The Kylie Times #27 • March 2018 by KylieTimes

the KYLIE

TIMES March 2018

FOCUS: Kylie rocks the Brit Awards again! Kylie & Lady Gaga! When are we getting a duet?

On the road we go ! #2 EVERYTHING you need to know about the tour !

« It’s always important to inject some of

your personality into what you are wearing. Clothing is clothing – it depends on how you wear it! Kylie Minogue

M A R C H

2 0 1 8

E SUM UP 4. Step back in time! 7. IT‘S NO SECRET & TURN IT INTO LOVE 22. Brit Awards 28. Kylie At Home 29. News 30. Eye Should Be So Lucky 32. A collab with Gaga ? 34. Golden Tour 36. Two shows in the US 38. INTERVIEW 44. Strike A Kylie Pose 45. Fashion

Hiiii lovers ! New era, new album, new single, new tour ... And new Kylie Times! Let’s face it, we are truly spoilt this month ! In the following pages, you’ll find Kylie’s full interview for the Sunday Times, her desire to collaborate with Lady Gaga and the sale of the tickets for the « Golden » tour (and how we all panicked when it all turned into drama again). Isa has also done a focus on the story of « It’s No Secret » and « Turn It Into Love », to give us more information on Kylie’s old tracks before the new album comes out, which is now in less than three weeks !!! As usual, we hope you will enjoy this issue and we can’t wait to see you next month for a complete look into the promo tour and the album! xx Laeti, Isa & En

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STEP BACK IN TIME

MARCH 1987 - 2018 on October 1rd in England and on the 15th in Australia.

Red Blooded Woman 03/01/2004

Body Language’s second single « Red Blooded Woman » was written by Karen Poole and Johnny Douglas and was produced by the latter. This song, considered a little more R&B, received really good critics and was well placed in the charts, ranking number 1 in Romania, number 4 in Australia and Scotland and number 5 in England. « Red Blooded Woman » was also certified gold in New Zealand. The music video was directed by Jake Nava, who has also worked with Beyoncé and Kelis. It was filmed in Los Angeles. Although we LOVE LOVE love this song, « Red Blooded Woman » has not been performed in many Kylie concerts, only in : Money Can’t Buy, Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour and For You, For Me Tour (KYLIE?!!! Do something?!!!!).

Stop Me From Falling 03/09/2018 As Golden’s second single, « Stop Me From Falling » was recently chosen and released and it already makes us dance. More or less similar to the first song (especially with the first guitar notes), the song has strengthened the fans on their overall opinion on the album: either we love it or we don’t. The song aired for the first time on Chris Evans’s BBC Radio 2 show. Kylie was there to listen to it on the radio and was very excited to hear it!

All I See 03/11/2008

On A Night Like This Tour 03/03/2001

Released as the first single in digiSixth tour of Kylie Minogue in support of the album tal to promote X in the United Light Years, the « On A Night Like This Tour » began States, « All I See » was written on March 3rd, 2001, in Glasgow. This is Kylie’s one by Jonas Jeberg, Mich Hedin of her fastest-selling gigs, following her incredible Hansen and Edwin Serrano performance at the closing ceremony of the Sydney and produced by Jonas Jeberg 2000 Olympic Games. For this tour, the singer did and Cutfather. The song was sent 23 dates in Europe and 23 in Australia (i.e. a total to the radio on April 15th, 2008 and a version with of 46 dates on two continents). An exceptional fact, Mims was also recorded, in order to get more airthe first show was scheduled for March 1st in Dublin play on the radio. Despite all the efforts made and a and had to be moved to Glasgow on the 3rd due to big promotion in the biggest TV shows, the song only rised up to third place in the country’s Dance charts. storms preventing air travel in the country. A recording of the tour was made in Sydney on May A video to promote the song was made in black and 11th and is called « Live In Sydney ». It was released white by William Baker and filmed in three hours du4 www.kylie-world.com

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ring break at the rehearsals of the X Tour. Kylie is accompanied by dancer Marco Da Silva and the video was broadcast for the first time on the singer’s website.

mistake) ... We did get to see some video clips on Kylie’s Youtube channel, but unfortunately no DVD has been released… So sad.

Breathe 03/16/1998

Showgirl Tour 03/19/2005

Third (and last) single from Impossible Princess, « Breathe » was co-written and co-produced by Kylie with Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk. The song ranked at a good place in the charts, without being a massive hit, but remains a classic for fans. Kylie continues to use samples for concert intros, including Kiss Me Once Tour and Kylie Summer, and she also performed it very recently during her first Golden promo gig in Café de Paris in London on the 13th March 2018 !

Eighth tour of Kylie, the « Showgirl Tour » will stay in the minds of all fans, one for the show and two for the bad news we got during this tour. In support of the Ultimate Kylie compilation, the singer performed on more than thirty dates before having to cancel the rest of her tour because of her breast cancer diagnosis. Dates in Australia and Asia were cancelled. In England, Kylie’s concerts grossed more than $ 20 million, ranking it in late 2005 to Pollstar’s 46th place for « The 100 Best World Tours », with more than 340,000 tickets sold in a year.

Anti-Tour 03/18/2012

Giving You Up 03/28/2005 Recorded especially for the Ultimate Kylie compilation, « Giving Aaaah the anti-tour ... Probably the concert that the You Up » is a song written by fans loved the most. As part of the « K25 » project for Miranda Cooper, Brian Higthe singer’s twenty-five year career in music, five Angins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, ti-Tour performances took places in Melbourne, SydPaul Woods, Nick Coler and Kyney, Manchester (x2) and London. Kylie sang songs lie Minogue (just that!) and it was that she is not used to perform, only b-sides, demos produced by Brian Higgins and Xenomania. The song and rare songs in small theaters. This brought a real ranked fifth in Scotland and sixth in England and contrast with her previous tour, « Aphrodite », which Spain. was a big production in arenas of more than 10,000 people. As with many of Kylie’s unique shows now, The music video was filmed in February 2005 in Lontickets were sold out very quickly, like in a minute for don and was directed by Alex and Martin. The video certain dates. Many of us unfortunately missed this was also nominated for the 15th MVPA Awards in the unique show, thinking that she would tour in other « Best International Video » category in 2006, but cities (Parisian fans, I think of you, I made the same unfortunately, Kylie did not win the award. 5 www.kylie-world.com

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FOCUS

KYLIE MINOGUE IT’S NO SECRET & TURN IT INTO LOVE

These two songs were never released as singles in Europe and in my opinion it’s really a shame - but still, they have stories of their own and we wanted to share them with you. Enjoy Lovers!

IT’S NO SECRET

The single was released on 29th November 1988 in North America (USA and Canada).

« It’s No Secret » was recorded in February 1988 in Melbourne (when Mike Stock flew to see Kylie in Australia) at the same time as « Got To Be Certain » and « Turn It Into Love ». It is a break-up song, in which Kylie laments having her heart broken because her boyfriend was cheating on her and she was the last to know about it. This song shows some of her most heartbreaking and melancholic moments of the PWL era.

After that, the single was re-packaged and released in February 1989 in Japan. Then it was released in a very limited edition in New Zealand and Australia in May 1989 (shortly after, they were withdrawn from Australasian markets when Kylie’s record company decided against releasing this single over there) which makes it to this day, one of Kylie’s most collectible (and expensive) records.

