KYLIE

"Kylie", a three part, Netflix limited series about the global pop superstar from Down Under, with this documentary about her life and career told largely through Kylie Minogue herself. And with the singer very much involved in this film, directed by Emmy winner, Michael Harte, what we see is a honest and largely unfiltered account of her journey from acting into music and the incredible ups and downs that went with her meteoric rise to become a beloved pop icon.

The film begins with Minogue telling the story of how she was whisked off to England to quickly record a couple of tracks with the production team of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. But having forgotten that she was arriving and unaware who she was, they had her waiting for hours before getting her in the studio, record the vocals and sending her on her way. The team found out later that Minogue was a star of the wildly popular Australian soap opera, "Neighbours" and when the single they recorded with her, "I Should Be So Lucky" was released in 1987, it became an instant global hit. A self-titled album was released with her smash hit cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" helping her become a true pop star. Minogue reveals that she had originally wanted to actually get into music, which was her first love, but acting fell her way first.

After being written off of "Neighbours", Minogue went full steam ahead with her successful music career with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, recording two more albums, but soon became frustrated with the lack of creative input during recording. She soon gained more control, taking her sound from bubblegum pop to more mature and sexier. After one more album with the team, she parted ways by 1992 and signed with indie label, Deconstruction. With her fifth studio album, "Kylie Minogue", the singer sought out more harder edged producers to enhance her dance-pop sound. And while her music was initially well received but by "Impossible Princess" in 1997, which Minogue wrote most of the lyrics and brought indie and techno to her sound, the response was critically mixed and became her lowest selling album. Deciding to take a hiatus from recording music, when she returned three years later, Minogue entered the new century with a sound more aligned to what first brought her fame with "Spinning Around" which took her back to the top of the international charts.

"Kylie" features plenty of concert footage, home movies and music video clips that covers her extensive career. In addition to Minogue, there are interviews with family which includes her sister, Dannii who had her own success as a pop singer; producer, Pete Waterman; Jason Donovan, her co-star on "Neighbours" who she shared a romance on and off screen; and fellow Aussie, indie rocker, Nick Cave with the two coming together for an unlikely creative collaboration and deep friendship. Minogue also goes into detail about her brief love affair with the late INXS singer, Michael Hutchence, her deep love and respect for the LGBTQ communities and regarding her harrowing ordeal with breast cancer which became a media nightmare not only for herself but for her family. My only real critique of "Kylie" is that it just feels way too short, missing many other highlights over her forty year profession. Perhaps there will be a second part? In the meantime, sit back and enjoy learning more about the Princess of Pop in her own words.



A concert film of Minogue's Tension Tour was released on May 27th on Netflix. And the new song, "Light Up", which closes the documentary, was co-written with Chris Martin of Coldplay and is an uplifting anthem about unconditional love and human potential.