The spectrogram of the human voice reveals its rich harmonic content.

The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds (vocal cords) are the primary sound source. Generally speaking, the mechanism for generating the human voice can be subdivided into three parts; the lungs, the vocal folds within the larynx, and the articulators. The lung (the pump) must produce adequate airflow and air pressure to vibrate vocal folds (this air pressure is the fuel of the voice). The vocal folds (vocal cords) are a vibrating valve that chops up the airflow from the lungs into audible pulses that form the laryngeal sound source. The muscles of the larynx adjust the length and tension of the vocal folds to ‘fine tune’ pitch and tone. The articulators (the parts of the vocal tract above the larynx consisting of tongue, palate, cheek, lips, etc.) articulate and filter the sound emanating from the larynx and to some degree can interact with the laryngeal airflow to strengthen it or weaken it as a sound source.

The vocal folds, in combination with the articulators, are capable of producing highly intricate arrays of sound.^[1][2][3] The tone of voice may be modulated to suggest emotions such as anger, surprise, or happiness.^[4][5] Singers use the human voice as an instrument for creating music.^[6]

Voice types and the folds (cords) themselves[link]

A labeled anatomical diagram of the vocal folds or cords.

Adult men and women have different sizes of vocal fold; reflecting the male-female differences in larynx size. Adult male voices are usually lower-pitched and have larger folds. The male vocal folds (which would be measured vertically in the opposite diagram), are between 17 mm and 25 mm in length.^[7] The female vocal folds are between 12.5 mm and 17.5 mm in length.

As seen in the illustration, the folds are located just above the vertebrate trachea (the windpipe, which travels from the lungs). Food and drink do not pass through the cords but instead pass through the esophagus, an unlinked tube. Both tubes are separated by the epiglottis, a "flap" that covers the opening of the trachea while swallowing.

The folds in both sexes are within the larynx. They are attached at the back (side nearest the spinal cord) to the arytenoids cartilages, and at the front (side under the chin) to the thyroid cartilage. They have no outer edge as they blend into the side of the breathing tube (the illustration is out of date and does not show this well) while their inner edges or "margins" are free to vibrate (the hole). They have a three layer construction of an epithelium, vocal ligament, then muscle (vocalis muscle), which can shorten and bulge the folds. They are flat triangular bands and are pearly white in color. Above both sides of the vocal cord is the vestibular fold or false vocal cord, which has a small sac between its two folds (not illustrated).

The difference in vocal folds size between men and women means that they have differently pitched voices. Additionally, genetics also causes variances amongst the same sex, with men and women's singing voices being categorized into types. For example, among men, there are bass, baritone, tenor and countertenor (ranging from E2 to even F6), and among women, contralto, mezzo-soprano and soprano (ranging from F3 to C6). There are additional categories for operatic voices, see voice type. This is not the only source of difference between male and female voice. Men, generally speaking, have a larger vocal tract, which essentially gives the resultant voice a lower-sounding timbre. This is mostly independent of the vocal folds themselves.

Voice modulation in spoken language[link]

Human spoken language makes use of the ability of almost all persons in a given society to dynamically modulate certain parameters of the laryngeal voice source in a consistent manner. The most important communicative, or phonetic, parameters are the voice pitch (determined by the vibratory frequency of the vocal folds) and the degree of separation of the vocal folds, referred to as vocal fold adduction (coming together) or abduction (separating).^[8]

The ability to vary the ab/adduction of the vocal folds quickly has a strong genetic component, since vocal fold adduction has a life-preserving function in keeping food from passing into the lungs, in addition to the covering action of the epiglottis. Consequently, the muscles that control this action are among the fastest in the body.^[8] Children can learn to use this action consistently during speech at an early age, as they learn to speak the difference between utterances such as "apa" (having an abductory-adductory gesture for the p) as "aba" (having no abductory-adductory gesture).^[8] Surprisingly enough, they can learn to do this well before the age of two by listening only to the voices of adults around them who have voices much different from their own, and even though the laryngeal movements causing these phonetic differentiations are deep in the throat and not visible to them.

If an abductory movement or adductory movement is strong enough, the vibrations of the vocal folds will stop (or not start). If the gesture is abductory and is part of a speech sound, the sound will be called Voiceless. However, voiceless speech sounds are sometimes better identified as containing an abductory gesture, even if the gesture was not strong enough to stop the vocal folds from vibrating. This anomalous feature of voiceless speech sounds is better understood if it is realized that it is the change in the spectral qualities of the voice as abduction proceeds that is the primary acoustic attribute that the listener attends to when identifying a voiceless speech sound, and not simply the presence or absence of voice (periodic energy).^[9]

An adductory gesture is also identified by the change in voice spectral energy it produces. Thus, a speech sound having an adductory gesture may be referred to as a "glottal stop" even if the vocal fold vibrations do not entirely stop.^[9] for an example illustrating this, obtained by using the inverse filtering of oral airflow.]

Other aspects of the voice, such as variations in the regularity of vibration, are also used for communication, and are important for the trained voice user to master, but are more rarely used in the formal phonetic code of a spoken language.

Physiology and vocal timbre[link]

The sound of each individual's voice is entirely unique not only because of the actual shape and size of an individual's vocal cords but also due to the size and shape of the rest of that person's body, especially the vocal tract, and the manner in which the speech sounds are habitually formed and articulated. (It is this latter aspect of the sound of the voice that can be mimicked by skilled performers.) Humans have vocal folds that can loosen, tighten, or change their thickness, and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of chest and neck, the position of the tongue, and the tightness of otherwise unrelated muscles can be altered. Any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced. Sound also resonates within different parts of the body, and an individual's size and bone structure can affect somewhat the sound produced by an individual.

Singers can also learn to project sound in certain ways so that it resonates better within their vocal tract. This is known as vocal resonation. Another major influence on vocal sound and production is the function of the larynx, which people can manipulate in different ways to produce different sounds. These different kinds of laryngeal function are described as different kinds of vocal registers.^[10] The primary method for singers to accomplish this is through the use of the Singer's Formant, which has been shown to be a resonance added to the normal resonances of the vocal tract above the frequency range of most instruments and so enables the singer's voice to carry better over musical accompaniment.^[11][12]

Vocal registration[link]

Vocal registration refers to the system of vocal registers within the human voice. A register in the human voice is a particular series of tones, produced in the same vibratory pattern of the vocal folds, and possessing the same quality. Registers originate in laryngeal functioning. They occur because the vocal folds are capable of producing several different vibratory patterns. Each of these vibratory patterns appears within a particular Vocal range range of pitches and produces certain characteristic sounds.^[13] the term register can be somewhat confusing as it encompasses several aspects of the human voice. The term register can be used to refer to any of the following:^[14]

• A particular part of the vocal range such as the upper, middle, or lower registers.
• A resonance area such as chest voice or head voice.
• A phonatory process.
• A certain vocal timbre.
• A region of the voice that is defined or delimited by vocal breaks.
• A subset of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.

In linguistics, a register language is a language that combines tone and vowel phonation into a single phonological system.