In other territories, the song would later be used as The song, written and produced by Stock, Aitken and a B-Side to « Wouldn’t Change A Thing » (which was Waterman was originally scheduled to be released released in July 1989). worldwide as the 5th single from Kylie’s debut album The video to « It’s No Secret » is the first video featubut that didn’t happen. ring on Kylie’s 2nd official VHS video collection called « Kylie: The Videos 2 It didn’t happen for two reasons: » which was released in the UK and Australia in No• The massive and long lasting success of her duet vember 1989 and was a big seller. with Jason Donovan over Christmas 1988 and beginning of 1989 made it unnecessary to have another single out at the same time. • PWL thought that a 5th track from the debut album would not please the audience as they already knew the song. They sensed fans needed a « fresh » song, and as they were already thinking about working on Kylie’s second album, they later decided that « Hand On Your Heart » would be the next single (it was released in April 1989).

CHARTS Due to its limited release and promo, the song was not a huge commercial success, but it did well enough to promote Kylie’s debut album from which it was released. However Geffen, Kylie’s US label decided that her 3rd single over there (after « I Should Be So Lucky » and « Loco-Motion ») would be « It’s No Secret » as it was considered better suited for the American Markets than « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » (even though the latter would eventually be released in the US later in 1989).

• USA: In February 1989, the song climbed to #37 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it Kylie’s 3rd top 40 hit there. In total, the song spent a total of 13 weeks in the Hot 100, making the song one of Kylie’s longest-spanning single on the chart itself. Then despite her big success all over the world, after this song, the USA ignored Kylie for the next 15 years, until she returned with Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.

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• New-Zealand: The single debuted at #47 in May « Hippodrome Show », a UK TV show. She was wea1989 on the NZ Singles Chart, where it only peaked ring that big necklace again. for a week. This is one of Kylie’s worst performing See pics below. single over there. • Japan: The song didn’t manage to get to number one but peaked at number 4. Incredible but true though, in March 1989, Kylie had 5 singles in the Japanese Top 40 simultaneously: « I Should Be So Lucky » at No. 31, « Loco-Motion » at No. 27, « It’s No Secret » at No. 4, « Especially For You » at No. 3 and « Turn It Into Love » still at No. 1. In one year, Kylie spent 27 entire weeks at the number one spot in Japan! • Canada: Peak position #22

PROMO & LIVE PERFORMANCES In January 1989, Kylie travelled to the USA to promote the single. • She performed (well, lip-synched) the song at the Club MTV, a half-hour television show, and the perfor- Years later, in 2012, Kylie performed « It’s No Secret » mance was followed by a slightly embarrassing inter- during some dates of the anti-tour. view « You’ve become a sex symbol, how do you feel about that? » (to be honest, imo, she wasn’t quite a sex symbol at that point, but we know that was soon to change). I’ll let you check that out on YouTube Lovers. Kylie seems to be wearing the purple dress that you can see below and also the necklace she wore a few times during early-day pictures, such as during the photoshoot below by Rob Verhorst.

THE VIDEO The video was (again) directed by Chris Langman and (again) entirely filmed in Australia, more specifically in Queensland: in Port Douglas, the village of Mossman and Cooya Beach. After a big change in Kylie in the « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » clip, well in this video, we go straight back to her Charlene girl-next-door look from Neighbours, with a curly and natural-looking Kylie.

• She also sang the song (in a rare all-live performance with band appearance) on the USA Two versions of the video exist, and the extended late-night talk show « The Arsenio Hall Show ». version is the official video. • In February 1989, Kylie lip-synched the song at the 9 www.kylie-world.com

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At the start of the video, there is a storyline where we see Kylie and her boyfriend having a little argument because he keeps asking her for money (I’m sure that guy didn’t go on to have a career in acting by the way).

Kylie is working behind the counter of a bar & as background music we can hear the jukebox playing her version of « LocoMotion » ;-) A guy calls her at the bar and says « don’t you see what he’s up to? », and she realises that her boyfriend is trying to seduce another girl right under her nose; she takes her money back and walks out of the bar.

She then arrives at a beach house. She walks around After that we see her get off a train - and THIS lovers, singing to a photo of her ex-boyfriend (later on in the is when we see Kylie in (red) COWBOY BOOTS for video, the photo actually comes to life, as we see scethe very first time!. Then we see her walking down nes of Kylie and her ex-boyfriend having fun at the a train track. start of their relationship). Next scenes: she’s sitting next to a waterfall before arriving poolside (these scenes were filmed at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort - have a look at their website it is just so BEAUTIFUL) wearing a little silver dress (looking really hot here!).

She’s wearing a strapless top, high-waist jeans and a belt with a massive MADE IN FRANCE written on it in silver capitals. By the way, even though Kylie has an amazing figure, those jeans just don’t suit her at all (sorry Kylie :-/).

After that we see her walking on Cooya beach, and at the very end she’s walking off blissfully down a train track, literally turning her back to her ex-boyfriend and walking into a new life, as a single woman, with a little bag at the end of a stick on her shoulder.

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RELEASE INFORMATION

1. NORTH AMERICA (US & Canada)

The pics used for the North American sleeves (front & back) are the same as the ones used for the European release of « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » and for the cover of the « Turn It Into Love » Japan-only release! • The 7” vinyl and cassette contain « It’s No Secret » and « Made In Heaven ». • The 12” vinyl contains « It’s No Secret (Extended version) » and « Made In Heaven - Maid In England Mix ».

North America 7” & 12” back cover

North America Cassette

North America 7” vinyl front cover

2. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

For the Australian and New Zealand releases, stills from the « It’s No Secret » video were used for the front and back covers. The photos were taken by Bill Bachman. The 12” New-Zealand vinyl is very hard to find (much more than the 7” version) because far fewer copies were pressed.

North America 12” vinyl front cover

Australasian 7” & 12” vinyl front & back 11 www.kylie-world.com

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3. JAPAN

There is also a UK iTunes Bundle of « It’s No Secret » which contains the following tracks:

The front pic was taken by Grant Matthews and back pic was taken by Gerard Schachmes. • It’s No Secret - 7” Mix • It’s No Secret - Extended Version • The 3” CD contains « It’s No Secret » and « Look My • It’s No Secret - Alternative Extended Version Way ». • It’s No Secret - 7’’ Instrumental • The 7” vinyl contains « It’s No Secret » and « Made • It’s No Secret - 7’’ Backing Track In Heaven ». • It’s No Secret - Album Instrumental • The 12” vinyl contains « It’s No Secret (Extended • It’s No Secret - Album Backing Track version) » et « The Loco-Motion (Sankie Mix - long • Look My Way - Instrumental version) ». • Look My Way - Backing Track

SOME PROMO SUPPORTS

Japanese 7” vinyl front & back cover

US Promo CD

Japanese 3” CD front cover

US Promo cassette Japanese 12” vinyl front & back covers 12 www.kylie-world.com

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LYRICS It’s no secret (x8)

Why was I the last to know?

When I first met you How you changed my life that day But with each tomorrow You just seem to drift away

Our love was a lie And it’s no secret, it’s no secret How you hurt me inside And it’s no secret Because you told everybody

Then I discovered that you were cheating You were cheating on me But I was the last to know Our love was a lie And it’s no secret, it’s no secret How you hurt me inside And it’s no secret Because you told everybody Didn’t I really love you You know I gave you all my heart When I put my arms around you I never thought we’d ever part Then I discovered I guess you couldn’t love me Like you said you loved me, oh no

All of my life I was looking for someone just like you You shattered my dreams, tore me apart What can I do? You were cheating, you were cheating on me But I was the last to know Our love was a lie And it’s no secret, it’s no secret How you hurt me inside And it’s no secret Because you told everybody (Repeat chorus)

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PHOTOSHOOT Just because I love the photoshoot of « It’s No Secret », here come some pics!

