Finest Feelings
Pop icon Kylie Minogue is a stylish and feverishly talented force in the fight against AIDS & we are lucky, lucky, lucky that she cares
by Sean Black
Photos by William Baker
“The world stopped spinning, I was in a vortex,” admits Kylie about her 2005 diagnosis with early stage breast cancer. The devastating discovery forced the international recording artist to abruptly postpone the remainder of her Showgirl tour, which, after fourteen sold-out dates in Europe, was indefinitely put on hold. “I’ve had my share of ups and downs in life but nothing like that,” assures the cancer survivor, who thankfully remains in complete remission today.
“It was terrifying,” reflects Kylie, “I have never known terror besides that. So I can relate with your readers and people living with AIDS. I feel for them. Having had that experience gives me a much deeper understanding of what it is like to have a challenge in life whether its cancer, AIDS, or HIV, or any of these awful, awful diseases that we as humans are prone to; so yes, my understanding is just that much deeper—broader.”
Commencing our interview, a member of her publicity team graciously announces the call, “Sean, I have Kylie.” I am being patched through on a Friday evening to London, the city that Kylie has called home for the past twenty years. Before she has the opportunity to speak, I gush with a barrage of starstruck praise. I catch myself, and then suddenly a familiar voice chimes in. My heart stops. “What an introduction—Hi!” warmly greets the singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and fashion leader simply known round the globe as Kylie. The resonance of her melodic tone is unmistakable. I pinch myself. Consciousness regained. Yes, this is not a dream.
Without batting a lash after my awe-inspired fawning over her endless contributions to entertainment, charity, and style, the Australian-born humanitarian sweetly rescues my plummeting composure and directs me towards the topic of philanthropy.
“Everyone should be doing his or her bit,” she says.
A “bit” that Kylie has been doing sizeable amounts of for years. Why? No other reason than she cares. “Caring is just normal for me,” she humbly
concedes. “It was the way I was raised. It’s not something I try to do—it’s just what I believe in.”
Continuing she shares, “I don’t have a story where I had that one best friend who was going through it [AIDS].” But HIV/AIDS has definitely touched a
large and more generalized part of her world. “I do have friends and acquaintances [for whom] it has been a very real part of their lives,” she admits, remembering back especially to her earlier career, a time that celebrity support was scarce, barring the bold efforts of Elizabeth Taylor [A&U, February 2003], Morgan Fairchild [A&U, December 1997], and Sharon Stone. “It was a time that AIDS was taboo. It was perceived as very dangerous—more than people wanted to get involved with.” But stepping up to the sides of those early advocates (many times literally) Kylie did.
Her biggest contribution by far in the fight against AIDS has been with amfAR, the world’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of HIV research, treatment, prevention, and education.
“Kylie has been an extraordinary, dedicated friend to amfAR for years,” says the nonprofit’s Chairman of the Board, renowned fashion designer, successful businessman and generous humanitarian Kenneth Cole [A&U, November 2011]. “She has never hesitated to say ‘yes’ every time we’ve called on her. As a spokesperson, she could not be more passionate and gracious. Her infectious enthusiasm has made every amfAR event she’s been involved in a huge success. And it’s hard to think of anyone else who is so willing to do whatever it takes.”
Doing whatever it takes, Kylie has hosted three of amfAR’s Inspiration Galas, a series of star-studded fundraisers brought to creative fruition by Josh Woods Productions and celebrating all aspects of men’s style. In addition to Kylie, the hugely successful events have featured performances from legendary artists such as Katy Perry, Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, Jennifer Hudson, Scissor Sisters, Cyndi Lauper [A&U, June 2010], Courtney Love, and Sinéad O’Connor.
The inaugural Inspiration Night was held at the New York Public Library honoring Ricky Martin and Jean-Paul Gaultier for their “enduring humanitarian spirit.” Gaultier, who, along with scads of other renowned designers like D&G, has dressed Kylie for years and many of the pieces of pricey couture worn by the fit superstar, sporting lofty labels and red ribbons have been auctioned for the cause as well. Honorees of the event series receive the Piaget Award of Inspiration. Other recipients over the years have included James Franco, Kevin Huvane, Francisco Costa, Fergie, Michael Kors, Robert Duffy, and Marc Jacobs.
“They [amfAR] are a great organization and I have worked with them a few times now,” says Kylie with pride clearly marking her voice. “They make it easy for me—they are doing all of the hard work. All I need to give is time and heart—and I can definitely do that—I love to.”
Further giving of her time and heart, Kylie went on to host the second bash held at the famed Maxim’s in Paris, and the third at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. The series, which expanded to include events in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Miami, has raised more than $6 million to date for amfAR programs.
Exemplifying her passionate commitment, Cole recounts a memorable and highly successful night at another of amfAR’s signature events. “At our Cinema Against AIDS gala back in 2007, Kylie attended as a guest, but ended up getting on stage and performing an impromptu cabaret-style version of ‘Loco-Motion’ that just blew everyone away. She and Sharon Stone ended up doing a duet of ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ and dancing together on stage. Those are the kind of moments that make amfAR’s events really special and unique, and allow us to raise millions of dollars in one night for AIDS research.”
Returning last May to the 2012 Cinema Against AIDS gala, Kylie led the roster of notables once again. The fundraiser was held at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, in conjunction with the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival, which serendipitously premiered the Franco-German Indie-hit film Holy Motors. The movie stars Kylie in a musical-esque role that New York Times critic Dennis Lim labels “crucial” and in his article, “Illuminating Performances,” furthers that “her acting sideline looks as if it could finally be something more.” The apex of the film peaks with a softly whispered number sung by Minogue, who, Lim adds, “barely able to contain the rush of outsize feelings, only makes this extraordinary moment all the more touching.” Cinema Against AIDS raised close to $11 million and amfAR happily touts its summer feat as its most successful event in its nearly thirty years of groundbreaking history.
