. This time not to pick up her own price, but to present a performance of Troye Sivan, described by the pop singer as «a brilliant light in the Australian music industry.» But the message was much more important than that. Both Kylie and Joshua dressed up in matching black and Say I Do Down Under promo t-shirts to talk about this project and to thank the people who had already supported it. The couple decided not to get married beforesame-sex marriages are legalised in Australia. It was Joshua’s first time in Sydney. Let’s also mention the cute moments when he carried Kylie and and lifted the microphone up to her level, because it was placed too high for her to reach.... #CoupleGoals We also got a few photos taken backstage in the media room, where both continued the promotion of Joshua’s Say I do Down Under movement.
IVY RESTAURANT A few days before her concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Kylie performed in London at a private event at The Ivy Restaurant. Many celebrities were present, including actor Luke Evans, designer Patrick Cox, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and his wife or the producer Sally Humphreys. Accompanied by Joshua Sasse, Kylie sung some of her classics, as well as Christmas songs in acoustic version with her team. 28 www.kylie-world.com
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A NEW ALBUM AND A TOUR IN 2017 ? Kylie finally spilled some tea on what she’s been planning for next year... It was during her sunglasses collection launch that she mentioned her plans. «It has been a crazy year, so I hope in general that in 2017 things get settled and start to make sense. I am speaking so generally this probably means nothing to anyone, or maybe it does if you analyse it in the world». Kylie also hopes to be able to release a new album next year and why not a new tour: «I would love to make a new pop album and perhaps think about touring, much of the same but brand new sparkling stuff. And another Kylie Christmas». Doesn’t it sound like a very Kylie-ish 2017? We can’t wait to hear more about that !
KYLIE MINOGUE LAUNCHES HER OWN EYEWEAR COLLECTION Kylie went to Claridges in London on December 12th for a press conference that no one expected: the singer is launching her first collection of glasses. Emma Willis, TVpresenter who went through the evening with Kylie was also wearing the glasses from the upcoming collection. The collection will be exclusively present at Specsavers and launched on February 14th, on Valentine’s Day. It will feature 30 pieces: sights glasses and sunglasses, all inspired by Kylie’s own style, with modern models, a reinvention of vintage and some glasses a little more bling, for people of all ages and at all stages of their life. The singer said: «Young people, more mature people, it’s (wearing glasses) a part of so many people’s lives and a part of your presentation. You want to be able to feel confident wearing them. It is important for me that glasses can suit other faces and shapes and not just mine»
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FASHION
Jonathan Ross Xmas Special Sweat : Christopher Kane 30 www.kylie-world.com
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Danse Avec Les Stars Jumpsuit : St Laurent 31 www.kylie-world.com
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A MEETING WITH KYLIE NICOLA : „KYLIE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID „LOOK AT YOUR DRESS YOU‘RE WEARING THE MUSEUM DRESS!” Amazingly I’ve met Kylie six times in the past four years! I’ve loved her since 1987 when I first saw her in Neighbours; I was sixteen years old and immediately identified with her and I’ve wanted to be just like her ever since. She is my one and only idol. I never knew anyone else who loved Kylie like I did until I joined Kylie Konnect, the official Kylie forum, in 2011. I’d always dreamed of meeting her but I never knew how to or didn’t think I could but joining that group helped me realise it might be possible. So when I turned forty in the same year I made it my mission to meet Kylie! On 28th November 2012 I was lucky enough to be one of a hundred people to meet Kylie at Harrods for her Kylie Fashion book launch and signing. I remember my friend texting me to say the security guards were giving out numbered tickets so I abandoned my husband who was driving in the middle of Knightsbridge and I ran to one of the side entrances of Harrods. I could hardly breathe by the time I got there and thought I was going to have a heart attack; all I could say to the guard was, “Kylie…Kylie ticket PLEASE!” I will always remember being walked through Harrods to the room where