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TURN IT INTO LOVE

Since it was such a hit, Alfa Records then decided to release Kylie’s original version in December 1988 as So, as you already know, this track was recorded at a single instead of « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » and the same time and place as « Got To Be Certain » and again, the song was a huge success, reaching number one of the Oricon Japanese International Chart « It’s No Secret ». in January 1989 and staying at the top spot for 10 Written and produced by Stock, Aitken and Water- consecutive weeks (with no promo or video!). man « Turn It Into Love » is definitely a fan favourite and a hidden gem. « Hidden » because unfortuna- It gave Kylie her 3rd number one in less than one year tely, it was never released as a single anywhere else on the international chart and it stayed there for a total of 27 weeks. than in Japan. Indeed, at the time, along with OZ and UK, Kylie’s had a massive and enthusiastic fanbase in the Far East, particularly in Japan and Hong Kong, and even though Neighbours had never been aired on Japanese TV, there was an insatiable demand for new Kylie products there. « Turn it Into Love » was released there to meet this demand.

PWL was unaware of the track’s popularity until after the fact, which explains that no video or 12» mix was ever produced. In 2015 during an interview with Attitude Magazine, Pete Waterman recalled :

« That song is one of our biggest hits ever. Even though it was a B-Side on Kylie’s first album, it had a life of its own and was a massive hit in Japan for Kylie and was covered by a girl band out there. I remember going to Japan and hanging out in a karaoke bar and I heard a song that I recognised. I said “this is my song”. And these business men we were with said “No this is a hit song in Japan by a group called Wink”. I said “No, it’s mine”. Only when the song ended and Stock Aitken Waterman flashed up did they realise it was my song ».

It was the 6th single to be released from Kylie’s debut album. The B-side to the single is « Made in Heaven » which is also the B-side to both « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » and « It’s No Secret » in other international territories. « Turn It Into Love » remains to this day one of Kylie’s most famous singles in Asia.

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG In November 1988, Japanese duo Wink (composed of Sachiko and Shoko), who are loved for their interpretations of Western pop tunes, released a Japanese-language cover of the song in Japan. The single, called « Ai ga Tomaranai - Turn It Into Love » was a massive success and reached number 1 in the Japanese charts. It stayed in the charts for 40 weeks and 645 000 copies of the single were sold!

KYLIE / HAZELL: WHO DID IT FIRST ? In September 1988, so prior to Kylie’s version being released in Japan, Hi-NRG singer Hazell Dean (who also worked with Stock Aitken and Waterman) released « Turn It Into Love » as a single in the UK. Hazell’s version was also produced by Stock Aitken and Waterman, but the arrangement was very different from Kylie’s version. Her version is clubbier, the intro is different and the track contains a solo guitar part which doesn’t exist in Kylie’s song.

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• In 1990, Hong Kong Band « Echo » covered the song in Cantonese, and it was one of their most successful hits in Hong Kong. • In 2008, the British bother and sister duo from X Factor « Same Difference » recorded the song and it featured on their debut album « Pop », released in December of the same year. It was meant to be the second single from the duo and was due for release in 2009 but was cancelled for unknown reasons.

Regarding who actually recorded the track first, well, 2 versions of the story exist (but as we weren’t there, we don’t really know the truth). 1. Hazell recorded her version first and was very irritated (to say the least) when it appeared on Kylie’s album. When she promoted the single, she said « Kylie has also recorded this, but I did mine first! » 2. Hazell heard the song when it was being produced for Kylie’s album and liked it so much she asked P. Waterman to let her record it, and he did. They liked the result so they decided to release it as the lead single from Hazell Dean’s second album « Always », which came out in October 1988.

- Covers of Wink’s « Ai ga Tomaranai - Turn It Into Love »: • In 1995, Japanese singer Hideki Saijo - famous thanks to his Japanese version of Village People’s YMCA, did a cover of the song.

Apparently, although Hazell originally liked the song, • In 2001, Japanese pop-rock band Puffy AmiYumi she once stated that it’s her least favourite song to covered the song in their 2002 album called « Hit Paperform live. rade ». All tracks in this album are covers of hits from the 70s & 80s. I personally prefer Kylie’s version - well that maybe because I’m a huge Kylie fan to begin with lol - because it sounds more « simple » but it’s actually got more depth. It’s not just a song you dance to; Kylie managed to add some melancholy to the song, which makes it better. As Niall McMurray (intothepopvoid.com) put it « While I Should Be So Lucky set the template for her as the potential queen of tearful dancing, it was Turn It Into Love that put her on the throne ». • In 2003: - Japanese pop singer and songwriter « Baby M » coA lot of covers exist of Turn It Into Love, but most of vered the song and called it « Baby Love / Ai ga Tothe time it wasn’t Kylie’s version that was covered, maranai ». but Wink’s version! - Japanese pop girl group « Dream » also covered the song in their album « Dream World ». The album also - Covers of Kylie’s « Turn It Into Love » : contains other cover versions of famous songs, such

COVERS

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as Donna Summer’s « Hot Stuff ». - Japanese pop singer Yuki Koyanagi covered the song in her album « Koyanagi the covers - Product 2 ».

• In 2005, it was added to the tracklist of the « Stock Aitken Waterman Gold » compilation album. - In 1998, Kylie performed the song during a 17-minute medley when she performed at Mushroom Records’ 25th birthday concert in Melbourne. She was ill that day but still got on with the show! - The song was also performed as part of medleys, during Kylie’s following tours: • On A Night Like This Tour (during « The Hits Medley ») • Showgirl Homecoming tour (as a medley with « Light Years »).

OTHER INFORMATION • In 2008 Japanese musician, entertainer, journalist and sumo commentator Demon Kogure covered the Japanese version in his album « Girls’ Rock √ Hakurai ».

In December 1988, this also happened: - In Australia: • Smash Hits magazine readers voted Kylie as « Most Fanciable Female » and « Best Female Singer ».

• In 2010, Japanese vocalist Junichi Inagaki covered the song as a duet with Aikawa Nanase, and it fea- • TV Hits magazine readers voted her as « Hunkiest tured on his third cover duet album « Otoku to Onna Person Alive » and « Best Female T.V. Personality »... 3 - Two Hearts Two Voices ». - In Israel DID YOU KNOW ? Kylie ended the year with 3 singles in the Top 40, where she is also voted « Most Popular Female Sin- In January 1989, Kylie had 3 simultaneous Interna- ger of the Year ». tional #1 singles. « The Locomotion » in Canada, « Turn It Into Love » in Japan and « Especially For You WATERMAN’S ORCHESTRAL ALBUM » in the UK. In 2015, Pete Waterman said he was going to rein- No official vocal extended version of the single terpret some of PWL’s greatest hits on an album of was ever produced at PWL (only an instrumental orchestral covers. extended version exits). The tracklist hasn’t been announced yet, but Kylie’s - Even though it wasn’t released as a single in the UK: 1988 track « Turn It Into Love » made the cut. • In 1992, it was added to the tracklist of her first Greatest Hits album. He said he was inspired to produce the album after ballad versions of tracks like « One For Sorrow » and « Love In The First Degree » went down a storm at his one night show at the Royal Festival Hall this summer. But unless I missed it, this orchestral album hasn’t come out yet. If you know anything we don’t, pm us on Facebook Messenger lovers !

