The Stunning Transformation Of Kylie Minogue
Pop stars love to reinvent their image. Remember that time Lady Gaga traded her meat dresses for crop tops and denim shorts to promote 'Joanne?' Remember when Katy Perry burned her wig? Remember Madonna's ... whole career? Perhaps the only pop star who can hold a candle to Madonna's constant reinvention is Kylie Minogue, the Australian songstress best known in America for hits like "The Loco-Motion" and "Can't Get You Out Of My Head." She's an international music superstar who started as a soap opera actor, achieving the highest echelons of pop royalty after coming from a family that — as she told The New York Times — "worked up to middle class." She's been a tabloid darling, a fashion darling, a critical darling, a darling of the queer community, and she's released music consistently across five decades.
Speaking with NPR about her album "DISCO," Minogue mentioned returning to cosmic themes while recording. "These stars can seemingly burn forever," she said, aware of the double meaning for her own career. She elaborated, " ... There's the same amount of notes for every musician, every songwriter, and new songs are being written every day, all day. Somehow, there's always a new way to say the same thing."
If anyone can find that new way to "Say Something," it's Kylie Minogue. From her humble beginnings to the 2023 song that made our hearts go "Padam Padam," Kylie Minogue's transformation has been spectacular.
Kylie Minogue idolized Olivia Newton-John as a child
Kylie Minogue was born in Melbourne on May 28, 1968. She grew up with two younger siblings, Dannii and Brendan; like Kylie, Dannii would one day go on to be famous. When they were kids, though, they fought just like any siblings. "We had to share a room. And we very clearly remember there was masking tape that went down the middle of the room. That was her side, and this was my side," Dannii recalled on the Squiz Kids podcast, giving advice to a listener (via Yahoo!). " ... It's ok to fight it's ok to have different opinions. Down the road, though, you will become so close to your brothers and sisters."
As a child, Kylie loved fellow Aussie Olivia Newton-John. "Since I was 10 years old, I have loved and looked up to Olivia Newton-John. And, I always will," she later wrote on Instagram. In an interview with BBC Radio 2 (via Facebook), Kylie said that "Grease" was one of the first pieces of pop culture that made her think she wanted to get into entertainment someday. "I think of being, kind of, eight, nine, and being obsessed with 'Grease the Musical' and ABBA and having this kind of daytime fantasy about being a singer. Which I kind of thought everyone did," she said. "Of course, everyone doesn't." Kylie did, though, and soon enough she would follow in Newton-John's footsteps.
Kylie was everyone's favorite Neighbour
Kylie Minogue began acting as a child, appearing on shows like "The Sullivans" and "The Henderson Kids." In 1986, she got the role that would catapult her to fame. Beginning that year, Minogue played Charlene Robinson on the long-running Aussie soap "Neighbours," a show that would go on to launch the careers of international superstars like Margot Robbie and Liam Hemsworth. "My initial contract was for between one and 12 weeks' work, I think," Minogue recalled in a 2016 retrospective interview (via YouTube).
The character became extremely popular, and suddenly Minogue was famous. In a 1987 interview (via YouTube), she revealed, "Sometimes it's difficult when you're out. People, you know, they'll react to you as your character, not as you. So it's good to get home," she said. Fans were invested in Minogue's off-screen life, too; after all, it melded with her on-screen life, and she dated co-star Jason Donovan.
Crucially, Charlene was popular not just in Australia, but in the United Kingdom. When Minogue's character married Donovan's on the show, two million Aussies watched the nuptials. The following year, when the wedding aired in the U.K., nearly 20 million Brits tuned in. Kylie Minogue, international superstar, had arrived.
C'mon baby, do the locomotion with Kylie!
While on "Neighbours," Kylie Minogue lucked into a recording career. After she performed a cover of Little Eva's "Loco-Motion" at an event, someone noticed. "There was a guy who worked in the music industry in the audience who literally came up to me afterwards and said, 'That was great! You should release a record,'" she recalled on the Zach Sang Show. "And I released a record."
Minogue's version of "The Loco-Motion" was an international smash. The song even reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, an impressive feat considering Americans were unfamiliar with her television work. An album followed, but Minogue wasn't a fan of her own music. She felt her agency had been taken away while making it, telling The Los Angeles Times that her producing team of Stock Aitken Waterman took over her sound. "These producers think pop music is candy music," she said, noting that her album needed to appeal to her young fanbase. "They're saying: 'Here kids, have a piece of candy.'"