Kylie was waiting. I saw the display of Kylie’s shoes, there were beautiful arrangements of fresh roses and the lighting was subdued. As the queue turned the corner, suddenly there was Kylie, illuminated, tiny, stunning, beautiful and more perfect than I had ever imagined. After waiting twenty five years for this moment to happen I was completely overwhelmed and I started to cry! I tried to stop, I was so embarrassed, but I couldn’t. Then it was my turn to actually meet Kylie; I couldn’t say a word but I smiled and handed her a letter I’d written and she smiled at me and signed my book. She looked at me again and said, “Oh, you’re wearing my album cover!” (I had made a copy of the jacket she is wearing on her Best of Kylie album cover.) She said, “I’ve got to get a photo of you” and she asked Leanne Buckham, her PA and friend, to take a photo. Kylie handed over her phone and the picture was taken. I didn’t think I would ever get to see it; we weren’t allowed to take photos ourselves. However, I really wanted a photo of me and Kylie so I emailed Terry Blamey Management and explained what had happened. After about two weeks an email came through with an attachment. I opened it and there it was, the photo of me with Kylie in the background and it had been on Kylie’s phone!! Fast forward to May 2014; I was desperate to meet Kylie again and was aware that she would be performing at BBC Maida Vale Studios in London so I jumped on a train and waited outside the studios from about 7.30am. I didn’t know if I was waiting in the right place, there were some paparazzi photographers about but nobody else around. I sat down and waited then a few people I recognised from Facebook Kylie groups turned up. I also saw Kylie’s security man/driver talking to a Maida Vale staff member so I knew she would soon be arriving. Metal barriers went up around the side entrance, a car arrived, the paparazzi cameras started flashing an see my denim jacket and red top to the right of Kylie. 32 www.kylie-world.com
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and there Kylie was! I couldn’t believe there were only about ten of us waiting to meet Kylie. She signed my Kylie Minogue 1994 album cover and I told her she looked beautiful. Later in the day I was to discover I had another photo of me with Kylie as it was all over Getty Images as well as a short video clip! Afterwards I was sitting on the pavement thinking I should go home as I didn’t have one of the free tickets given away by BBC Radio 2 for Kylie’s special concert. Then a wonderful lady saw my Kylie jacket (the same one noticed by Kylie at Harrods!) and she overheard me talking to someone else about what had happened. She asked me if I was a big Kylie fan and if I would like to see her performance. I think I screamed and gave her a hug; she had a spare ticket as her partner was unable to attend. I couldn’t believe my luck! When we went inside it was a small room and I managed to get right to the front, close enough to reach and touch Kylie if I had dared to. I’m captured on camera again in this photo, you can see my denim jacket and red top to the right of Kylie. While all this was happening I knew that I would be meeting Kylie again on 30th September 2014 as I was one of the fortunate few who managed to get a Meet and Greet ticket for her Kiss Me Once Tour. I decided I needed to make a big effort to impress Kylie and to make her remember me! So for the first time I made a Kylie dress with the help of my talented mum. It wasn’t going to be just any dress, it was going to be like Kylie’s Exhibition dress, you know, the one she wore in all the promotional photos for the 2007 exhibition of her costumes! I chose it because I’ve always been fascinated by images of Kylie and I just love that dress. I obviously couldn’t use screen printed silk which Kylie’s dress was made from so I had to think of a way to get all the images onto fabric; I wanted to try to use the same pictures as those on the original so my first task was to find them. I had many already but it was a very laborious job searching through hundreds of pictures then enlarging them to the right size to be printed onto transfer paper. I had to do each picture individually then iron them onto fabric then my mum sewed them all together to make the actual dress. Once that was done I embellished each picture with fabric paint, glitter and diamantes as appropriate to the photo. It took many months to make but I was SO pleased with the finished product. I also made some Kylie shoes by sticking on lots of small photos, another time consuming process, especially as I made two pairs: one for me and one for Kylie!