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LYRICS Did you believe I’d let you down? Your jealous heart gave you the runaround You couldn’t see that I would Always be a friend If you can look inside your heart And understand what’s tearing you apart You gotta trust someone Don’t let hate get in the way

Just turn it into love, turn it into love and Open up your heart And you’ll never feel ashamed If you turn it, turn it, turn it into love

If you can look inside your heart And understand what’s tearing you apart You gotta trust someone Don’t let hate get in the way

When all your other friends are gone I’ll still be here to help you carry on If you have faith in me then I’ll believe in you You are the first thing on my mind Do you believe I wouldn’t have the time? I have to make you see you can Push the pain on me

Just turn it into love, turn it into love and Open up your heart And you’ll never feel ashamed If you turn it, turn it, turn it into love

Just, just turn it into love Just turn it into love x 3

Repeat chorus until the end

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RELEASE INFORMATION

There is also a UK iTunes Bundle of Turn It Into Love which contains the following tracks:

The pics used for the front & back of the single’s sleeve are exactly the same as the ones used for the • Turn It Into Love European release of « Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi » & US • Turn It Into Love - 7” Instrumental • Turn It Into Love - Extended Instrumental release of « It’s No Secret ». • Turn It Into Love - Backing Track The picture on the front was shot by Grant Matthews • I Miss You – Instrumental version and the pic on the back was shot by Lawrence Lawry. • I Miss You - Backing Track The single was released in Japan only, on a 3” CD and on a 7” vinyl, and both releases contain « Turn It Into Love » and « Made In Heaven ».

Front & Back of the 3” CD

Cover of the 7” vinyl

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NEWS

Kylie went to the 38th Brit Awards ceremony which took place on February 21st in London at the O2 Arena. We all hoped that she would sing her new single « Dancing ». Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but we’ll see what she was up to this year at the Brit Awards, we’ll talk about her best moments there and also about the history of this ceremony.

KYLIE MINOGUE AT THE BRIT AWAR

RDS

Dua Lipa « Best British Female Artist » After a very quick appearance on the red carpet and some interviews given to the journalists, we saw Kylie at the opening of the ceremony, where she presented the first prize of the evening alongside Millie Bobbie Brown, (a British actress known in particular for her role in the series « Stranger Things »). Among the nominees in the category « Best British Female Artist of the Year »: Jessie Ware, Kate Tempest, Laura Marling, Paloma Faith and Dua Lipa... And without much suspense (and for our biggest pleasure), it’s the singer Dua Lipa who won this award: « Thank you so, so much. I am grateful for this and so humbled. I want to thank every single female that has been on this stage before me and has given girls like me a place to be inspired by and [someone to] look up to and allow us to dream. Here’s to more women on these stages, winning these awards and taking over the world ». Before giving the award to the singer, Kylie mentioned in an interview: « I love Dua Lipa, I’m such a fan, she’s done so well. I’m giving out Best British Female and she may very well win it » Well done Kylie! :) After she gave that first prize, unfortunately we didn’t see our favourite Australian singer again that night, maybe she had left or was enjoying a nice meal in the arena (from what we saw it looked really good so you know, can’t blame her).

What was that white rose on Kylie’s outfit? Some of you probably noticed it, many artists had a white rose on the red carpet, either in their hands or as a badge on their clothes. Kylie had chosen to wear the badge on her red trench, in support of the « Time’s Up » and « Me Too » movements, denouncing sexual harassment, and more specifically at work.

bilized and talked about their different experiences, to encourage people (who don’t dare do so) to talk about it. Kylie said: « I think it’s a great message for everyone not just women, everyone. So I think it’s great, I also hope that common sense still has a place you know, I’d like to think we’re all given it, and that we use it to the best of our ability, but yeah, I think overall it’s, it’s necessary».

This movement was born after the Weinstein affair, when more than a hundred women denounced sexual harassment or even rape by the American producer. Many well-known personalities were then mo-

Of course Hollywood always gets a lot of attention, but to think of the ripple effect to other, everyone, other walks of life where they haven’t had that voice ».

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The story of the Brit Awards Awarded annually since 1977 by he British Phonographic Industry, the Brit Awards are the equivalent of the American Grammy Awards. Originally, the name was an abbreviated form of « British » or « Britain », but later became a back-acronym for the British Record Industry Trust. This award ceremony began in 1978 and became an annual event in 1982 under the auspices of the British record industry trade association, the BPI. The latest BPI Awards show was also the first ceremonies to be broadcast on television by the BBC. In 1989, the ceremony was renamed Britannia Music Awards to echo the sponsorship of Britannia Music Club, then was shortened to Brit Awards. MasterCard is a long time sponsor of the event.

Simon & Garfunkel, Cliff Richard, Michael Aspel, Paul Simon at the BRITS 1977

The BRIT Awards were broadcast live until 1989, when Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood hosted a widely criticised show in which little went as rehearsed. Subsequently, the event was recorded and broadcast the following night. It was part of a redesign decided by Jonathan King, who took over the show in 1987. He created the nickname « BRITs » and edited a megamix of dance groups, including S’Express and A Guy Called Gerald, called BRITs 1990. On February 14th, 2007, the Brit Awards return to a live broadcast on British television, on the ITV channel; comedian Russell Brand was the presenter of this year and three awards were removed from the ceremony: Best British Rock Act, Best British Urban Act and Best Pop Act. For the last time, on 16 February 2010, the venue for The BRITs was the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The BRIT Awards were held at The O2 in London for the first time in 2011. Robbie Williams holds the record of rewards, having won 12 as a solo artist and 5 others when he was part of Take That. Robbie Williams 25 www.kylie-world.com

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Kylie Minogue at the Brit Awards in a few numbers We were all a little disappointed not to have a live performance of « Dancing », so we decided to fill this gap with some numbers about Kylie’s appearances at the Brit Awards. And you will see, there are some surprising things!

Number of change of outfits in one evening

And it’s a record held by Kylie! The singer changed her outfit six times when she co-presented the ceremony in 2009, alongside James Corden and Mathew Horne. Here’s some of the outfits :

Number of awards Kylie has given to other artists

In 2008, she presented an exceptional award for his contribution to music to Paul McCartney, in 2012 the award of British female artist of the year to Adele, in 2014 (alongside Pharrell Williams), the International Male Artist Award to Bruno Mars, in 2016 the British male artist award to James Bay and finally this year, the award of the British female artist to Dua Lipa.

2002

First performance live of Kylie at the Brit Awards with « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head »

Nominations at the Brit Awards between 1989 and 2011

The singer has been nominated eight times as « Best This is Kylie’s favourite Brit ! She also made an apInternational Female Artist », twice for « Best Album pearance in 2003 with a surprise performance with of the Year », once as « Best British Video », « Best Justin Timberlake, who was doing a medley of three pop concert » and « Brit’s Hits 30 ». songs, with two of his own hits: « Cry Me A River » and « Like I Love You », before singing a cover of Blondie’s song « Rapture ». Number of awards received since the begin- Kylie appeared during this cover to sing with him, ning of the Brit Awards and a photo of this performance and a photo went Kylie won two awards in 2002 for the « Best Inter- around the world, the one when Justin Timberlake national Album » and « International Female Artist was touching Kylie’s buttocks… It was even on the co» during the Fever period. She also won the Interna- ver of most of the magazines the next day! Not to tional Female Artist of the Year award in 2008, at the mention that, the live was really cool and remains time of X. Kylie has the same number of Brit Awards one of the best in the history of the Brit Awards. In as Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga or Kanye West, and 2008, Kylie performed « Wow » live. even a Brit more than Madonna!

