Kylie Minogue has been around the block a few times. The 47-year-old “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” singer has recently resurfaced onto the scene with a much younger boyfriend, reminding us all that she is still great as ever. Despite the fact that Minogue has spent the bulk of her life in the spotlight, there are still some things about her that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here PPcorn presents a list of 15 facts you probably didn’t know about Kylie Minogue.
Number Fifteen: “I Should Be So Lucky” Was Written in 40 Minutes
Minogue flew to the U.K. for her very first music meeting with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, but they forgot she was coming and did not have anything prepared for her. As a result, they wrote “I Should Be So Lucky” in 40 minutes while she was in reception.
Number Fourteen: Kylie Minogue Inspired an INXS Hit
Minogue was dating Michael Hutchence of INXS when she had to dye her hair blonde for her role in The Delinquents. She told Hutchence that she was going “suicide blonde,” and Hutchence subsequently wrote “Suicide Blonde” about her.
Number Thirteen: She Has a Boring Middle Name
Though “Kylie” and “Minogue” are both alluring and exotic names, Minogue’s middle name is the quite plain “Ann.” Well, there’s nothing wrong with that!
Number Twelve: She Made the Highest-Selling Single of the 1980s
“The Loco-Motion” was Minogue’s third single in the U.K., but it was the first single she released in her native Australia. The single was at number one on the charts for seven weeks and was eventually deemed the best-selling single of the 1980s in Australia.
Number Eleven: She Turned Her Songs Into Poetry
Kylie Minogue did a duet with Nick Cave called “Where The Wild Roses Grow,” and he suggested that she recite some of her own lyrics at the Poetry Jam at the Royal Albert Hall in 1995. She recited the lyrics to “I Should Be So Lucky” and said that the experience was “a most cathartic moment.”
Number Ten: She Has Worked With many Famous Artists
Minogue is famous in her own right, but she has also provided guest vocals for many other big names. Including Taio Cruz, Coldplay, and The Pet Shop Boys.
Number Nine: She Was in Doctor Who
Minogue played a character named Astrid in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special. Her character was a waitress on a Titanic-esque spacecraft.
Number Eight: She Loves Etta James
It’s true. Minogue has even said that Etta James’ “A Sunday Kind Of Love” is one of her favorite songs.
Number Seven: She Inspired a Musical
In 2001, a musical titled I Should Be So Lucky premiered in Minogue’s hometown of Melbourne, Australia. The musical was part of Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival.
Number Six: She Improved Australia’s Health
Well, sort of. Minogue publicly battled breast cancer, and because of her public battle, doctors reported that the number of mammograms performed in Australia increased by an impressive 40 percent. This phenomenon was subsequently called “the Kylie effect.”
Number Five: She Was in Moulin Rouge!
You might recognize Minogue as the ethereal green fairy in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, but did you know she was almost replaced by Ozzy Osbourne? Her character was originally going to be a muscular man with a sitar.
Number Four: She Met Her Stylist by Accident
Minogue met her creative director and stylist William Baker in a Vivienne Westwood boutique! The two were in Westwood’s flagship boutique in London – Baker was working as a sales assistant and Minogue was shopping – when they began talking. The rest is history.
Number Three: Paula Abdul Helped Launch Her Comeback
Minogue made a serious comeback in 2000 with “Spinning Around,” but did you know that the single was co-written by Paula Abdul? The song was originally written to help re-launch Abdul’s own career, but it ended up helping Minogue’s.
Number Two: She Has Four Wax Figures in Madame Tussauds
It’s true! Madame Tussauds has created four different figures of Minogue in various likenesses. The only person to have had more wax figures is the Queen of England.
Number One: She Has a Special Connection to Australia
No, not because she was born there! The name “Kylie” actual means boomerang in the Aboriginal language.