Around this time, Minogue had what she later told The Guardian was "a kind of mini-breakdown." "You can say no and the world's not going to fall apart," her father told her. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Minogue reflected that her sudden music career made her step back. "I was able to manage that myself and with my family and close friends and navigate those waters," she said. " ... It was a reaction to protect myself."
She evolved her image with Better The Devil You Know
After Kylie Minogue released her debut album "Kylie" in 1988, several more records followed in quick succession. "Enjoy Yourself" was released in 1989, and "Rhythm of Love" came out in 1990. On "Rhythm of Love," Minogue finally began to push back against the Stock Aitken Waterman sound that defined her early years. Her single "Better the Devil You Know" was a particular turning point. "The first change was 'Better the Devil You Know' in the sound and the lyrics of that song, especially the video and the look," Minogue told Billboard years later. The music video featured a number of looks that drastically switched up Minogue's teenybopper image, trading in her frizzy, curly hair for a much sleeker, straightened 'do. "Looks glamorous, doesn't it?" Minogue said in a behind-the-scenes interview about the music video (via YouTube). "It's supposed to!"
Paul Goldman, who directed the music video, told "The Morning Show" on the video's 30th anniversary that everyone knew this would be a big change for the star. "I think she was sick of 'the girl next door.' She wanted to strike out in another direction," he said. Goldman recalled record label executives being nervous about the image switch-up, afraid her fanbase would be alienated by a push into being a sex symbol.
Thankfully, critics loved the new, more mature sound. A reviewer in Music Week wrote, "Musically this is Kylie's best record by a mile."
Kylie began collaborating with John Galliano on the Let's Get To It Tour
Now that Kylie Minogue was no longer a teen soap star and was on her way to a respectable pop career, the fashion industry came calling. On the "Let's Get To It" Tour, which kicked off in 1991, Minogue wore a series of relatively risqué outfits by designer John Galliano. In an interview included on Minogue's "Live in Dublin" video (via NSFA), Galliano explained, "Kylie seduced me at a club in London." They got to know one another, and he observed "how she danced, how she moved" before going off to design looks for the tour. The showstopper was a jacket that Galliano said was inspired by both Lolita and Barbarella. "She comes on [stage] — this is an amazing light that shines down on her and reflects off this plastic jacket, which is articulated so that she can dance," he said.
They would go on to work together numerous times throughout her career, including for the iconic "Showgirl" tour in the 2000s. Other designers who have dressed Minogue include Jean Paul Gaultier, who wrote the foreword to her 2012 book "Kylie: Fashion." However, Kylie resists being called a style icon. In an interview with Marie Claire (via Yahoo!), she demurred dryly, "I'm aware my style has meaning for some people."
Kylie finally broke America ... again
Compared to her first few years of breathtaking productivity, the latter part of the 1990s was relatively quiet for Kylie Minogue. That all changed in 2000 when she released "Spinning Around," the first single from "Light Years." In the music video, Minogue wore a pair of gold hotpants, an instantly iconic look. They're so iconic, in fact, that they're part of the Australian Performing Arts Collection. The song catapulted the former soap star back to the top of the U.K. Official Charts, her first #1 in a decade.
The momentum was back, and in 2001, Minogue's music was released in America for the first time since "The Loco-Motion." That was a surprise to Minogue herself, who was content to focus on the U.K. and her native Australia. She didn't even technically have a label in America, but an American DJ played "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," and they got a great response. "All of a sudden it's 'We're putting you on a private jet, you need to be in Miami this weekend!'" Minogue recalled to Billboard. " ... I hadn't given much thought to the American market and suddenly I was there again." The single ultimately peaked at #7 on the Hot 100, and the music video — featuring Minogue with side-swept bangs and a white hood — added another iconic look to the repertoire.
"I feel quite solid," she told The Guardian. "I don't know where it's taking me, but everything feels really good."
Kylie Minogue's role in Moulin Rouge!
In the 1990s, Kylie Minogue starred in several movies, including "Street Fighter" and "Bio-Dome." Neither was well-received, and for a while it looked like Minogue's acting ambitions had receded in the face of her pop stardom. Her music career hit a new international high in 2001, and that same year, she was part of the cast of fellow Aussie Baz Luhrmann's film "Moulin Rouge!" Minogue had a small part as The Green Fairy, a mischievous little sprite who appears when the characters drink too much absinthe.
Minogue hadn't acted in a while, and she was nervous all the way up through the film's premiere. Aware that she had a small part, Minogue told The Guardian that she was self-conscious about the fact that people might be watching her watch the movie. "I was too scared to do anything," she recalled. "It's like when you're starving and you look at a menu and you can't focus on anything — I just wasn't completely there."
