She has performed for royalty, as well as for more than 4 billion TV viewers at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, inspired a 2007 costume exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, and had her likeness replicated in wax four times by the world-famous Madame Tussaud's (only Queen Elizabeth II has had more models created). To top it all off, Minogue has been honored by the Queen with a 2008 OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her services to music.
In November 2007, Minogue released X, her tenth studio album, to a worldwide audience (outside the U.S.) of ecstatic fans eager to hear her first all-new batch of songs since 2003's Body Language. Hailed by British music bible Q as "a radiant collection of euphoric, occasionally dreamlike electro-pop," X finds Minogue pairing her breathy, elegant vocals with her trademark stylish electronic beats on such irresistible singles as "2 Hearts," "Wow," "In My Arms," and the first U.S. single "All I See." Minogue, who shares songwriting credit on seven of the album's 13 tracks, collaborated with a host of top-notch songwriters and producers, including Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Natasha Bedingfield), Cathy Dennis (Britney Spears, Spice Girls), Bloodshy & Avant (Madonna, Britney Spears), and Calvin Harris (Roison Murphy, Sophie-Ellis Bextor). Already certified platinum in the U.K. and Australia, X will be released in the U.S. by Astralwerks/Capitol Records on April 1st, 2008. The U.S. release includes the bonus track "All I See" featuring New York rapper MIMS.
"This album is much more of a celebration than anything I've done before, with some room for reflection as well," Minogue says. "I started work on it a year and a half ago when recording was far off in the future, because no one wanted to pressure me. But I had to get back into the studio just to test myself and get some things off my chest, which I did. To finish was a great relief and an inspiration in that I knew, 'This is what I do and this is what I love doing.' It has its challenges, but I'm ready for more."
X, Billboard says, "is stuffed with pointers as to why Kylie is one of the few pure pop artists to sustain a career into a third decade." And indeed Minogue has enjoyed remarkable career longevity, having released her first single, a remake of the Little Eva hit "The Locomotion," in 1987 followed by a series of glossy, cutting-edge pop albums, including the U.K. No. 1's Kylie (1988), Enjoy Yourself (1989), and Fever (2001), and five Billboard Top Ten dance-chart singles in the U.S.: "I Should Be So Lucky" (1987), "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (2001), "Love At First Sight" (2002), "Slow" (2003), and "I Believe In You" (2004). She also won a Grammy® Award for "Best Dance Recording" for "Come Into My World" in 2003.
In November 2004, Minogue released her second official greatest hits collection, entitled Ultimate Kylie, and launched "Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour" the following spring. Meant to be the most ambitious and extensive of her career, the tour achieved record-setting sell-outs across the U.K. and Europe. But in May 2005, days before "Showgirl" was to open in Australia, Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer and forced to postpone the rest of the tour. After successfully undergoing treatment, she made an emotional return to the stage in Australia in November 2006 with the "Showgirl Homecoming Tour." "My goal throughout my illness and afterward was to get back on stage," she says. "I wanted to reassure myself that I could still do what I did before."
The "Showgirl Homecoming Tour" is also the subject of a brand-new documentary, entitled White Diamond, which Minogue made with her friend and stylist William Baker. Shot between August 2006 and March 2007, the film is a look in at Minogue's return to the pop world, with intimate backstage footage and interviews with the star discussing her feelings, worries, and aspirations as she and her team take "Showgirl Homecoming Tour" from rehearsals to the stage.
Minogue has shown no signs of slowing down. In 2007, she became a recipient, and first woman ever to receive the Music Industry Trust Award, which recognizes contributions made by influential people in the music industry, followed by her appearance on the Queen's 2008 New Year's Honours list. She has also received a Golden Kamera Award for "Best International Female Artist" (Germany's top show business honor) and a "Special Recognition Tribute Award" at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes. In addition, she was honored by her hero, John Travolta, at the G'Day USA: Australia Week 2008 Australia.com Black Tie Gala in Los Angeles. In February, Minogue took home a BRIT Award for "Best International Female Solo Artist" and took to the stage to perform "Wow." In May, she will hit the road for a three-month, 50-date European tour, entitled KYLIEX2008. Tickets for the U.K. leg's eight shows sold out in just 30 minutes, proving that, at 39 years of age, Kylie Minogue is back and better than ever.
X
by Kylie Minogue
Capitol Records
In Stores April 1st
Tracklisting:
1. 2 Hearts
3. Like a Drug
4. In My Arms
5. Speakerphone
6. Sensitized
7. Heart Beat Rock
8. The One
9. No More Rain
10. All I See
11. Stars
12. Wow
13. Nu-di-ty
14. Cosmic
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