In Can’t Get You Out of My Head, the music journalist traces pop singer Kylie Minogue’s multi-decade career and muses on her staying power.
Why did you decide to write a book about Minogue?
She’d been in my life for so long, and this is such a rich story. She’s still hugely successful here in the U.K. and in Australia, even as pop is supposed to be fickle. Pop stars don’t usually last nearly 40 years. I wanted to show that behind the pop facade, there is a lot going on for her to maintain a long career in this industry.
What did you learn from surveying multiple eras of her career?
In pop, you have to be incredibly flexible and try new things, otherwise you’ll get left behind. She knew that from very early on. Even for her own mental health and personality, she couldn’t stay still. She learned early on to take risks. If they didn’t work out, fine. If they did, that’s what would keep people interested. People take that for granted and also assume various other people pushed her along. People do influence her in a great way—she loves collaboration—but she uses those people to help her evolution.
What surprised you during your research?
How vitriolic the Australian press was. I knew the British tabloids were very intrusive and mean, while also putting her on the cover because she sold copies. Going to Australia and researching their tabloids was shocking. I was also shocked to learn she had a breakdown in her early 20s, a couple of years into her pop career. Now, we understand how much she’d been through to get to that point. But back then, even she didn’t really name it. That’s when she learned to say no. We’re trained to think that artists are in the machine for a little while before they’re blown out into the world. Kylie learned how to do it all as she was going along.
Why do you think she’s remained a gay icon?
Her “Sex Kylie” era is incredibly important. It’s her coming out moment. A lot of closeted, young gay men could resonate with not fitting in, just doing what you’re told and wanting something else but not being able to get it. Then, suddenly, she discovered sex in a really blatant way. She got a rockstar boyfriend and was taking more control. The reaction to this was quite negative. A lot of gay people can relate to being criticized for who you are. She was also performing in Australia at a time when homophobia was high, which meant that her gay fan base have stuck with her.
Is there a message you’d like readers to take away?
That you don’t need to have written all of your songs to be the architect of your music career. You don’t need to have a guitar and be a man. You can actually be all of the things people are slightly critical of, like being a muse or wanting to try new things. That’s what being a pop artist is.