Years later, though, Minogue was able to look back on "Moulin Rouge!" and laugh. While appearing on "The Graham Norton Show," Minogue and Nicole Kidman — another fellow Aussie! — reminisced about their time on set. Minogue beamed, "I was over the moon to be in a Nicole Kidman film for a microsecond!"
Kylie Minogue went public with breast cancer
In 2005, Kylie Minogue embarked on "Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour," bringing a lineup of fabulous Vegas-inspired costumes and sets around the world. Unfortunately, Minogue had to cancel the Australian leg of the tour, instead announcing that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. "I was so looking forward to bringing the Showgirl tour to Australian audiences, and am sorry to have to disappoint my fans," she said in a statement published by CBS News. "Nevertheless, hopefully all will work out fine and I'll be back with you all again soon."
Throughout her treatment, Minogue was praised for being open about her experience with cancer. Researchers found what they termed "the Kylie effect," a noticeable bump in women seeking breast cancer screenings thanks to her announcement. "The significant 'Kylie effect' on screening may further reduce breast cancer deaths," Simon Chapman told Aussie news outlet The Age.
Thankfully, Minogue's partial mastectomy and chemotherapy were effective. Looking back on her diagnosis in 2020, Minogue told People that she's still affected by what she went through. "It's a huge change, and it is before and after," she reflected. " ... I think after cancer or any other big, life-changing incident or illness, you have to adapt." As she's proven time and time again throughout her career, if there's one thing Kylie Minogue can do, it's adapt.
Aphrodite brought her critical acclaim again
In 2010, Kylie Minogue released "Aphrodite," an album that added signature hits like "Get Outta My Way" to her already-impressive oeuvre. The music video for "All The Lovers," the album's first single, featured Minogue lifted above a city by a writhing mass of kissing dancers, both gay and straight. "There was all sorts going on basically, and I loved it," she told Allure. "I don't see any difference. It's just, they're all people." The song is such a signature hit, in fact, that she now calls her fanbase "Lovers."
The success of the album led to the "Aphrodite: Les Folies" tour. Announcing the tour on her website, Minogue wrote, "The reaction to 'Aphrodite' has been absolutely incredible and has inspired me and my creative team to develop a new show that will take all of us on a euphoric journey of joy, excitement and glamour."
That meant a stage show with working fountains and a Grecian theme to the fashion, all to match the album title. Speaking with her sister Dannii backstage (via YouTube), "[The 'Aphrodite' theme] is a great launchpad for the visuals. I mean, Greek mythology, over-the-top ... I think he referenced, well, classical sculpture, Fellini film, Folies Bergere, Busby Berkeley ... it's all thrown in there." It all paid off; the tour received glowing reviews, cementing Minogue's reputation as a pop star able to reinvent herself yet again.
Kylie returned to the big screen in 2012
After "Moulin Rouge!," it took Kylie Minogue more than a decade to appear on screen in a film again, save for a cameo as herself in the Bollywood film "Blue." 2012 marked her return to acting. First came "Jack & Diane," a thriller. That film wasn't well-received; it stands at 15% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
More successfully, Minogue appeared in French director Leos Carax's beautifully strange "Holy Motors" (That movie, for the record, is at 92% Fresh). "Holy Motors" is about a man (Denis Lavant) who moves through his day in a series of vignettes, showing up in odd scenes that range from whimsical to tragic. Minogue appears in one of the movie's final sequences, playing a doomed woman with a pixie cut who simply wants to connect. She told a press conference at Cannes (via The Guardian) that she did such an oddball film in order to prove her acting credibility and get back in touch with her roots. "I've got a lot of work to do before people stop thinking: 'Oh, what's Kylie Minogue doing in a film?' But this has made me feel it's possible to do something beautiful and challenging, and to be believable as someone else," she said.
She appeared in "San Andreas," opposite The Rock, in 2015. In a wink to fans, Minogue's character, trapped on a high-rise during an earthquake, cheekily yells the title of a then-recent single — "Get outta my way!" — before falling to her death.