3 9

Number of times Kylie went to the Brit Awards

2014

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The unique arrival of Kylie and Dannii Minogue together at the Brit Awards Laeti, March 2K18

NEWS

A new Kylie At Home collection !

It’s time to redesign your interior with the new Kylie At Home collection! The singer is about to add charm to your bedding and we guarantee you a good night’s sleep in soft sheets, enough for you to have the sweetest dreams! Kylie herself said about this collection: « The new collection delivers a range of sumptuous and glamorous bedding that is perfect to brighten and add some sparkle to your home ». Five new designs are available, all as sparkling more than diamonds.

« She’s pure as New York Snow »... Adele bed linen, very neutral color may seem simple at first, but when you approach it, you discover a pattern of feathers delicately embroidered. Translucent flakes are also present.

If you are a fan of « Fifty Shades of Grey », discover Cadence! In addition to satin, many sequins have been embroidered on the cushions and duvet cover. Something to make your interior shine!

If you want a little more color in your interior, then go for the bed linen Marisa, which is a mix between purple and beige tones. There are also some abstract flowers on the duvet cover and cushions, just to emphasize the transition of the two colours.

And if you do not like sequins, then we advise you to choose Saturn, always in shades gray / dark gray, which corresponds perfectly to a modern design! And this bed linen is the one that the Kylie World Team prefers ! And last but not least, this is the Gia, which mixes the colors gray, purple, and beige. There are also small details with squares on the duvet cover and pillows. The collection is available now on the internet and at Debenhams, House Of Fraser and Next Stores. Prices range from £ 20 (22 euros) for a cushion to £ 140 (156 euros) for a plaid.

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ANT SHOW ANT&&DEC DEC

SHOW

Dancing : the remixes ! We told you about it last month in our special focus on « Dancing » ... Well here they are! The official remixes of Kylie’s first single are already available! So you can get four versions: • Initial Talk Remix (80s / old school) • Anton Power Remix (a bit more modern and electro) • Illyus & Barrientos Remix (pretty underground) • Anton Power Edit The covers are also quite nice, all in different colors! We really like the version of Initial Talk, a pretty cool way to rediscover the song, and it’s apparently the one you Lovers liked the most! Feel free to give us your opinion on social networks!

The first live performance of « Dancing » took place on the Ant & Dec: Saturday NightTakeaway show on ITV. Kylie opened the show with her song, then came back a bit later on the set to perform a medley of her best songs with the hosts. It was very funny, especially Spinning Around! If you haven’t seen it just go check it out on Youtube, you can’t miss it ! This performance also helped to boost the sales of the single «Dancing», as it subsequently ranked in the top 10 singles sales on iTunes UK. Unfortunately, this is currently the only live performance of the first single ...

Stop Me From Falling Surprise! To make us wait until the release of « Golden » in a little less than a month, Kylie unveiled a new song, Stop Me From Falling, second single of her album. Succeeding to « Dancing », the song contains many notes reminding us of the first single, especially with the guitar notes at the very beginning. The song was played for the first time on BBC Radio 2, in the morning of Chris Evans, and Kylie was very excited to hear it on the radio! Unfortunately some photos and videos have already leaked about the music video. For those who have not seen it, we will not spoil the surprise and we will make a full focus of the song once the video is out!

Kylie at the amfAR in Hong Kong Considered to be one of the largest US foundations in the world for funding AIDS prevention and medical research, amfAR annually hosts galas with cocktails, dinners, auctions and live performances. As for live performances, Kylie will be there this year, on the 26th of March in Hong Kong, to sing her biggest songs (and maybe new singles?) in front of the audience. The singer Tove Lo will also be present. You can already count on us for a complete review of the performance in the next issue of the Kylie Times! 29 www.kylie-world.com

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EYE SHOULD BE SO LUCKY (#2) As you know Kylie has been working for and with SpecSavers on another Kylie Minogue EyeWear Collection - and the good news is (good news for us, not so much for our bank accounts) it will be out early April (you can even see a countdown on the official SpecSavers website). On 31 st January, Specsavers published some pics on their website, with some sentences from Kylie regarding this new collection. You’ll find everything below if you haven’t seen it already. Having launched on Valentine’s Day 2017, Kylie Minogue’s first eyewear collection, designed exclusively for Specsavers, quickly became one of our best-selling designer ranges. And now we’re excited to announce the addition of some brand new frames to her range, which will be available in all UK and Ireland stores in April. Pop sensation and fashion superstar Kylie Minogue is known as a style icon across the globe. Check out behind the scenes to hear about Kylie’s inspiration for her new frames and how glasses have become one of her fashion staples. Check out a little movie on Specsavers’ website ↓

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« I’m so happy that Kylie is the number one desi-

gner range! It’s mind-blowing to me. These glasses are part of my everyday life, I don’t go anywhere without glasses.

« I love the really nice subtle co-

lours for the new frames - I can see so clearly now!

«I think people just love a bit of

bling and these work perfectly.

« I absolutely loved designing this refresh for the collection and I really tried to inject my personality into each of the frames.

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COLLABORATION

KYLIE MINOGUE & LADY GAGA ? Currently promoting her new album in England, Kylie was invited to the BBC Radio 2 studios for an interview about « Golden », the first single « Dancing » and to answer some questions from fans. And during this interview, information was retained and went around social networks: Kylie would like to do a duet with Lady Gaga. Let’s have a look back at the common history of these two artists.

Indeed, during her interview in the Graham Norton Radio Show, Kylie spoke about her collaborations by answering a fan’s question asking her which artists she would like to work with:

« Wow, there’s plenty. I think all of the duets I’ve done over the years have just kind of come to me, so I’m just in this habit of not actively reaching out to people. But I don’t do many duets with ladies, so I would love to sing with [Lady] Gaga or something like that, it would be incredible. ». A news that sure got wild reactions of all the pop fans, all hoping for collaboration between the two singers.

Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga: a lot of admiration for each other When we investigate a little more into the history of the two artists, we can see that Lady Gaga and Kylie really appreciate each other, especially by mentioning it on Twitter. The two singers exchanged a few tweets in 2012 and Gaga confessed she really liked Kylie.

Lady Gaga

Kylie Minogue

We can also note similar outfits:

Two songs are also still stuck your head : «Bad Romance» of Gaga and « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head » for Kylie. These two songs were, according to a study, classified as « addictive hits », because of their fast tempo and their addictive melody. In the list of these « catchy » songs, we also find « Poker Face » and « Alejandro » for Gaga. Another common point that some may see as plagiarism: the covers of Kylie and Gaga. Indeed, some are quite similar, but as we have already said in many articles, all the things made in the field of pop are very similar and it is hard enough to reinvent yourself Many things in common on the musical level, and many artists are inspired by other singers (and that’s positive!). Some have seen for example some on stage and on the covers commom points between the cover of Kylie for « In We’ve already made some focuses on Kylie and Ma- My Arms » and the one of Gaga for « The Fame ». donna, Kylie and Taylor Swift and as you can imagine, There is also the one of « 2 Hearts » and the one of for this one with Gaga, we found many common « Born This Way ». things between the two artists. First of all, their passion for big stages and its impact on fans. Kylie and Gaga are always making sure that fans have the best possible experience during their concerts, with big stages or catwalks, fountains and bridges, and you know, all this crazy stuff. We can take the example of Aphrodite with the Splash Zone in the middle for Kylie and the same for Gaga with the Born This Way Tour. In any case, the Kylie World team is really hoping this collaboration will take place in the future ! Kylie had said that Gaga was a great artist in the press. On March 26th, 2016, Kylie was in Los Angeles and was invited to Lady Gaga’s 30th birthday party... That confirms this mutual appreciation!