The big day arrived and I was excited and very nervous at the same time. When I arrived at the O2 in London I had to check in with the RocNation Meet & Greet staff who gave everyone a wristband and a special lanyard; there were probably about thirty of us. We were taken backstage to the Green Room where we had a drink and 33 www.kylie-world.com
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waited for Kylie’s staff to collect us, then suddenly we were ushered to the room where we would meet Kylie. We waited outside with Sean Fitzpatrick who was standing there and chatting to us. The person in front of me went in, I could see Kylie talking and having her photo taken with a meet and greeter and then I was asked to go in. Leanne Buckham and Christian Vermaak were also in the room. Kylie looked at me and said, “Look at your dress, you’re wearing the museum dress!” She helped me to take my lucky denim Kylie jacket off and asked me to turn around so she could see all the pictures; I pointed out that I’d also made some Kylie shoes and I vividly remember lifting up each foot so she could see the underneath where I had also put a Kylie logo on the sole of each shoe! It seems such a ridiculous thing to do now! She said, “That’s amazing!” Then we stood in front of a huge Kiss Me Once poster to have our photo taken together; I recall being right next to Kylie and thinking, “I hope she doesn’t notice how hot and sweaty I am because I’m so nervous!” Then my time was up and Kylie said, “Enjoy the show”. I think we each had about 3 minutes with Kylie but as soon as I came out I realised I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even remember what Kylie was wearing. I was on tenterhooks waiting for the photos to be emailed to me, they came one or two days later. The next time I met Kylie was 2nd April 2015 at the ITV Studios in London. I knew that Kylie was going to be there to film The Jonathan Ross Show so I decided to spend the day waiting outside even though I had no idea what time she would be arriving. I made a KMO lips banner and some bunting which said “KYLIE WE LOVE YOU” and I met my friends Kristian Timbrell and Tracey Hurricks there. We hung up all our signs and draped some Kylie KMO fabric over the wall, unfortunately we were behind railings but tried to make sure we would be noticed. The security guards, presenters & guests from This Morning saw us, some said we were mad & others were very supportive. It was a very long wait but we were given a boost when Jonathan Ross himself arrived and saw us and said, “Kylie Lovers!” He later came back outside to talk to us and asked if we would like to be in the audience of the show! We were jumping up and down in excitement. Finally about 5pm Kristian spotted Kylie’s car arriving, it stopped just a little way along from where we were standing. When we saw Kylie get out we shouted and called her name and she walked over to us; she very kindly talked to each of us and signed memorabilia we had with us and posed for photos. Kristian got his first selfie with Kylie, it was such a great moment! Kylie asked her assistant Tully Bloom to take a photo of us altogether in front of our display on her phone. She was just about to go inside but I shouted, “Kylie! Please can I have a photo with you? I’ve been a fan since 1987 and I made these signs for you.” Kylie being the lovely person that she is came back over to me and posed for a photo. Yes it looks like I’m in jail but I still love it! We had a great time watching Kylie being interviewed by Jonathan Ross and as she was leaving the set we shouted, “We love you Kylie!” She turned and waved and said, “I love you too!” Kylie put a photo of us on her Instagram. 34 www.kylie-world.com
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My fifth time of meeting Kylie was 15th November 2015 and only happened because of the generosity of my friend, fellow Kylie Lover, Bradley Worth. He had entered the Twitter competition to meet Kylie at Liberty in London where she was switching on their Christmas lights and promoting her first Christmas album. Unfortunately and very sadly for Bradley he was unable to go but very kindly let me go in his place; he dictated a letter to Kylie and I wrote it out so that I could pass it on to Kylie along with some CD covers for her to sign. It all happened so quickly and I couldn’t believe my luck again. On the day I decided to wear another Kylie dress I had made for Kylie Summer. I was meeting my friend Kristian as he had won the competition too; we were both so nervous and didn’t really know what to expect. We were led into Liberty through a back entrance and taken upstairs through the offices and storerooms, across the shop floor to a small, lovely, wood panelled room with a small raised platform where there was a Christmas tree and two chairs. The rest of the room was set up with about 30 chairs each with a Liberty bag containing a deluxe edition of Kylie Christmas. It was all very intimate and we sat in the front row right in front of where
Kylie would be sitting. We all decided that when Kylie came into the room we would stand up and applaud her but while we were waiting for her to switch on the Christmas lights we were offered refreshments. Eventually Kylie was announced and I think she was a bit overwhelmed by the welcome we gave her in such an intimate setting! She looked as stunning as always; so dainty and perfect. Joshua Sasse was also accompanying her and he stood to the side of the room during the interview. Kylie was interviewed by a member of staff from Liberty, she was very relaxed, funny and obviously very happy and in love. She interacted with us and made eye contact during the interview. Afterwards we each had the opportunity to go up onto the platform and sit next to Kylie while she autographed our CDs and chatted to us. I said hello but then couldn’t think what to say and there was an embarrassing pause as Kylie waited for me to tell her my name so that she could write it on the CD! I don’t know why that has happened to me every time I’ve met her, I suppose it must be because I’m just so in awe of her. I had my photo taken with Kylie and then it was time to say goodbye; always the bit I don’t like!