Within speech pathology the term vocal register has three constituent elements: a certain vibratory pattern of the vocal folds, a certain series of pitches, and a certain type of sound. Speech pathologists identify four vocal registers based on the physiology of laryngeal function: the vocal fry register, the modal register, and the falsetto register, and the whistle register. This view is also adopted by many vocal pedagogists.^[14]

Vocal resonation[link]

Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside air. Various terms related to the resonation process include amplification, enrichment, enlargement, improvement, intensification, and prolongation; although in strictly scientific usage acoustic authorities would question most of them. The main point to be drawn from these terms by a singer or speaker is that the end result of resonation is, or should be, to make a better sound.^[14] There are seven areas that may be listed as possible vocal resonators. In sequence from the lowest within the body to the highest, these areas are the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses.^[15]

Influences of the human voice[link]

The twelve-tone musical scale, upon which some of the music in the world is based, may have its roots in the sound of the human voice during the course of evolution, according to a study published by the New Scientist. Analysis of recorded speech samples found peaks in acoustic energy that mirrored the distances between notes in the twelve-tone scale.^[16]

Voice disorders[link]

There are many disorders that affect the human voice; these include speech impediments, and growths and lesions on the vocal folds. Talking improperly for long periods of time causes vocal loading, which is stress inflicted on the speech organs. When vocal injury is done, often an ENT specialist may be able to help, but the best treatment is the prevention of injuries through good vocal production.^[17] Voice therapy is generally delivered by a speech-language pathologist.

Vocal Cord Nodules and Polyps[link]

Vocal nodules are caused over time by repeated abuse of the vocal cords which results in soft, swollen spots on each vocal cord. These spots develop into harder, callous-like growths called nodules. The longer the abuse occurs the larger and stiffer the nodules will become. Most polyps are larger than nodules and may be called by other names, such as polypoid degeneration or Reinke's edema. Polyps are caused by a single occurrence and may require surgical removal. Irritation after the removal may then lead to nodules if additional irritation persists. Speech-language therapy teaches the patient how to eliminate the irritations permanently through habit changes and vocal hygiene. Hoarseness or breathiness that lasts for more than two weeks is a common symptom of an underlying voice disorder such as nodes or polyps and should be investigated medically.^[18]

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Howard, D.M., and Murphy, D.T.M. (2009). [1] Voice science acoustics and recording, San Diego: Plural Press.
• Titze, I. R. (2008). The human instrument. Sci.Am. 298 (1):94–101. [2]
• Thurman, Leon & Welch, ed., Graham (2000), Bodymind & voice: Foundations of voice education (revised ed.), Collegeville, Minnesota: The VoiceCare Network et al., ISBN 0-87414-123-0

External links[link]

Look up voice or vocal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Voice

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of singing

• Free Voice analyzer and Biometrics displaying software from University College London
• The Head Voice and Other Problems, 1917, by D. A. Clippinger, from Project Gutenberg
• The Voice Foundation's official website
• The Anatomy of Singing
• David Harper, vocal coach: A passion for the voice that never wanes – Opera~Opera article
• Irish Voice festival official website
• How the voice works-- The Voice Works Like a Car
• Voice acoustics: an introduction from the University of New South Wales

Jessica Hammond is a singer songwriter. Jessica is the winner of the 2010 Northern Ireland Belfast CityBeat competition Young Star Search developed by Stuart Robinson (now Cool FM) . Before winning Young Star Search, Jessica Hammond has been a finalist^[1] on the Disney Channel UK talent search My Camp Rock in April 2009.^[2] She is from Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.^[3][4][5]

Jessica Hammond fought off competition from thousands of hopefuls to secure her place in the contest, along with 7 other acts. The show aims to find a young music star aged 8 to 16. She sang Here I Am from the Camp Rock soundtrack at the Camp Jam, Gary Lloyd, Zoe Tyler and R&B star Craig David sat on the judging panel responsible for whittling the finalists down from eight to four, along with the head of Walt Disney Records in Europe, who released the winning track. The Final Jam aired on April 24, 2009.^[6] Jessica Hammond has written songs, Try Again, No Doubt, My Boyfriend , Star and Cheater which is just about to received Radio play on Citybeat Radio. YouTube.^[6]

She is currently studying at Ashfield Girls' School.^[6]

By age six she was singing, by age 10 Jessica had completed vocalist grades 1,2 and 3 with the British School of Music and by twelve she was playing the guitar. She began playing the saxophone and drums about a year ago "just for fun".^[6] She described her music style as rock-pop.^[6]

In 2012, Jessica auditioned for the first UK series of The Voice, and progressed to the Battle Rounds as part of Jessie J's team, but was eliminated in the Battle Rounds after losing to Vince Kidd.

References[link]

External Links[link]

Official Website

This article about an Irish musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown performing in 2005
Background information
Born	(1928-01-12)January 12, 1928 Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
Died	November 17, 2006(2006-11-17) (aged 78) Henderson, Nevada, United States
Genres	Pop, R&B, jazz, soul, gospel, funk
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	1949–2006
Labels	Atlantic, Philips, Fantasy

Ruth Brown (January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress also known as "Queen of R&B" noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean".^[1] For these contributions, Atlantic became known as "The house that Ruth built" (alluding to the popular nickname for Old Yankee Stadium).^[2][3]

Following a resurgence that began in the mid-1970s and peaked in the 1980s, Brown used her influence to press for musicians' rights regarding royalties and contracts, which led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.^[4] Her performances in the Broadway musical, Black and Blue, earned Brown a Tony Award, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award.

Early life[link]

Born Ruth Alston Weston in Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, she attended I. C. Norcom High School, a historically black high school. Brown's father was a dockhand who directed the local church choir, but the young Ruth showed more of an interest in singing at USO shows and nightclubs. She was inspired by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.^[5] In 1945, Brown ran away from her home in Portsmouth along with trumpeter, Jimmy Brown, whom she soon married, to sing in bars and clubs. She then spent a month with Lucky Millinder's orchestra.^[1]

Career[link]

Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at a Washington, D.C. nightclub called Crystal Caverns and soon became her manager. Willis Conover, a Voice of America disc jockey, caught her act with Duke Ellington and recommended her to Atlantic Records bosses, Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Brown was unable to audition as planned because of a serious car accident that resulted in a nine-month hospital stay. She signed with Atlantic Records on her hospital bed.^[6] In 1948, Ertegün and Abramson drove to Washington, D.C., from New York City to hear her sing in the club. Although her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, Ertegün convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues.

In her first audition, in 1949, she sang "So Long," which ended up becoming a hit. This was followed by "Teardrops from My Eyes" in 1950. Written by Rudy Toombs, it was the first upbeat major hit for Brown. Recorded for Atlantic Records in New York City in September 1950, and released in October, it was Billboard's R&B number one for 11 weeks. The hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm" and within a few months Brown became the acknowledged queen of R&B.^[7]

She followed up this hit with "I'll Wait for You" (1951), "I Know" (1951), "5-10-15 Hours" (1953), "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (1953), "Oh What a Dream" (1954), "Mambo Baby" (1954), and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960), some of which were credited to Ruth Brown and the Rhythm Makers. In all, between 1949 and 1955, she stayed on the R&B chart for a total 149 weeks, with sixteen Top 10 records including five number ones.

Brown played many dances that were deeply segregated in the Southern States, where she toured extensively and was extremely popular. Brown herself claimed that a writer had once summed up her popularity by saying: "In the South Ruth Brown is better known than Coca Cola."

