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Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
From TV soap star to singing super star, Kylie Minogue has had seven UK number ones, a string of hit albums, and has sold in excess of 60 million reco
"Iââ¬â¢m so happy the way my relationship came about with my gay audiences. They just adopted me before I even knew it!"
Do you mind being marketed as the sexy lady of pop?
No, I don’t mind that but I would mind it if I didn’t have anything to back that up. I had a period a while back when I tried to calm down that side of my personality but that’s not who I am. What you see is a very definite part of me but I’m certainly not that person all the time. It’s one part of my character. I tend to describe it as a role that I play.
Are you starting to feel too old for all this?
A couple of times I have when you’re doing shows and you suddenly realise that some of these people are 17 years old. I think kids these days aren’t like we were. I was like a bumbling fool at 17 compared to the 17-year-olds you meet now, they’re so confident.
How do you feel about the new X-Factor generation of pop stars?
With the young ones, it seems like they've done it for a year and they're like, 'Oh, I don't want to do it'. Picture doing it for 20 years. I have been around a long time. It was more about credibility: you were in a band, you'd done the pub scene for five or ten years and that's how you earned your stripes. It was hard work. If any of them think it's all about designer labels and limos and lifestyles of the rich and famous, they are mistaken.
Do you still enjoy it after all these years?
I guess like most jobs you have that five or ten per cent where it's really fun and that's why you do it, but ... there's another five or ten per cent that I just despise.
Ever thought of retiring?
I don't think I would retire from pop. I honestly don't know ... But when I reach that stage, that's what inspires me: the unknown.
But what about the negative impact a pop career has had on relationships and starting a family?
I realise myself I thought I'd have kids. Now I'm a bit older I realise I might not, for one reason or another. Most people want to find the right person, and it eludes you for a long time. There’s this minuscule possibility to find the right person to challenge and inspire you.
You’re a huge gay icon, does that label ever frustrate you?
No, it doesn’t because I think people can see beyond that. I’ve got a really broad demographic. I can say that confidently because I’ve just seen them all at my concerts and it was beautiful! You’ve got like the wild gay section over there, you’ve got the gorgeous twentysomething girl section over there, some of them are with their nanas, then you’ve got little tots and it’s their first show ever – they’re all there and there’s no problem with anyone else. I realise that these days record companies try to market towards the gay audience and I’m so happy the way my relationship came about with my gay audiences. They just adopted me before I even knew it!
When was the first time you realised?
I remember the time that The Aubrey, the most famous gay club in Sydney, had Kylie nights. I was so naïve. They were every Sunday and they were packed, it became this huge thing. We drove past one night and I was being quite ballsy, saying “Yeah, we should go in”. I wasn’t allowed because you can’t do that without having some set-up where people aren’t going to get hurt so I never saw it. In my fantasy life I went in, jumped up on the bar and broke into a routine like something from a 50s musical.
Could you ever go back to living a regular life?
Say it all ended tomorrow, I’m still going to be recognised for the next 20 years and that’s OK, dealing with things that are a bit of a pain but you deal with them because you get to do what you do and you get all the great things with it. If I wasn’t able to work and I was just recognised for the sake of being recognised, it would be slightly annoying. It took me a long time to get used to it but to get used to not having it would be strange.