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TOUR

Golden Tour

After announcing the Golden Promo Tour, Kylie unveiled the first dates of her tour of the same name (minus the promo word), which will begin on September 18th in Newcastle. 13 dates are already planned across England and Ireland and the tour should be extended a little later to Europe and Australia (hopefully - we don’t have any confirmed information, but it’s the talk of the town). Here is the info you need to know if you have not bought your tickets yet and for those who have experienced the moment of buying one, let’s have a look back on this memorable moment ...

13 concerts in England and Ireland Here are the first 13 dates of the Golden Tour, as well as the capacity of the different arenas: • Newcastle (September 18th) - Metro Radio Arena Capacity : 11 000

• Nottingham (September 20th) - Motorpoint Arena Capacity : 10 000

• Birmingham (September 21st) - Genting Arena Capacité : 15 683

• Bournemouth (September 22nd) - BIC Capacity : 4 000

• Cardiff (September 24th) - Motorpoint Arena Capacity : 7 500

• London (September 26th) - The O2 Capacity : 20 000

• London (Septembre 27th) - The O2 Capacity : 20 000

• Glasgow (September 30th) - The SSE Hydro Capacity : 13 000

• Manchester (October 1st) - Arena Capacity : 21 000

• Liverpool (October 3rd) - Echo Arena Capacity : 11 000

• Leeds (October 4th) - First Direct Arena Capacity : 13 500

• Dublin (October 7th) - 3Arena Capacity : 13 000

• Belfast (October 8th) - The SSE Arena Capacity : 11 000

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Categories and packages The actual shape of the stage is still unknown thanks to the different arenas posting different plans, but so far the shape of a D a bit like Aphrodite is our main tip for two reasons: this explains first the price, knowing that the splash zone was about 250 euros but also the fact that there are early entry packages for the standard pit. Here is a summary of the different tickets and packages, but these can vary from one arena to another (we took Newcastle, the first one, as an example): Tickets : • Standing : £79 • Seating : £57 à £106 • Golden Circle : £165 Packages : • Hot Seat - £206 One top priced seated ticket to see Kylie live, souve-

nir Kylie tour laminate + lanyard, merchandise item designed exclusively for package purchasers, designated check-in with a on-site event staff. • Early Entry - £171 One standing ticket to see Kylie live : Early Entry to the standing floor before standard ticketholders, souvenir Kylie tour laminate + lanyard, merchandise item designed exclusively for package purchasers, designated check-in with a on-site event staff. • VIP Party (Only for the O2) - £397 Top priced seated ticket to see Kylie live, pre-show 3 course sit down meal at Gaucho in the O2, complimentary bar of beers, wines, soft drinks and selected spirits, excluding champagne (at pre-show party), DJ, merchandise item designed exclusively for package purchasers, souvenir Kylie Minogue Laminate and lanyard, designated check-in with a on-site event staff.

Another drama with the concert tickets Aaah the Kylie concert tickets ... Everything started well, we had the dates, the pre-sales for the fans, the packages and even the prices ... Everything was fine until the day before the sale. A few fans looked at prices online on booking sites and found that they had gone from £ 106 to £ 165 for the golden circle and that the Early Entry package had lost its golden circle entry... This was followed by a lot of questions to which nobody had the answer and what we concluded was : we would see the day of the sale (in addition we had two chances to get our tickets before the general sale)... But the day of the selling, the drama continues: the price of seats is well confirmed and Golden Circle has disappeared from the Early Entry package... except for some sites. As a result, many of you ended up with tickets for the general pit while they wanted to be Early Entry in the Golden Circle, a canceled package. Fortunately, Ticketmaster recognized they had made a mistake and and offered a refund to the disappointed fans or the exchange of their place for a Golden Circle if it was still available. Once again everything was complicated but we are delighted to know that you have managed to have the tickets you wanted. 35 www.kylie-world.com

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SHOWS

Two shows in the USA

Kylie Minogue is finally back for a few performances in the United States, shows that will promote her new album, «Golden». Tickets for two shows are already available for sale : one show on April 29th in Palm Spring and the other show on June 24th in New York. Here are the details of the different events and how to get tickets! (yes another ticket problem…) White Party Palm Spring (Los Angeles) - April 29th

Organized by Jeffrey Sanker, the Palm Spring White Party is a festival that invites the entire LGBTQ + community to party over three days, on April 27-30. More than 30,000 people are expected at this event and artists such as Lady Gaga or Ariana Grande have already performed there before. Many DJs will be present and Kylie will sing the songs of her album as well as her greatest hits on April 29th, for the Sunday T Dance. Jeffrey Sanker said in a press release : « I’m thrilled to have Kylie join our family for the 29th annual White Party Palm Springs. Her performances, style and attitude capture the essence of our weekend long event ». This performance will certainly give a boost to Kylie’s new album and will delight fans. If you are in the United States or if you plan to go there for the event, here’s how to choose and book your tickets. They are available at https://www.jeffreysanker.com/tickets/, prices go up until the event, because the longer you wait, the more expensive it will be. Several packages exist, and you will find information about them all below (because we are pretty sure that after the madness to get tickets for the Golden Tour you are now a bit stressed with packages): • White Party 2018 Weekend Pass - Value: $ 530 Access to the festival for the four main events: Friday Party, The White Party, Sunday T Dance and Closing Party

T Dance. A tote bag with many gifts will also be offered, as well as many more surprises to come! • WPPS 2018 Circus T Dance - Value : $ 185

Basic access to the Kylie Minogue concert on Sun• White Party 2018 Weekend VIP Pass - Value: $ day, April 29, with a 15-minute firework display at 750 the end! Priority admission and express access for all weekend events including pool parties plus access to VIP venues (with bars and private toilets) at the main event of the White Party: « Ice World » and VIP entry to a new design area, exclusive and expanded with private toilets and multi-level at Circle

• WPPS 2018 Circus T-Dance VIP - Value: $ 250 // SOLD OUT VIP entry also including private toilets, a tote bag, a very good view of the main stage and the fireworks.

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• WP 2018 Circus T Dance VIP Experience - Value: $ 2500 Includes four entrances as well as a private table, a bottle of premium vodka and a server. Access with a dedicated VIP platform, private toilets and an unobstructed view of the stage. Two bracelets to access the VIP area will also be available for your future guests. • WP 2018 Circus T Dance Super VIP Experience Value: $ 5000

Includes six entrances as well as a private table, two bottles of premium vodka and a server. Access with a dedicated VIP platform, private toilets and an unobstructed view of the stage. Four bracelets to access the VIP area will also be available for your future guests. We are not gonna go into details about the the packages at $ 7000, $ 12 000 or $ 15 000, which just give you access to a hotel and for which we would never have the money.