Her first pop hit came with Lucky Lips, a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded in 1957. The single reached number 6 on the R&B chart, and number 25 on the US pop chart.^[8] The 1958 follow up was This Little Girl's Gone Rockin', written by Bobby Darin and Mann Curtis. It reached number 7 on the R&B chart and number 24 on the pop chart.^[9]

She was to have further hits with I Don't Know in 1959 and Don't Deceive Me in 1960, although these were more successful on the R&B chart than on the pop chart.

Later life[link]

During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view to become a housewife and mother. She returned to music in 1975 at the urging of Redd Foxx, followed by a series of comedic acting gigs. These included a role in the sitcom Hello, Larry, and the John Waters film, Hairspray, as well as Broadway appearances in Amen Corner and Black and Blue. The latter earned her a Tony Award as "Best Female Star of a Musical", and a Grammy Award as Best Female Jazz Artist for her album, Blues on Broadway, featuring hits from the show.

Brown's fight for musicians' rights and royalties in 1987 led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was inducted as a Pioneer Award recipient in its first year, 1989, and inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Brown recorded and sang along with fellow rhythm and blues performer Charles Brown, and toured with Bonnie Raitt in the late 1990s. Her 1995 autobiography, Miss Rhythm,^[10] won the Gleason Award for music journalism. She was nominated for another Grammy in the Traditional Blues category for her 1997 album, R+B=Ruth Brown. Brown was still touring at the age of 77.^[6]

Brown had completed pre-production work on the Danny Glover film, Honeydripper, which she did not live to finish, but her recording of "Things About Comin' My Way" was released posthumously on the soundtrack CD.

Personal life[link]

• Oldest of seven children.^[11]
• First husband Jimmy Brown (trumpeter) was found to be already married.
• Married Earl Swanson (saxophonist) in 1955, the father of her son Earl Swanson Jr.
• Married to Bill Blunt (police officer) for three years.
• Was mother of Ronald David Jackson ("Ronnie") with Clyde McPhatter of The Drifters, although Ronnie grew up believing that his father was Brown's former companion and accompanist Willis "Gator" Jackson.
• Her nephew Rakim is considered one of the most influential rappers in the history of the hip hop genre.^[12]

Brown died in a Las Vegas-area hospital on November 17, 2006, from complications following a heart attack and stroke she suffered after surgery in October 2006.^[13] A memorial concert for her was held on January 22, 2007 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.^[14]

Brown is buried at the Roosevelt Memorial Park, Chesapeake City in Virginia.^[15]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1957: Rock & Roll (Atlantic)
• 1959: Late Date With Ruth Brown (Atlantic)
• 1959: Miss Rhythm (Atlantic)
• 1962: Along Comes Ruth (Philips Records)
• 1962: Gospel Time (Philips Records)
• 1968: The Big Band Sound of Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Featuring Miss Ruth Brown (Solid State)
• 1969: Black Is Brown And Brown Is Beautiful (Skye Records)
• 1972: The Real Ruth Brown (Cobblestone Records)
• 1970s: You Don't Know Me (Dobre Records)
• 1989: Blues on Broadway (Fantasy Records)
• 1991: Fine and Mellow (Fantasy Records)
• 1993: The Songs Of My Life (Fantasy Records)
• 1997: R+B=Ruth Brown (Bullseye Blues)
• 1999: A Good Day For The Blues (Bullseye Blues)
• 2006: Jukebox Hits (compilation, Acrobat)

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ruth Brown at Allmusic
• Ruth Brown at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ruth Brown at the Internet Movie Database
• Ruth Brown at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [Link compromised 2011-Apr-04.]
• Ruth Brown biography at VH1
• Atlantic Records discography
• Jazz Conversations with Eric Jackson: Ruth Brown from WGBH Radio Boston

Kylie Minogue
Background information
Birth name	Kylie Ann Minogue
Born	(1968-05-28) 28 May 1968 (age 44) Melbourne, Australia
Genres	Pop, synthpop, nu-disco,[1][2] dance-pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, fashion designer, author, entrepreneur, showgirl
Years active	1979–present
Labels	PWL, Mushroom, Deconstruction, Parlophone, Warner Music Australia
Website	kylie.com

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE ( /ˈkaɪliː mɨˈnoʊɡ/; born 28 May 1968) — often known simply as Kylie — is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, showgirl, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK, and received generally positive reviews.

Initially presented as a "girl next door", Minogue attempted to convey a more mature style in her music and public image. Her singles were well received, but after four albums her record sales were declining, and she left Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992 to establish herself as an independent performer. Her next single, "Confide in Me", reached number one in Australia and was a hit in several European countries in 1994, and a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", brought Minogue a greater degree of artistic credibility. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists, Minogue took creative control over the songwriting for her next album, Impossible Princess (1997). It failed to attract strong reviews or sales in the UK, but was successful in Australia.

Minogue returned to prominence in 2000 with the single "Spinning Around" and the dance-oriented album Light Years, and she performed during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her music videos showed a more sexually provocative and flirtatious personality and several hit singles followed. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in more than 40 countries, and the album Fever (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the United States, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Minogue embarked on a concert tour but cancelled it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. After surgery and chemotherapy treatment, she resumed her career in 2006 with Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her tenth studio album X was released in 2007 and was followed by the KylieX2008 tour. In 2009, she embarked upon her For You, For Me Tour, her first concert tour of the United States and Canada, and the following year released her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite.

Minogue has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 68 million,^[3] and has received notable music awards, including multiple ARIA and Brit Awards and a Grammy Award. She has mounted several successful and critically acclaimed concert world tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. Bestowed from the Queen of Australia Queen Elizabeth II, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) at Buckingham Palace in 2008 "for services to music". In the same year she was awarded France's highest cultural honour, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government for her contribution to the enrichment of French culture. In 2011, "I Should Be So Lucky" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry.^[4][5] While also in 2011, Minogue was awarded an honorary Doctor of Health Science (D.H.Sc.) degree by Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom of for her work in raising awareness for breast cancer. On 27 November 2011, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ARIA Music Awards, Kylie Minogue was inducted by the Australian Recording Industry Association into the ARIA Hall of Fame.^[6]

Life and career[link]

1968–86: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Kylie Ann Minogue was born 28 May 1968 in Melbourne, Australia, the eldest child of Ronald Charles Minogue, an accountant of Irish ancestry^[7] and Carol Ann (née Jones), a former dancer from Maesteg, Wales.^[8] Kylie's sister, Dannii Minogue, was also a pop singer^[7] and is a judge on Australia's Got Talent, while her brother, Brendan, works as a news cameraman in Australia.^[9] The Minogue children were raised in Surrey Hills, Melbourne, and educated at Camberwell High School.^[10]

The Minogue sisters began their careers as children on Australian television.^[7] From the age of 11, Kylie appeared in small roles in soap operas such as The Sullivans and Skyways, and in 1985 was cast in one of the lead roles in The Henderson Kids.^[11] Interested in following a career in music, she made a demo tape for the producers of the weekly music programme Young Talent Time,^[12] which featured Dannii as a regular performer.^[13] Kylie gave her first television singing performance on the show in 1985 but was not invited to join the cast. Dannii's success overshadowed Kylie's acting achievements,^[7] until Kylie was cast in the soap opera Neighbours in 1986,^[10] as Charlene Mitchell, a schoolgirl turned garage mechanic. Neighbours achieved popularity in the UK, and a story arc that created a romance between her character and the character played by Jason Donovan, culminated in a wedding episode in 1987 that attracted an audience of 20 million British viewers.^[14]