She leaned into transformation
Kylie Minogue has always been a pop star up for reinvention. In 2017, Minogue hit upon her latest transformation: country star. A producer suggested they bring some country music elements into their songwriting session, and Minogue was game. "For better or worse, I'm always happy to try anything," she told Rolling Stone. "So I immediately said, 'Sure,' followed by 'but what do you mean?' Country has never played a part in my work." She took a trip to Nashville and quickly fell in love with the sounds of the city, and her album "Golden" was born. It was released in 2018. The dance-infused country music took work, as she explained to Billboard. "At one point one of my producers, Sky Adams, was throwing his hands up in the air saying, 'Not country! Too country! Not country enough! Too dance! Not enough dance!'" The album's sonic palette includes country-infused guitars, and the album art and music video aesthetics are full of sequins and wood-paneled rooms.
Two years later, amid the COVID-19 shutdowns, Minogue decided our disco needed her. In 2020, she released "DISCO," another themed album that saw the singer commanding the dance floor once again. She spoke about her newest style with Allure, explaining that she tried "to not have an album that was disco pastiche, but more to bow down and pay our utmost respect to those absolute disco legends who provided us with so much legacy and fantasy now."
Kylie became single again in 2023
Early in her career, Kylie Minogue's romantic exploits kept her in the tabloids. There was her short-lived marriage to her "Neighbours" co-star Jason Donovan. There was also a relationship with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. "Sex, love, food, drugs, music, travel, books, you name it, he wanted to experience it. As his partner I got to experience a lot of that as well," she said in "Mystify," a documentary about the singer (via NME). Over the years, as her career took off, her romantic partnerships became less central to her narrative.
In 2018, after breaking off an engagement with Joshua Sasse, Minogue struck up a relationship with British GQ creative director Paul Solomons. He lived in London, while Minogue moved back to her native Australia. They continued seeing one another long-distance, as Minogue explained to The Sydney Morning Herald in 2022. "What is difficult is explaining it ... because I don't have a traditional set-up when it comes to my relationship," she said. "I don't have the white-picket-fence life. We are in a very good space and we cherish that right now."
Unfortunately, it seems as though the distance became too great a barrier. The couple went their separate ways in early 2023, with sources telling News.com.au that she was worried about what people would think. "Kylie initially wanted to keep the split quiet though as she really does not want the narrative to be 'poor, unlucky-in-love-Kylie's heartbreak's again,'" the source said.
Her transformation into a viral sensation
In 2023, Kylie Minogue launched the album campaign for "Tension," her follow-up to 2020's "DISCO." She told Rolling Stone that she decided not to lean into a concept this time. "We agreed there's no theme [and that] it'd be refreshing not to have a theme after having done 'Golden' and "Disco,'" she said. Instead, she just wanted a collection of killer songs.
The first single to be unveiled from the album was "Padam Padam," an onomatopoeia for a heartbeat. The song was released in late May, and it quickly went viral. Fans "heard it and they knew" that the song had the potential to be iconic, and soon it felt like the song was inescapable online. The following month — Pride Month, for the record — Minogue spoke with Today about what had just happened the previous few weeks. "It's a greeting. It's a farewell. There is a call and response," she said. "Say it, then you have to say it back." Minogue was delighted by the memes. "They're telling stories with 'Padam,'" she marveled. "They're doing stuff with a song that none of us, me and my team, could have ever imagined."
Minogue took care to shout out the song's popularity in the queer community. "I just want people to feel seen, heard, loved," she told Audacy. "To give them that joy, or be part of their joy ... Whatever I'm giving out, it's coming back so much more to me."
She added new dates to her Vegas residency after high demand
Kylie Minogue is a much bigger star internationally than she is in America. As such, she told Rolling Stone in 2018 that it didn't always make financial sense for her to tour America. "On paper, it's not the wisest thing to do ... But at this point in my life and my career, I think, 'Man, I really wanna go and see these people!'" she said. "'Find a way and make it happen!'"
In support of her album "Tension," Minogue found a way to make it happen. The showgirl is headed to "Vegas, baby!" In August 2023, she announced "More Than Just A Residency," a concert series at Voltaire, The Venetian Hotel's new venue. At a press appearance to promote the shows (via Variety), Minogue reflected that right now is the perfect time to finally do Vegas. "I don't want to do it when I'm at the sunset of my career," she reflected. "So, I think I've got it right somewhere in the middle where I feel like I've earned the right to, and have the experience to, really enjoy being there."
Tickets were in such high demand that the residency sold out in a matter of hours, so Minogue extended her run. She wrote on Instagram, "So humbled by this overwhelming response ... Hope you can bag your [ticket emoji] for one of these new dates. Can't wait to share this Vegas experience with you." It will undoubtedly be thrilling to watch the reveal of Kylie's new Vegas show and to see how the songstress may have transformed herself once again.