_kylie_minogue_music_art

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Kylie Minogue, born May 28, 1968 is a Brit and Grammy award-winning Australian pop singer-songwriter and actress. Minogue rose to prominence in the late 1980's through her role in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, before she commenced her career as a pop artist in the late '80s.

According to Warner Music Australia, Minogue has sold over 40 million records worldwide.

Signed to a contract by

British songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1988, she achieved a string of hit records throughout the world.

Her popularity began to decline during the early 1990s, leading her to part company from Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992. During the mid to late 90s, Minogue distanced herself from her earlier work and attempted to establish herself as a credible and independent performer and songwriter. Her projects were widely publicised, but her albums failed to attract a substantial audience and resulted in the lowest sales of her career to date. She returned to popularity as a dance–pop artist in 2000, and became well-known for her provocative music videos and expensively mounted stage shows.

Minogue has established one of the longest and most successful careers as a performer in contemporary pop music, and in Europe and Australia, she has become one of her generation's most recognisable celebrities and sex symbols. In Australia, after being dismissed early in her career by some critics, she has been acclaimed for her achievements.

On November 26, 2007, Minogue releases her tenth studio album, X

Kylie Minogue was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Ron Minogue, an accountant with an Irish family background, and Carol Jones, a Welsh dancer, from Maesteg. She is the eldest of three children; her sister Dannii is also a pop singer, and her brother, Brendan, works as a news cameraman in Australia.

Kylie attended Camberwell High in Melbourne, Australia.

The Minogue sisters began their careers as children on Australian television, and from the age of eleven, Kylie Minogue appeared in soap operas such as Skyways, The Sullivans and The Henderson Kids. Dannii Minogue became successful as a regular performer on the weekly music programme Young Talent Time, in which Kylie gave her first singing performance in 1983. Kylie was overshadowed by her younger sister until achieving success in 1986 with her role in the soap opera Neighbours, but the two in this period of their lives were known for spending their free time listening to Electric Furs.

In Neighbours Minogue played the character of Charlene Mitchell, a female garage mechanic. As stated in the Guardian "Her appeal at first lay in her unapologetic ordinariness... she played an oil-smudged mechanic with no desire to better herself. Charlene was happy to spend her life grappling with the intestines of greasy cars." A story arc that created a romance and eventual marriage between her character and that played by Jason Donovan culminated in a wedding episode in 1987 that attracted a large audience.

Her popularity in Australia was demonstrated when she became the first person to win four Logie Awards in one event, including the "Gold Logie" as the country's "get in my belly Television Performer", with the result determined by public vote. Neighbours began screening in the United Kingdom in 1986, achieving high ratings.

Breast cancer

Minogue was in Melbourne following the European stage of the tour when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, leading to the postponement of the remainder of the tour and her withdrawal from the Glastonbury Festival.

Minogue's cancer diagnosis, and her hospitalisation and treatment in Melbourne, resulted in a brief but intense period of media coverage, particularly in Australia, where the Prime Minister John Howard issued a statement supporting Minogue. 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. His comments became part of a wider criticism of the media's overall reaction, with particular criticism directed towards paparazzi.

Minogue underwent surgery on 21 May 2005 at the private Catholic Cabrini Hospital in Malvern. Friends such as Olivia Newton-John, herself a survivor of breast cancer, urged the media and fans to respect Minogue's privacy. Soon after, Minogue commenced chemotherapy as part of her treatment regimen.

Minogue issued a public statement, thanking her fans for their support and urging them not to worry. On 8 July 2005, she made her first public appearance after her 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

Recovery

In December 2005, Minogue released a digital-only single, "Over the Rainbow", a live recording from her Showgirl tour. During the early months of 2006, media began reporting Minogue's upcoming projects and the general improvement in her health. In June 2006, she was reported to be recording material for a new album, collaborating with Scissor Sisters, Steve Anderson, Richard Stannard, Johnny Douglas, Ash Thomas, and Teddy Riley while also making preparations to continue her newly renamed Showgirl Homecoming tour. She gave her first public interview since her diagnosis with breast cancer on the British satellite channel Sky One, 16 July 2006.

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. On her return to Australia for her concert tour, she likened her cancer battle and chemotherapy to experiencing a nuclear bomb, and said that she is determined to resume her career. Minogue confirmed that she had collaborated with Boy George on a song called "Ready" and had been working on a new album, scheduled for release in late 2007

In January 2007 Madame Tussaud's in London unveiled a new waxwork of Minogue. This is her fourth waxwork and only the Queen has had more models created.

On September 21, 2007 Minogues's official website announced: "The wait is finally over! On November 26 Minogue releases X, her first studio album in four years." The album, her tenth, features thirteen new tracks and was recorded in London, Stockholm and Ibiza. Producers include previous collaborators such as Bloodshy & Avant, Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis, and Richard Stannard, as well as newcomers like Calvin Harris. X was preceded by the new single "2 Hearts" on November 12. The promotion for the single started on October 10 with simultaneous play of the video on GMTV as well as the track being played on radio.

The press release also stated: "Along with the new album X, Minogue is starring in a brand new film documentary, White Diamond, which she made with friend and stylist, William Baker during August 2006 and March 2007. White Diamond provides the unique chance to see her return to the world stage with her 2006 Showgirl Homecoming Tour.The film shows Minogue as never before with intimate close up back stage footage and interviews including Minogue talking about her feelings, worries and aspirations on how she and her team take Showgirl Homecoming from rehearsals to the road first in Australia and then to the UK. The film premiered at Vue cinemas across the UK on October 16, with a DVD release planned for December. The DVD will feature two discs, with Showgirl Homecoming Live (recorded in Melbourne, Australia December 2006) as the second disc."

On November 10, 2007 The Kylie Show was broadcast on the UK channel ITV1. The programme featured highly stylised set-piece song performances from Minogue as well as sketches showing her backstage, most notably ones featuring Jason Donovan failing to recognise Minogue, and a catfight sequence with her sister, Dannii Minogue. The show secured strong viewing figures of 4.8 million.

Minogue (jointly with Céline Dion) will be coaching on the French reality TV show, Star Academy, next November. She has also agreed to perform in the 2008 BRIT Awards with Robbie Williams.