Her popularity in Australia was demonstrated when she became the first person to win four Logie Awards in one event, and the youngest recipient of the "Gold Logie" as the country's "Most Popular Television Performer", with the result determined by public vote.^[15]

[edit] 1987–92: Kylie, Enjoy Yourself, Rhythm of Love and Let's Get to It

During a Fitzroy Football Club benefit concert with other Neighbours cast members, Minogue performed "I Got You Babe" as a duet with the actor John Waters, and "The Loco-Motion" as an encore, and was subsequently signed to a recording contract with Mushroom Records in 1987.^[16] Her first single, "The Loco-Motion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian music charts. It sold 200,000 copies,^[12] became the highest selling single of the 1980s,^[17] and Minogue received the ARIA Award for the year's highest selling single.^[18] Its success resulted in Minogue travelling to England with Mushroom Records executive Gary Ashley to work with Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They knew little of Minogue and had forgotten that she was arriving; as a result, they wrote "I Should Be So Lucky" while she waited outside the studio.^[19] The song reached number one in the UK, Australia, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Israel and Hong Kong.^[20] Minogue won her second consecutive ARIA Award for the year's highest selling single, and received a "Special Achievement Award".^[21] Her debut album, Kylie, a collection of dance-oriented pop tunes spent more than a year on the British album charts, including several weeks at number one.^[22] The album went gold in the United States, and the single, "The Loco-Motion", reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart,^[23] and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. "It's No Secret", released only in the U.S., peaked at number 37 in early 1989,^[23] and "Turn It Into Love" was released as a single in Japan, where it reached number one.

In July 1988, "Got To Be Certain" became Minogue's third consecutive number one single on the Australian music charts,^[24] and later in the year she left Neighbours to focus on her music career. Jason Donovan commented "When viewers watched her on screen they no longer saw Charlene the local mechanic, they saw Kylie the pop star."^[7] A duet with Donovan, titled "Especially for You", sold almost one million copies in the UK in early 1989, but critic Kevin Killian wrote that the duet was "majestically awful ... [it] makes the Diana Ross, Lionel Richie 'Endless Love' sound like Mahler."^[25] She was sometimes referred to as "the Singing Budgie" by her detractors over the coming years,^[26] however Chris True's comment about the album Kylie for Allmusic suggests that Minogue's appeal transcended the limitations of her music, by noting that "her cuteness makes these rather vapid tracks bearable".^[27]

Her follow-up album Enjoy Yourself (1989) was a success in the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, Asia and Australia, and contained several successful singles, including the British number one "Hand on Your Heart",^[22] but it failed throughout North America, and Minogue was dropped by her American record label Geffen Records. She embarked on her first concert tour, the Enjoy Yourself Tour, in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Australia, where Melbourne's Herald Sun wrote that it was "time to ditch the snobbery and face facts—the kid's a star."^[28] In December 1989, Minogue was one of the featured vocalists on the remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas",^[29] and her debut film, The Delinquents, premiered in London. It was poorly received by critics,^[29] and the Daily Mirror reviewed Minogue's performance with the comment that she "has as much acting charisma as cold porridge",^[30] but it proved popular with audiences; in the UK it grossed more than £200,000,^[31] and in Australia it was the fourth-highest grossing local film of 1989 and the highest grossing local film of 1990.^[32]

Rhythm of Love (1990) presented a more sophisticated and adult style of dance music and also marked the first signs of Minogue's rebellion against her production team and the "girl-next-door" image.^[33] Determined to be accepted by a more mature audience, Minogue took control of her music videos, starting with "Better the Devil You Know", and presented herself as a sexually aware adult.^[34] Her relationship with Michael Hutchence was also seen as part of Minogue's departure from her earlier persona; Hutchence was quoted as saying that his hobby was "corrupting Kylie", and that the INXS song "Suicide Blonde" had been inspired by her.^[35] The singles from Rhythm of Love sold well in Europe and Australia and were popular in British nightclubs. Pete Waterman later reflected that "Better the Devil You Know" was a milestone in her career and said that it made her "the hottest, hippest dance act on the scene and nobody could knock it as it was the best dance record around at the time".^[7] "Shocked" became Minogue's thirteenth consecutive British top-10 single.^[22]

In May 1990, Minogue performed her band's arrangement of The Beatles's "Help!" before a crowd of 25,000 at the John Lennon: The Tribute Concert on the banks of the River Mersey in Liverpool. Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon offered Minogue their thanks for her support of The John Lennon Fund, while the media commented positively on her performance. The Sun wrote "The soap star wows the Scousers — Kylie Minogue deserved her applause".^[36] Her fourth album, Let's Get to It (1991), reached number 15 on the British album charts and was the first of her albums to fail to reach the Top 10;^[22] her fourteenth single "Word Is Out" was the first to miss the Top 10 singles chart,^[22] though subsequent singles "If You Were with Me Now" and "Give Me Just a Little More Time" reached number four and number two respectively.^[22] Minogue had fulfilled the requirements of her contract and elected not to renew it.^[7] She later expressed her opinion that she was stifled by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and said, "I was very much a puppet in the beginning. I was blinkered by my record company. I was unable to look left or right."^[37]

A Greatest Hits album was released in 1992. It reached number one in the UK^[22] and number three in Australia,^[38] and the singles "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" and her cover version of Kool & The Gang's "Celebration" each reached the UK Top 20.^[22]

[edit] 1993–98: Kylie Minogue and Impossible Princess

Minogue's subsequent signing with Deconstruction Records was highly touted in the music media as the beginning of a new phase in her career, but the eponymous Kylie Minogue (1994) received mixed reviews. It sold well in Europe and Australia, where the single "Confide in Me" spent four weeks at number one.^[39] She performed a striptease in the video for her next single, "Put Yourself in My Place", inspired by Jane Fonda in the film Barbarella.^[40] This single and her next, "Where Is the Feeling?" each reached the British top 20,^[22] and the album peaked at number four,^[22] eventually selling 250,000 copies.^[41] During this period she made a guest appearance as herself, in an episode of the comedy The Vicar of Dibley. The director Steven E. de Souza was intrigued by Minogue's cover photo in Australia's Who Magazine as one of "The 30 Most Beautiful People in the World", and offered her a role opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Street Fighter (1994).^[42] The film was a moderate success, earning US$70 million in the U.S.,^[42] but received poor reviews with The Washington Post's Richard Harrington calling Minogue "the worst actress in the English-speaking world".^[43] She co-starred with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin in Bio-Dome (1996), but it was a failure, dismissed by Movie Magazine International as the "biggest waste of celluloid space".^[42] Minogue returned to Australia where she appeared in the short film, Hayride to Hell (1995), and then to the UK where she filmed a cameo role as herself in the film Diana & Me (1997).^[44]

File:KylieMinogueWhereTheWildRosesGrowVideo.jpg

The music video for "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995) (left) was inspired by John Everett Millais' Ophelia (1851/52) (right).