New York Pride (New York) - June 24th

Another concert in the same spirit as the White Party, the New York Pride, on June 24th. Kylie Minogue had already participated to this event in 2012 and will be back this year for a new edition, another opportunity to present her album « Golden » in the United States. Kylie is headlining on Sunday and you will also see DJs Grind, Ralphi Rosario and Corey Craig. The venue of the event remains unchanged and Kylie will perform at Pier 97. Tickets for this event are also available, simply go to https://nycpride.frontgatetickets.com/ to buy them. You must then go to the « Pride Island » category. Here are the different tickets you will find:

cocktails, beer, wine, and non alcoholic beverages, an elevated VIP area, and premium restrooms.

• General Admission - Value : $100

Includes a private seated area overlooking the crowd accross from the stage. This is the premium VIP experience at Pride Island. It includes the following: Private seating area for you and five of your friends, Six cabana wristbands that allow for entry into general admission, VIP and the cabanas, One bottle of SKYY vodka with mixers and fruit and your own bottle service attendant

Entrance to see the show • VIP - Value : $190 Includes VIP admission to the event, plus express entry to skip the lines, complementary SKYY Vodka

• Cabana - Value : $3000 - SOLD OUT

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INTERVIEW

Kylie Minogue on heartbreak, hotpants and turning 50 The queen of pop opens up about bouncing back from heartbreak and her plans for the next decade. Interview by Elizabeth Day for the Sunday Times

s a child of the 1980s, I grew up watching Kylie Minogue playing the role of the car mechanic Charlene Robinson in the long-running Australian soap Neighbours. I had a poster of her and her co-star Jason Donovan on my bedroom wall and fervently wished the two of them were romantically involved in real life (later, it would turn out they were). My best friend, Susan, introduced me to her first album — called simply Kylie — and we listened to it on long car journeys, forcing our parents to rewind the cassette tape over and over again. As I grew older, Minogue also matured as an artist. Over the course of three decades, she has released 13 albums and sold more than 80m records. Along the way, she constantly reinvented herself: sex kitten, showgirl, electro-pop dance queen and honorary Brit after moving to Knightsbridge, London, in 2011. Her new album, Golden, sees Minogue in her new incarnation as country-music babe. It was written partly in Nashville, and the songs have an upbeat, twanging lilt that ensures they lodge in your brain and stay there, relentlessly catchy, for the rest of the day. The video for the first single, Dancing, features Minogue line-dancing in rhinestone and cowboy boots.

How Kylie became a global icon Unlike Madonna, whose reincarnations have been just as dramatic, Minogue has never seemed brittle or aloof. If fame consists of two overlapping circles, one denoting celebrity and the other relatability, Minogue is one of those rare beasts who occupies the sweet spot at the centre of the Venn diagram. We feel we know her because we have grown up alongside her. When Minogue sweeps into the lobby of the Ritz hotel, where we’re meeting, she looks almost exactly the same as that poster on my bedroom wall from 30 years ago: smiling features, expressive eyes and chipmunk cheeks. She’s 49, turning 50 in May, yet the only sign of age is a radial smattering

of crow’s feet. In person, she is tiny and lithe, like a glamorous whippet, and wears a white T-shirt, gold snakeskin boots and a skirt hemmed with sparkling thread. She looks like something you’d find on top of a particularly camp Christmas tree. « It means so much to me! » she whoops when I tell her my Kylie anecdotes. « I love hearing these stories. It blows my mind. If you didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t know ». She says that one of the things she most likes about being on stage is that sense of intimate connection. « On a cosmic level, I love it. People have bought the tickets, they’ve listened to songs. Or they’ve arranged babysitters or they’ve done their hair, it’s all that other stuff that I don’t know about that just fills my heart ». Her fans are clearly important to her. There is a track, Sincerely Yours, on the new album that is dedicated to them (chorus: « Even when it hurts / There’s nothing on earth I wouldn’t do for you ») and you get the sense she takes strength from their loyalty. They’ve seen her go through a lot over the years, not least her most recent break-up, from her 29-year-old fiancé, the actor Joshua Sasse, last February amid rumours of his infidelity. The couple met in 2015, on the set of the American TV show Galavant, and the end of their relationship was all the more cruel because Minogue, who is usually reticent about her private life, had been on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in December 2015 professing her devotion with unfiltered enthusiasm. She referred to Sasse as « my love » and said it would be « incredible » to start a family. For one of her eight selected tracks, she broke with convention and allowed Sasse to choose a recording as a surprise (it was of him reading an erotic poem written by his father, Dominic). Today, Minogue says candidly that she was « broken » by the end of the relationship. She took herself off to Thailand with two girlfriends to recuperate. « I just wanted to stop », she says. « I knew I needed to heal my … My physical system was compromised. I think it’s called a nervous breakdown ».

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She shows me what she means, and starts to shiver, hunching over, curving in on herself. « I just thought, ‘No, no, no, no’ ». Thailand was an opportunity to « reclaim myself and get strong and get going ». She spent her days on the beach, talking to her friends or choosing to say nothing at all, and at the end of it she felt « absolutely calm ». How long was she there for? « Six days ». I thought she was going to say six months. « Oh God, no! Six days are for ever. I think I reacted pretty quickly. I can take a nose dive pretty fast, but I won’t stay there long. I’m too practical ». She says there was a part of her that had felt getting engaged to Sasse and following a conventional route to marriage (albeit with a near 20-year age gap between them) was the right thing to do. « I went through all the motions of ‘This is what people do’ », she says. « And it wasn’t the right union. I’ve never been that woman, that girl who dreams of walking down the aisle. You dust yourself off and you go through that period of ‘Never again. Not going to do it’». Minogue is nothing if not an incurable romantic, however. Her love affairs with dashingly handsome men are passionate and always seem to last at least two years, the details endlessly pored over in the gossip columns — from the late rock star Michael Hutchence to the French actor Olivier Martinez and the Spanish model Andres Velencoso. « I love romance and I love to feel in love or be in love », she admits. Now that the shock of the break-up with Sasse has worn off, Minogue says her internal monologue about finding love again is both optimistic and circumspect: « I probably will do it. What’s going to happen? Will it work? Probably won’t work. Might work. I’ll give it a try ». She smiles. « All these

questions! I don’t think it really matters what age you are [after a break-up], but at my age you do go, ‘What now?’». « Although I’m not that bothered right at the minute, I’m enjoying being … how can I say this? Being fully within myself ». It’s interesting that, in all of this, Minogue never once mentions Sasse by name. « I really don’t want to talk about it much because I don’t think it’s fair on him ». Then she adds, « I’m beyond that story », and you get a clear sense of her strength: a glimmer of steel beneath the sweet pop-poppet exterior. « How do you get over it? » She shrugs. « You just do ». As a performer, Minogue has always lived by the guiding principle that the show must go on. She has never known any different. As a child growing up in Melbourne, « I didn’t dream of doing anything else ». Her father, Ron, was an accountant, but her mother, Carol, was a professional dancer and used to take her three children (Minogue has two younger siblings, Brendan, 47, a cameraman, and Dannii, 46, who of course followed her into pop) to theatre shows and music classes. Minogue played the piano and the violin, but then discovered Prince, Adam Ant and Duran Duran and lost interest in classical music. She dreamt of becoming « Olivia Newton-John in Grease or the blonde one in Abba » and for a while indulged in a fantasy that the father of the family next door « would be a record producer and would hear me singing ». Her flair for performing landed her small parts in soap operas before she made her debut in the role of Charlene in 1986. It was a breakthrough that made her a household name and that culminated in an onscreen wedding to Scott, played by Jason Donovan,