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And so to the last time I met Kylie, almost a year ago now, at Kylie Christmas on 11th December 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall. This was going to be a very special event because it was Christmas, it was Kylie’s first Christmas album and it was in a stunning location so I thought I needed to make another special Kylie dress. I had some Kylie Christmas fabric specially printed and I had an idea to make it light up by attaching fairy lights to it. I used a sewing machine for the first time and after many weeks of working on it, adding glitter, sequins and diamantes it was ready. I had to wear it on the train going to London and got several nice comments and a few strange looks! Once at the Royal Albert Hall I met up with Kristian and Tracey and many of my other Kylie Lover friends from Facebook; it was such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by so many people who I had chatted to about Kylie but never met. I was particularly excited because Kylie had tweeted earlier in the day that her elves would be looking out for the ‘best dressed’. I was hopeful that my dress might win me a prize such as an autographed programme or some Kylie Christmas merchandise. Someone in the crowd suddenly spotted Joshua Sasse walking around and posing for selfies and I thought this would be my one and only chance so I went over to him and said, “Hi Joshua, do you like my dress?” Little did I expect what he would say next! It was something like, “Oh wow! You’ve just won the best dressed competition. Come with me, you’re going backstage to meet Kylie NOW!” I screamed and was very flustered, I just couldn’t believe it and I just kept saying, “Really?! REALLY?!” He was great, very friendly and down to earth. I was allowed to take a friend with me but
I couldn’t see Kristian and Tracey so I chose another friend, Vicki. There was a camera man following Joshua and an assistant. They led us backstage until we got to Kylie’s dressing room; Joshua asked us to wait outside while he went in to get Kylie. Her assistant asked if we had cameras or phones with us so that she could take photos for us. I was shaking so much and didn’t really know what I was doing because it was all such a shock. Kylie came out; she was wearing a gorgeous metallic red long fitted dress and looked amazing. If she recognised me she didn’t say so but admired my dress and noticed that it was even lit up. She asked ME for a hug which was the best moment of my life and then she happily posed for photos with each of us and altogether as the camera man filmed us. She gave us each a Kylie Christmas programme which she signed and then she apologised for not being able to spend longer with us but she had to be on stage in 20 minutes. Kylie went back into her dressing room with Joshua and the camera man asked us to pose for photos with our autographed programmes then we were escorted back upstairs. I somehow managed to find my way to my seat, I was in such a daze and had a permanent grin on my face! It was all so surreal. How could that happen to me, just an ordinary person, AGAIN?! I never did find out what the video was for although I did try to find out, I was hoping there would be a Kylie Christmas DVD release with a behind the scenes extra. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my meetings with Kylie and I don’t come across as bragging about them. I know I have been very, very lucky but I have also put in a lot of time and effort. I wish you lots of luck if you too dream of meeting Kylie one day. It can happen if you want it to! 36 www.kylie-world.com
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Christmas
Quiz
Christmas is coming ! So let’s celebrate it with a little quiz to find out which Kylie song you are !
Q1 - 1) The Christmas moment you love the most :
Q4 - The part of the meal you love the most
» The dinner » Being with your family » Opening of the Christmas presents Q2 -When you think about Christmas you think about : » Snow » Santa Claus » The outfit you’re gonna wear Q3 - Your outfit for Christmas :
Q5 - Your favorite Christmas song : » Kylie Minogue / At Chirstmas » Mariah Carey / All I want for christmas is you » George Michael / Last Christmas Q6 - The outfit you like the most :
» 100% ugly Christmas sweater » Whatever has glitter on it » A chic dress 38 www.kylie-world.com
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Q7 - With artist did Kylie collaborate with on Wonderful Christmastime ?
Q9 - When you think about Christmas 2015, you think about :
» Chris Martin » Mika » John Grant Q8 - Complete the lyrics : We cuddled on the couch... » We drank a lot of water » We drank a lot of wine » We drank a lot of alcohol
Q10 - Let’s dream a bit.. If you have the luck to sing with Kylie, which song would you pick ? » The One » Night Fever » Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
Results
At Christmas The lyrics of the song are saying a lot about what Christmas means to you ! So we wish you to have the person you love next to you this year ! Merry Christmas !
Let It Snow
Every day’s like christmas
Christmas without snow is clearly not Christmas ! The festive spirit is in you, it’s your favorite time of the year and you like to share it with your family and friends. Don’t forget to throw some glitter over there !
Christmas means family and sharing to you. Your house is full of Christmas decorations and it brings on the Christmas spirit even in us ! Of course, you put glitter everywhere ! What would Christmas be without glitter ?
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