Australian artist Nick Cave had been interested in working with Minogue since hearing "Better the Devil You Know", saying it contained "one of pop music's most violent and distressing lyrics" and "when Kylie Minogue sings these words, there is an innocence to her that makes the horror of this chilling lyric all the more compelling".^[45] They collaborated on "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995), a brooding ballad whose lyrics narrated a murder from the points of view of both the murderer (Cave), and his victim (Minogue). The video was inspired by John Everett Millais's painting Ophelia (1851–1852), and showed Minogue as the murdered woman, floating in a pond as a serpent swam over her body. The single received widespread attention in Europe, where it reached the top 10 in several countries, and acclaim in Australia where it reached number two on the singles chart,^[46] and won ARIA Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop Release".^[47] Following concert appearances with Cave, Minogue recited the lyrics to "I Should Be So Lucky" as poetry in London's Royal Albert Hall "Poetry Jam", at the suggestion of Cave, and later described it as a "most cathartic moment".^[48] She credited Cave with giving her the confidence to express herself artistically, saying: "He taught me to never veer too far from who I am, but to go further, try different things, and never lose sight of myself at the core. For me, the hard part was unleashing the core of myself and being totally truthful in my music."^[49] By 1997, Minogue was in a relationship with the French photographer Stéphane Sednaoui, who encouraged her to develop her creativity.^[50] Inspired by a mutual appreciation of Japanese culture, they created a visual combination of "geisha and manga superheroine" for the photographs taken for the album Impossible Princess and the video for "German Bold Italic", Minogue's collaboration with Towa Tei.^[51] Minogue drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Shirley Manson and Garbage, Björk, Tricky and U2, and Japanese pop musicians such as Pizzicato Five and Towa Tei.^[52]

Impossible Princess featured collaborations with musicians such as James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of the Manic Street Preachers. Mostly a dance album, its style was not represented by its first single "Some Kind of Bliss", and Minogue countered suggestions that she was trying to become an indie artist. She told Music Week, "I have to keep telling people that this isn't an indie-guitar album. I'm not about to pick up a guitar and rock."^[53] Acknowledging that she had attempted to escape the perceptions of her that had developed during her early career, Minogue commented that she was ready to "forget the painful criticism" and "accept the past, embrace it, use it".^[48] Her video for "Did It Again" paid homage to her earlier incarnations, as noted in her biography, Kylie: La La La, "Dance Kylie, Cute Kylie, Sex Kylie and Indie Kylie all struggled for supremacy as they battled bitchily with each other."^[54] Billboard described the album as "stunning" and concluded that "it's a golden commercial opportunity for a major [record company] with vision and energy [to release it in the United States]. A sharp ear will detect a kinship between Impossible Princess and Madonna's hugely successful album, Ray of Light".^[49] In the UK, Music Week gave a negative assessment, commenting that "Kylie's vocals take on a stroppy edge ... but not strong enough to do much".^[55] Retitled Kylie Minogue in the UK following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it became the lowest-selling album of her career. At the end of the year a campaign by Virgin Radio stated, "We've done something to improve Kylie's records: we've banned them."^[10] A poll conducted by Smash Hits voted her the "worst-dressed person, worst singer and second-most very horrible thing—after spiders".^[10]

In Australia, Impossible Princess spent 35 weeks on the album chart and peaked at number four,^[56] to become her most successful album since Kylie in 1988, and her Intimate and Live tour was extended due to demand.^[57] The Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, hosted a civic reception for Minogue in Melbourne,^[58] and she maintained her high profile in Australia with live performances, including the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras,^[57] the opening ceremonies of Melbourne's Crown Casino^[59] and Sydney's Fox Studios in 1999, where she performed Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend",^[60] and a Christmas concert in Dili, East Timor in association with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces.^[60] During this time she filmed a small role for the Australian-made Molly Ringwald film, Cut (2000).

[edit] 1999–04: Light Years, Fever and Body Language

Minogue and Deconstruction Records parted company. She performed a duet with the Pet Shop Boys' on their Nightlife album and spent several months in Barbados performing in Shakespeare's The Tempest.^[61] Returning to Australia, she appeared in the film Sample People and recorded a cover version of Russell Morris's "The Real Thing" for the soundtrack.^[61] She signed with Parlophone Records in April 1999.^[62] According to Miles Leonard, her new A&R at Parlophone, it was the label and not Minogue that was responsible for her career downturn, believing that her talent hadn't been tapped into by Deconstruction.^[63] Leonard later told HitQuarters: "I believed that she was still very strong vocally, and still definitely a star ... and I knew that with the right project, the right songwriters, the right producers, the right team, she would still have a fanbase out there."^[63] Parlophone wanted to reestablish Minogue as the pop artist they felt she essentially was, but that had been lost. Leonard said: "But I didn't want to make a throwaway pop record, I wanted it to have an edge and some depth."^[63]

Her album Light Years (2000) was a collection of dance songs, influenced by disco music. Minogue said that her intention was to present dance-pop music in a "more exaggerated form" and to make it "fun".^[62] It generated strong reviews and was successful throughout Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, selling over one million copies in the UK.^[64] The single "Spinning Around" became her first British number one in ten years, and its accompanying video featured Minogue in revealing gold hot pants, which came to be regarded as a "trademark".^[65][66] The single was described by a 2009 The Times article as heralding a new era in synthpop that was continuing.^[1] Her second single, "On a Night Like This" reached number one in Australia^[67] and number two in the UK.^[22] "Kids", a duet with Robbie Williams, was also included on Williams's album Sing When You're Winning, and peaked at number two in the UK.^[22]

In 2000, Minogue performed ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and her single "On a Night like This" at the 2000 Sydney Olympics closing ceremony.^[68] She then embarked upon a concert tour, On A Night like This, which played to sell-out crowds in Australia and the United Kingdom. Minogue was inspired by Madonna's 1993 world tour The Girlie Show which incorporated Burlesque and theatre, William Baker also cited the style of Broadway shows such as 42nd Street, films such as Anchors Aweigh, South Pacific, the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals of the 1930s and the live performances of Bette Midler.^[69] Minogue was praised for her new material and her reinterpretations of some of her greatest successes, turning "I Should Be So Lucky" into a torch song and "Better the Devil You Know" into a 1940s big band number. She won a "Mo Award" for Australian live entertainment as "Performer of the Year".^[70] Following the tour she was asked by a Seattle Post-Intelligencer journalist what she thought was her greatest strength, and replied, "[That] I am an all-rounder. If I was to choose any one element of what I do, I don't know if I would excel at any one of them. But put all of them together, and I know what I'm doing."^[71]

She appeared as "The Green Fairy" in Moulin Rouge! (2001),^[72] shortly before the release of Fever, an album containing disco elements combined with 1980s electropop and synthpop.^[73] Fever reached number one in Australia, the UK, and throughout Europe, eventually achieving worldwide sales in excess of eight million.^[74] Its lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" became the biggest success of her career, reaching number one in more than 40 countries.^[75] She won four ARIA Awards including a "Most Outstanding Achievement" award,^[76] and two Brit Awards, for "Best international female solo artist" and "Best international album".^[77] Rolling Stone states that "Can't Get You out of My Head" "was easily the best and most omnipresent dance track of the new century",^[78] and following extensive airplay by American radio, Capitol Records released it and the album Fever in the U.S. in 2002.^[79] Fever debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number three,^[80] and "Can't Get You out of My Head" reached number seven on the Hot 100.^[23] The subsequent singles "In Your Eyes", "Love at First Sight" and "Come into My World" were successful throughout the world, and Minogue established a presence in the mainstream North American market, particularly in the club scene. Minogue followed the success of the album by touring the United States with the Jingle Ball festival, visiting Miami, Anaheim, New York City, Philadelphia and Houston.^[81][82] In 2003 she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Dance Recording" for "Love at First Sight",^[83] and the following year won the same award for "Come into My World".^[84]