What she is doing at the moment is busily promoting her latest album, which is garnering smash reviews. The Abbey Road Sessions is her latest retrospective of her greatest hits, orchestrally remastered by the renowned English studio revered for its innovation and ties to British music royalty such as the Beatles and Pink Floyd. The compilation is a rich reinterpretation of some of her biggest songs, including “I Should Be So Lucky,” “Hand on Your Heart,” and, from her eleventh studio album (yes, eleventh with her twelfth due out this year), “All The Lovers.”
At the time of our interview, she was prepping for yet another “way-too-quick” trip across the pond to perform her classic, signature track, “The Loco-Motion,” her 1987 summer revamp of the Little Eva song that ignited her recording career and which is included on The Abbey Road Sessions. She expressed her excitement about performing it live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Dancing with the Stars. In a cheeky poke at Americana she vocalizes “Dancing With the Stars” in an American accent oozing with baseball and toasty apple pie. It is friendly and spot-on. We laugh. Surprisingly, the U.S. audience has been one of the toughest markets for her to crack the way she has overseas. Seriously, the siren has over 1.6 million followers on Twitter, where she regularly rewards eager trackers with Tweet-To-Unlock special surprise-goodies on her official site.
Circling back to the passion that Kylie has acquired through her strife and the life challenge that she bravely contends “is probably not my last,” Kylie offers more. “You really do have to go into battle—there’s not many other words that we can use because we really are fighting; fighting cancer, fighting AIDS. I take a lot of pride knowing that people are watching me and drawing inspiration from my story and finding some strength in that. It’s just so touching and it’s so important and I don’t think I could be saying the same things before my experience. As I have said I would be compassionate; I would want the best for people; I’d want to support people and spread goodness—but it is different when you’ve had your own particular moment.”
In that particular moment, Kylie swiftly put her career on hold to devote the necessary time to her recovery with loved ones by her side. Comforted by focusing on the needs of others first, she authored a children’s book, aptly titled The Showgirl Princess, channeling her affections while she was on the mend. “You need to re-engage your strength—and if you don’t have it then friends and family will have it for you. There are ways to support yourself—to feel strong, but you can’t feel strong all the time—you just can’t—and what I’ve learned from my experience is to allow yourself a chance to feel low when you are low—just don’t stay there—try to bring yourself back up again.”
At the top of her game, Kylie sheds more insight about this low period. “Perhaps before that part of my life, and it sounds crazy to say—but I think that some people thought that somehow I was different by being a celebrity. But that is ridiculous—we are all people trying to get through day-to-day life and we are all trying to cope. If you can do that then try and excel.”
Excelling is exactly what she’s done. Kylie’s formidable career has stood the test of time—a quarter-century of brilliance and the pop-star is only forty-four. From her discovery as a childhood actress turned soap-opera star in her native Melbourne to the present, her youthful beauty continues to belie her staggering accomplishments. The self-described “chameleon” has recreated herself time and time again, sold over 68 million records worldwide, and has appeared in a number of films including Leos Carax’s aforementioned fantasy masterpiece, Holy Motors. Having released over fifty hit-singles internationally she has garnered a plethora of musical awards including ARIAs, Brits, Ivor Novello (for songwriting and composing), and a Grammy. She has graced the covers of every leading fashion and beauty magazine—many, multiple times. She was just featured for the seventh time on the January cover of British Elle as a stunning platinum blonde—a brighter shade in her arsenal of ever-changing looks and one that the radiant covergirl pulls off well.
Another mentionable on The Abbey Road Sessions is a previously unreleased track, “Flower.” The accompanying video to the beautifully written song was that of Kylie’s own creation as well. It was Kylie’s directorial debut and she chose Cornwall, England—a sumptuous location lending itself to its picturesque and ethereal mood and a place she’d never been. “I had it in my head. It was very simple so I didn’t see the need of getting a director to try to explain what I wanted—so I just did it. It was very liberating and fortunately we had great weather.” She shares,“I am happy with how it turned out.”
Questing further I hone in on the evocative and enigmatic lyrics of the song. Kylie opens up. “I wrote ‘Flower’ in 2007. It didn’t make it onto the X album, which turned out to be very electronic. So, I performed it on the tour [of the same name] in 2008. I never gave any explanation as to what the song was about. I just performed it because I needed to express myself—I needed to get it off my chest. Fans really took it to heart—they loved it and it wasn’t connected to anything else in the show.” In a poignant moment, Kylie reveals an intimate detail of her personal life. “I was writing a love letter to a child that I may or may not ever have, a spirit, an idea,” she touchingly shares.
As I come to the realization that this interview was not a dream but rather a real-life dream-come-true, the easy-to-adore megastar sweetly concludes our interview with hope. “Look—I know when I was in that dark place, the littlest things became big things, and so I think it’s important that we offer comfort and inspiration for people.” She pauses and concludes. “I am leaving feeling even more inspired.”
And Kylie—we are too.
Special thanks to EMI and Kylie’s teams in Los Angeles and most especially London for their assistance in arranging this interview.
A warm thanks to Kylie, Kenneth Cole and the team at amfAR (www.amfar.org) for their generous gifts of time and heart.
For more information about Kylie check out her official Web site and her K25 Timeline at www.kylie.com. To follow her on Twitter: @KYLIEMINOGUE.
Editor-at-Large Sean Black interviewed Debra Messing for the November 2012 cover story.
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