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which attracted an audience of 20m in Britain. The pressure was intense. For a while, she suffered from anxiety and confided in her brother, who she describes as « the rock, he’s just so solid, caring. He’s got a great expression — he says, ‘It’s just the pfffffer valve’». The what? « The pfffffer valve. You just go pfffff, like something on a steam engine. You’ve just got to let it out ». She still uses the pfffffer valve. Recently, because she has been travelling a lot, « I’ve had few moments where I’m so tired I just feel like I need a good cry ». She wants to find a weepy film she can watch expressly for this purpose (« a good chick flick so I can have a really good howl »). She’ll settle on a classic such as Out of Africa.

t the height of her teenage fame, Minogue started releasing music in Australia, before being flown to London to meet with the record producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman. For days, she wandered around the city waiting for their call. She visited Madame Tussauds and went on an open-topped bus tour, all the while hoping they hadn’t forgotten about her. When she was finally summoned, the producers sat around unsure of what to do with this blue-eyed ingenue. According to Minogue, one of them said, « We need a song », another said, « She should be so lucky », and lo, a pop classic was born. I Should Be So Lucky went on to sell more than 1m copies. Since then, Minogue’s pace of work has been fairly relentless. « I’m conditioned », she says. « When the red [on air] light goes on, you’re on it. Sell it, whatever it is. I think that’s from my days on Neighbours. There’s no time, learn your lines, do it, move on to the next one ». It’s a get-on-with-it attitude that has got her through some of her toughest times — because it’s easy to forget, given her warmth and down-to-earth charm, that she has been through a lot. She dated the INXS frontman, Michael Hutchence, for two years from 1989; he was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney in 1997. « RIP », Minogue sighs. It was a tragedy, I say. « It really was », she nods. « What a creature! So charismatic, so gorgeous, funny, all of that. A great loss ». She credits Hutchence with giving her confidence to explore her sexuality, both on stage and off it. He used to tell her, before she performed, that it was time « to put your ego jacket on ».

« Half of us performers are the most insecure bunch you’ll ever come across », she says. « We’re asking, ‘When are they going to find out I’m a fraud?’» Hutchence, with his strutting machismo and self-belief, helped her get through that. She still thinks of the « ego jacket » every time she goes on stage. « You could be sick, you could be going through a break-up, you could just have had really bad news about something, but the show must go on ». Away from the limelight, Minogue describes herself as « a bit shy ». When she recorded the now-infamous video for Spinning Around, writhing atop a bar in gold hot pants bought by a friend for 50p down Portobello Market, it was as if a mental switch had been flicked and then it was « cool, go for it, slide down the bar …» She breaks off for a sexy little shimmy — Minogue is a very physical conversationalist. « Yeah, I wouldn’t wear the hot pants as me, but in that world, it makes sense ». Brazen cheek: « I wouldn’t wear them as me », Kylie says of the hot pants — bought for 50p in Portobello Market — she wore for Spinning Around. In fact, her pert derriere became so famous that The Sun sponsored a campaign in the early Noughties to have Minogue’s rear end listed as a World Heritage Site on the grounds that it was an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The gold hot pants, meanwhile, have been permanently rehoused at the Arts Centre Melbourne, where no one is allowed to touch them without putting on a pair of white gloves first. She began to think of her bottom as « a separate entity ». « At the time, there was so much talk about the hot pants I was like, ‘Well, they can go and do all the bloody interviews then, I’ll stay home!’ » It’s intriguing how much of her performative self she thinks of in the third person. Does she have a divaesque alter ego, like Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce? « I don’t have a name for it like Beyoncé does, but there’s definitely … I don’t know what to call it, it’s not a chasm, it’s not a void, but it’s a space, it’s a real space right before you go on and everything just changes ». And when she gets on stage? « It’s amazing. I’m not going to lie. You escape your problems on tour. It’s simpler there ». Occasionally, though, real life intervenes with shattering force. She was halfway through her Showgirl tour in 2005 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 36, felt a lump and went for a mammogram at a walk-in clinic in Melbourne. The well-meaning nurse told Minogue she wasn’t old enough to be there. « She said, ‘What are you doing around this end? You’re not 40.’ I made some joke about, ‘No, I’m not

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40, but won’t be too far off,’ that kind of thing ». When she got the results, « I never really thought, ‘Why me?’ I didn’t think that. But it was a total shock, obviously. I remember every moment. It was absolutely slow motion. Time kind of stood still ». She cancelled the tour and was treated in Paris, where she was living with her then-boyfriend, Olivier Martinez. She had a partial mastectomy and rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that left her so weakened that « walking to the cafe was a big deal: you’ve got no hair, no lashes, no nothing and it was like, ‘OK, I’m going to go down to the cafe.’ That was a big deal ». Her voice becomes quiet. Her eyes glaze over. « It’s not the easiest thing to remember ». Has she reconciled herself with her own mortality? « It’s a huge question. I don’t know ». I’m aware of the irony of discussing this with someone so inextricably linked to eternal youth. For so long, Minogue has seemed ageless, partly because — by her own admission — she went a little overboard with the Botox. She has since ditched the botulism and looks much better: her face is more structured, more graceful and seems more at peace with itself. She still looks a good 20 years younger than her real age and it’s fairly astonishing to think she is turning 50 in May. « I know », she groans, and then she stops herself. « I shouldn’t say it like that ». She sits up straighter and says brightly: « I know, I am ! » « I do feel like doing something a bit out of character

like throw a massive party. That’s not what I normally do, but I think I’m going to do it this year ». In the past, Minogue has spoken about her desire to start a family. Approaching her half-century has thrown that into doubt. Does she still want children? « No, not for me », she says firmly. « Been down that road, numerous times, as in, ‘Can I make this happen?’ But no. I mean, if I think about what it must be to be a mother and look into your child’s eyes, I mean, that’s …» She scrabbles around, searching for the right way to express something that has clearly been a painful realisation. « Of course I wonder what that would be like. But your destiny is your destiny and I can’t imagine, if by some miracle I got pregnant … at this point in my life, I wonder, could I even manage that? » She pauses. « That’s not in my life ». « It would be a lie to say there’s not a bit of sadness there, but I don’t get caught up in it. I can’t. I mean, what can I do? And there’s a high probability, if/when I meet someone, that they will have children anyway. So I could imagine being a stepmum ». There is a beat of silence and then the atmosphere shifts, from inward reflection to upbeat optimism at the flick of an invisible switch. She smiles and her gold boots shimmer and twinkle. I wonder if she’s in the space, that liminal zone where she puts on her « ego jacket » before going on stage — because whatever else happens, whatever she has been through, Kylie Minogue has always known the show must go on.

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STRIKE A KYLIE POSE ! Isa challenged you last month to reproduce the cover of Kylie’s new album, « Golden ».

Congratulations and thank you to Lisa and Kelly who got involved and reproduced Kylie’s cover in their own way! Special shout out goes to young Kelly who sent us an incredible picture (and special thanks to her dad for taking it!)

We’ll be back next month with a new photo challenge, do not hesitate to participate, the best / funniest photos will be rewarded with Kylie themed gifts and will be published on our social networks and in the next issue of the Kylie Times!

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FASHION

Kylie Minogue - Pre-Bafta dinner at Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club in London Dress : Cocofennell 45 www.kylie-world.com

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Kylie Minogue - Brits Awards 2018 in London Trench : Ralph & Russo 46 www.kylie-world.com

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Kylie Minogue - Brits Awards 2018 in London Dress : Ralph & Russo 47 www.kylie-world.com

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