Minogue's stylist and creative director William Baker explained that the music videos for the Fever album were inspired by science fiction films—specifically those by Stanley Kubrick—and accentuated the electropop elements of the music by using dancers in the style of Kraftwerk. Alan MacDonald, the designer of the 2002 KylieFever tour, brought those elements into the stage show which drew inspiration from Minogue's past incarnations.^[85] The show opened with Minogue as a space age vamp, which she described as "Queen of Metropolis with her drones", through to scenes inspired by Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, followed by the various personas of Minogue's career.^[85] Minogue said that she was finally able to express herself the way she wanted, and that she had always been "a showgirl at heart".^[85] During 2002 she worked on the animated film The Magic Roundabout, released in 2005 in Europe^[86] and 2006 in the U.S.; she voiced one of the principal characters, Florence.

Minogue began a relationship with the French actor, Olivier Martinez, after meeting him at the 2002 Grammy Awards ceremony.^[87] Her next album, Body Language (2003), was released following an invitation-only concert, titled Money Can't Buy, at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The event marked the presentation of a new visual style, designed by Minogue and Baker, inspired in part by Brigitte Bardot, about whom Minogue commented: "I just tended to think of BB [Bardot] as, well, she's a sexpot, isn't she? She's one of the greatest pinups. But she was fairly radical in her own way at that time. And we chose to reference the period, which was ... a perfect blend of coquette and rock and roll."^[88] The album downplayed the disco style and Minogue said she was inspired by 1980s artists such as Scritti Politti, The Human League, Adam and the Ants and Prince, blending their styles with elements of hip hop.^[89] It received positive reviews with Billboard Magazine writing of "Minogue's knack for picking great songs and producers".^[90] Allmusic described it as "a near perfect pop record ... Body Language is what happens when a dance-pop diva takes the high road and focuses on what's important instead of trying to shock herself into continued relevance".^[91] Sales of Body Language were lower than anticipated after the success of Fever,^[74][79] though the first single, "Slow", was a number-one hit in the UK and Australia.^[92] After reaching number one on the US club chart,^[93] "Slow" received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Dance Recording category.^[83]

Body Language achieved first week sales of 43,000 in the U.S., and declined significantly in the second week.^[94] The Wall Street Journal described Minogue as "an international superstar who seems perpetually unable to conquer the U.S. market".^[94] Minogue commented that she had told her American record company that she was not willing to invest the time needed to establish herself in the U.S. and that she would rather enhance the success she had already achieved in other parts of the world,^[94] an attitude endorsed by Billboard analyst Geoff Mayfield as a "business decision ... If I were her accountant, I couldn't blame her for making that call."^[94] Minogue later commented that she was not concerned by her limited success in the U.S. and was more frustrated by assumptions that she considered her career incomplete without it.^[95]

Minogue played a guest role in the season finale of the comedy series Kath & Kim, in which she referenced her earlier role as Charlene in Neighbours, during a wedding sequence. The episode achieved the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's highest ratings of the year.^[96]

She released her second official greatest hits album in November 2004, entitled Ultimate Kylie, along with her music videos on a DVD compilation of the same title. The album introduced her singles "I Believe in You", co-written with Jake Shears and Babydaddy from the Scissor Sisters, and "Giving You Up". "I Believe in You" reached the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play top three,^[93] and Minogue was nominated for a Grammy Award for the fourth consecutive year when the song was nominated in the category of "Best Dance Recording".

[edit] 2005–09: Breast cancer and X

Early in 2005, Kylie: The Exhibition opened in Melbourne. The free exhibition featured costumes and photographs spanning Minogue's career and went on to tour Australian capital cities receiving over 300,000 visitors,^[97] and was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in February 2007.^[98] Minogue commenced her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, and after performing in Europe, travelled to Melbourne, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer.^[99]

In November 2006, Minogue resumed her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour with a performance in Sydney. She had told journalists before the concert that she would be highly emotional, and she cried before dedicating the song "Especially for You" to her father, a survivor of prostate cancer.^[100] Her dance routines had been reworked to accommodate her medical condition, and slower costume changes and longer breaks were introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength.^[101] The media reported that Minogue performed energetically, with the Sydney Morning Herald describing the show as an "extravaganza" and "nothing less than a triumph".^[100] The following night, Minogue was joined by Bono, who was in Australia as part of U2's Vertigo tour, for the duet "Kids", but Minogue was forced to cancel a subsequent planned appearance at U2's show, because of exhaustion.^[102] Minogue's shows throughout Australia continued to draw positive reviews, and after spending Christmas with her family, she resumed the European leg of her tour with six sold-out shows in Wembley Arena, before taking her tour to Manchester for a further six shows.

Performing in Berlin during KylieX2008

In February 2007, Minogue and Olivier Martinez announced that they had ended their relationship, but remained on friendly terms. Minogue was reported to have been "saddened by false [media] accusations of [Martinez's] disloyalty".^[87] She defended Martinez, and acknowledged the support he had given during her treatment for breast cancer, commenting "He was always there, helping with the practical stuff and being protective. He was incredible. He didn't hesitate in cancelling work and putting projects on hold so he could be with me. He's the most honourable man I have ever met."^[87]

Minogue released X, her tenth studio album and much-discussed "comeback" album,^[103] in November 2007. The electro-styled album included contributions from Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis, Bloodshy & Avant and Calvin Harris.^[103] For the overarching visual look of X, including the music video for first single "2 Hearts", Minogue and William Baker developed a combination of the style of Kabuki theatre and the aesthetics originating from London danceclubs including BoomBox.^[104] The album received some criticism for the triviality of its subject matter in light of Minogue's experiences with breast cancer; she responded by explaining the personal nature of some of the album's songs, and said "My conclusion is that if I'd done an album of personal songs it'd be seen as 'Impossible Princess 2' and be equally critiqued."^[103] Rolling Stone's reviewer described Minogue as "pop divadom's party planner in chief",^[105] and said of her breast cancer, "thankfully, the experience hasn't made her music discernibly deeper".^[105] Minogue later said, "In retrospect we could definitely have bettered it [the album], I'll say that straight up. Given the time we had, it is what it is. I had a lot of fun doing it."^[106]

Minogue in 2009

X and "2 Hearts" entered at number one on the Australian albums^[107] and singles^[108] charts respectively. In the UK, X initially attracted lukewarm sales,^[103] although its commercial performance eventually improved,^[109] and Minogue won a Brit Award for "International solo female".^[110] X was released in the U.S. in April 2008, and debuted outside the top 100 on the albums chart despite some promotion.^[80] Minogue called the U.S. market "notoriously difficult ... [Y]ou have so many denominations with radio. To know where I fit within that market is sometimes difficult."^[111] X was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album,^[112] Minogue's fifth Grammy Award nomination.

In December 2007, Minogue participated in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway,^[113] and later performed in the final of the UK talent show The X Factor with the eventual winner, Leon Jackson, whose mentor was Dannii Minogue.^[114] From May 2008, Minogue promoted X with a European tour, KylieX2008, which is her most expensive tour to date with production costs of £10 million.^[80][115] Although she described the rehearsals as "grim" and the set list went through several overhauls,^[106] the tour was generally acclaimed and sold well.^[109]

Minogue was featured in White Diamond, a documentary filmed during 2006 and 2007 as she resumed her Showgirl Homecoming Tour.^[116] She appeared in The Kylie Show, which featured highly stylised set-piece song performances from Minogue as well as comedy sketches with Mathew Horne, Dannii Minogue, Jason Donovan and Simon Cowell.^[117] She co-starred in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "Voyage of the Damned", as Astrid Peth, a waitress on a spaceship Titanic. The episode aired on 25 December 2007, with 13.31 million viewers, the show's highest viewing figures since 1979.^[118]

It was announced in late December 2007 that Minogue was to be among those honoured in Queen Elizabeth II's 2008 New Years Honours list, with an OBE for services to music.^[119] Minogue commented "I am almost as surprised as I am honoured. I feel deeply touched to be acknowledged by the UK, my adopted home, in this way."^[120] She received the OBE officially from The Prince of Wales in July 2008.^[121] In May 2008 Minogue was awarded the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France's highest cultural honour. Culture Minister Christine Albanel described Minogue as a "midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold", and saluted her for publicly discussing her breast cancer.^[122] In July, Minogue was named the UK's "Best Loved Celebrity" by a tabloid newspaper, who commented that she "won the hearts of the nation as she bravely battled breast cancer",^[123] and won the "Best International Female Solo Artist" award at the 2008 BRIT Awards.^[124]

Performing in Toronto 2009 with display of the landmarks of venue in the background.

In late September 2008, Minogue made her Middle East debut as the headline act at the opening of Atlantis, The Palm, an exclusive hotel resort in Dubai,^[125] and from November, she continued with her KylieX2008 tour, taking the show to cities across South America, Asia and Australia.^[126] The tour visited 21 countries, and was considered a success, with ticket sales estimated at $70,000,000.^[127] She hosted the 2009 BRIT Awards on 18 February 2009 with James Corden and Mathew Horne.^[128]

In September and October 2009, Minogue embarked on the For You, For Me Tour, her first North American concert tour, which included shows in the U.S. and Canada.^[127] She was also featured in the Bollywood film, Blue, performing an A.R. Rahman song,^[95] and had confirmed that she was working on her eleventh studio album, commenting that it would be an album of dance and pop music.^[95] On 13 September 2009, Minogue performed "Super Trouper" and "When All Is Said and Done" with Benny Andersson at the ABBA tribute concert "Thank You for the Music ... a Celebration of the Music of ABBA" at London's Hyde Park, her only live performance in the UK in 2009.^[129] On 14 December 2009, Minogue released a download-only concert album entitled Kylie: Live in New York. The album was recorded at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom and contains 25 live version songs.^[130]

[edit] 2010–present: Aphrodite and K25 anniversary

Minogue performing on her Aphrodite Tour, in France, March 2011

Minogue's eleventh studio album, Aphrodite, was released in Japan on 30 June 2010 and worldwide in July 2010.^[131] The lead single, "All the Lovers", premiered on radio in May 2010 and was made available for purchase in June 2010. The album debuted at number one in the UK charts, exactly twenty two years after her first UK number one hit.^[132] On 3 June 2010, she hosted the inaugural AmfAR "Inspiration Gala" at the New York Public Library honouring Jean Paul Gaultier for his lifelong contribution to men's fashion and the fight against AIDS.^[133] Minogue appeared on BBC1's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on 25 June 2010, during which she confirmed she is a UK resident, and announced that she will tour in 2011.^[134]

In July 2010, Minogue filmed a cameo performance as a rock star in the American independent film Jack and Diane. The movie stars Juno Temple, Riley Keough and Jena Malone.^[135] She also recorded a duet titled "Devotion" with British synthpop duo Hurts for their debut album Happiness, released on 6 September 2010.^[136] The second single from Aphrodite, titled "Get Outta My Way" was released on 27 September 2010.^[137] In October 2010, Minogue performed in front of the Sphinx and the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt to celebrate the anniversary of "Enigma" magazine, with profits going to the We Owe It To Egypt Foundation.^[138] A third single, "Better Than Today", was released on 6 December 2010.^[139]

Minogue's singles, "All the Lovers" and "Get Outta My Way", were popular in U.S. clubs, each reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.^[140] On 5 March 2011 "Better Than Today" was at number one on the chart, and her collaboration with Taio Cruz, "Higher", was at number three, making her the first artist in the chart's history to have two singles simultaneously in the top three.^[141] On 1 December 2010, Minogue and Parlophone records released the EP A Kylie Christmas on iTunes, which included a cover of the 1945 song "Let It Snow" as well as "Santa Baby" which was previously available as a b-side to her 2000 single "Please Stay".^[142][143] Kylie performed the song "Santa Baby" at the 2010 rockefeller tree lighing in New York on 30 November 2010.^[144][145]

In August 2011, "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)", also reached number one on the Billboard dance chart, where Minogue has now achieved five consecutive number one spots on the chart for her last five releases — including her collaboration with Taio Cruz on the track, "Higher".^[146]

In 2011, Minogue embarked on the Aphrodite World Tour, travelling to Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. A DVD/Blu-ray of the concert, filmed in London, was released at the end of November 2011.^[147][148] Minogue is currently working on a new compilation album featuring re-worked versions of hits that will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of her debut single "Locomotion".^[149]

To celebrate her 25 years in the music industry, Minogue began a year-long celebration in 2012. Known as "K25", the singer plans to release a greatest hits collection containing acoustic and orchestral versions of her biggest hits. On her YouTube channel, Minogue has released a video on 25 January and February showcasing two recordings at the historic Abbey Road Studios.^[150] In addition, the singer has performed at various music festivals including the Sydney Mardi Gras.^[151] On 5 March 2012 Minogue announced the first dates of the K25 Anti Tour. The intimate show will feature b-sides, demos and rarities from her music catalogue.^[152] On 20 April 2012, Minogue's film Jack and Diane premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.^[153] In May 2012, Minogue premiered in another film, Holy Motors, at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The film received an overwhelmingly positive reception with the audience cheering and loudly applauding.^{[154][155][156]}

On May 4, 2012, Billboard announced that Minogue would release a brand new greatest hits album entitled The Best of Kylie Minogue.^[157]

Minogue also released a new single, "Timebomb", on May 25, 2012 as part of her K25 celebrations.

Image and celebrity status[link]

Bronze statue of Kylie Minogue at Waterfront City, Melbourne Docklands

Minogue's efforts to be taken seriously as a recording artist were initially hindered by the perception that she had not "paid her dues" and was no more than a manufactured pop star exploiting the image she had created during her stint on Neighbours.^[37] Minogue acknowledged this viewpoint, saying, "if you're part of a record company, I think to a degree it's fair to say that you're a manufactured product. You're a product and you're selling a product. It doesn't mean that you're not talented and that you don't make creative and business decisions about what you will and won't do and where you want to go."^[89] In 1993, Baz Luhrmann introduced Minogue to the photographer Bert Stern, notable for his work with Marilyn Monroe. Stern photographed her in Los Angeles and, comparing her to Monroe, commented that Minogue had a similar mix of vulnerability and eroticism.^[158] During her career Minogue has chosen photographers who attempt to create a new "look" for her, and the resulting photographs have appeared in a variety of magazines, from the cutting edge The Face to the more traditionally sophisticated Vogue and Vanity Fair, making the Minogue face and name known to a broad group of people. Stylist William Baker has suggested that this is part of the reason she has entered in the mainstream pop culture of Europe more successfully than many other pop singers who concentrate solely on selling records.^[159]

By 2000, when Minogue returned to prominence, she was considered to be have achieved a degree of musical credibility for having maintained her career longer than her critics had expected.^[160] That same year, Birmingham Post noted "[o]nce upon a time, long before anybody had even heard of Britney, Christina, Jessica or Mandy, Australian singer Kylie Minogue ruled the charts as princess of pop. Back in 1988 her first single, I Should Be So Lucky, spent five weeks at number one, making her the most successful female artist in the UK charts with 13 successive Top 10 entries."^[161] Her progression from the wholesome "girl next door" to a more sophisticated performer with a flirtatious and playful persona attracted new fans to her.^[160] Her "Spinning Around" video led to some media outlets referring to her as "SexKylie", and sex became a stronger element in her subsequent videos.^[160] William Baker described her status as a sex symbol as a "double edged sword" observing that "we always attempted to use her sex appeal as an enhancement of her music and to sell a record. But now it has become in danger of eclipsing what she actually is: a pop singer."^[162] After 20 years as a performer, Minogue was described as a fashion "trend-setter" and a "style icon who constantly reinvents herself".^[163] She has been acknowledged for mounting successful tours, and for worldwide record sales of more than 68 million.^{[3][164][165]}

Minogue is regarded as a gay icon, which she encourages with comments such as "I am not a traditional gay icon. There's been no tragedy in my life, only tragic outfits ..." and "My gay audience has been with me from the beginning ... they kind of adopted me."^[89] Minogue has explained that she first became aware of her gay audience in 1988, when several drag queens performed to her music at a Sydney pub and she later saw a similar show in Melbourne. She said that she felt "very touched" to have such an "appreciative crowd" and this had encouraged her to perform at gay venues throughout the world, as well as headlining the 1994 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.^[166]

Minogue has been inspired by and compared to Madonna throughout her career.^[10] Her producer, Pete Waterman recalled Minogue during the early years of her success, with the observation, "She was setting her sights on becoming the new Prince or Madonna ... What I found amazing was that she was outselling Madonna four to one, but still wanted to be her."^[10] Minogue received negative comments that her Rhythm of Love tour in 1991 was too similar visually to Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour of the previous year for which the critics labelled her a Madonna wannabe.^[168] Kathy McCabe for The Telegraph notes that Minogue and Madonna follow similar styles in music and fashion,^[167] and concludes, "Where they truly diverge on the pop-culture scale is in shock value. Minogue's clips might draw a gasp from some but Madonna's ignite religious and political debate unlike any other artist on the planet ... Simply, Madonna is the dark force; Kylie is the light force."^[167] Rolling Stone comments that, with the exception of the U.S., Minogue is regarded throughout the world as "an icon to rival Madonna", and says, "Like Madonna, Minogue was not a virtuosic singer but a canny trend spotter."^[78] Minogue has said of Madonna, "Her huge influence on the world, in pop and fashion, meant that I wasn't immune to the trends she created. I admire Madonna greatly but in the beginning she made it difficult for artists like me, she had done everything there was to be done ...",^[168] and "Madonna's the Queen of Pop, I'm the princess. I'm quite happy with that."^[167]

In January 2007 Madame Tussauds in London unveiled its fourth waxwork of Minogue; only Queen Elizabeth II has had more models created.^[169] During the same week a bronze cast of her hands was added to Wembley Arena's "Square of Fame".^[169] On 23 November 2007, a bronze statue of Minogue was unveiled at Melbourne Docklands for permanent display.^[170]

In March 2010, Minogue was declared by researchers as the "most powerful celebrity in Britain". The study examined how marketers identify celebrity and brand partnerships. Mark Husak, head of Millward Brown's UK media practice, said: "Kylie is widely accepted as an adopted Brit. People know her, like her and she is surrounded by positive buzz".^[171] She was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health.^[172]

Personal life[link]

Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36 on 17 May 2005,^[173] leading to the postponement of the remainder of her Showgirl — The Greatest Hits Tour and her withdrawal from the Glastonbury Festival.^[174] Her hospitalisation and treatment in Melbourne resulted in a brief but intense period of media coverage, particularly in Australia, where Prime Minister John Howard issued a statement supporting Minogue.^[175] As media and fans began to congregate outside the Minogue residence in Melbourne, the Victorian Premier Steve Bracks warned the international media that any disruption of the Minogue family's rights under Australian privacy laws would not be tolerated.^[176] His comments became part of a wider criticism of the media's overall reaction, with particular criticism directed towards paparazzi.^[177][178] Minogue underwent surgery on 21 May 2005 at Cabrini Hospital in Malvern, and commenced chemotherapy treatment soon after.^[175]

On 8 July 2005, she made her first public appearance after surgery, when she visited a children's cancer ward at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital. She returned to France where she completed her chemotherapy treatment at the Institut Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, near Paris.^[179] In December 2005, Minogue released a digital-only single, "Over the Rainbow", a live recording from her Showgirl tour. Her children's book, The Showgirl Princess, written during her period of convalescence, was published in October 2006, and her perfume, "Darling", was launched in November.^[180] This range was later augmented by eau de toilettes such as Pink Sparkle, Couture and Inverse.^[181] On her return to Australia for her concert tour, she discussed her illness, and said that her chemotherapy treatment had been like "experiencing a nuclear bomb".^[180] While appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2008, Minogue said that her cancer had originally been misdiagnosed. She commented, "Because someone is in a white coat and using big medical instruments doesn't necessarily mean they're right",^[182] but later spoke of her respect for the medical profession.^[183]

Minogue was acknowledged for the impact she had made by publicly discussing her cancer diagnosis and treatment; in May 2008, the French Cultural Minister Christine Albanel said, "Doctors now even go as far as saying there is a 'Kylie effect' that encourages young women to have regular checks."^[122]

Discography[link]

• Kylie (1988)
• Enjoy Yourself (1989)
• Rhythm of Love (1990)
• Let's Get to It (1991)
• Kylie Minogue (1994)
• Impossible Princess (1997)
• Light Years (2000)
• Fever (2001)
• Body Language (2003)
• X (2007)
• Aphrodite (2010)

Filmography[link]

Leading roles

• 1986-88: Neighbours, as Charlene Robinson
• 1989: The Delinquents, as Lola Lovell
• 1994: Street Fighter, as Cammy
• 1996: Bio-Dome, as Dr. Petra von Kant
• 2011: Jack and Diane, as Tara

See also[link]

	Book: Kylie Minogue
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

	Kylie Minogue portal
	Music portal

• List of awards and nominations received by Kylie Minogue
• List of Kylie Minogue concert tours
• Honorific nicknames in popular music
• List of best-selling music artists

References[link]

Notes