Kylie Minogue

Kylie Ann Minogue was born on May 28, 1968, in Melbourne, Australia. The sister of Dannii Minogue (of Young Talent Time fame), young Kylie went to audition for The Sullivans and landed the role of Carla. Kylie's big break came when she was cast as Charlene Mitchell/Robinson on the popular Australian soap opera, Neighbours, which also spawned the career of fellow Australian Natalie Imbruglia. During her stint on Neighbours (from 1986 to 1988), Kylie recorded her debut single, a remake of the pop track "Loco-Motion." While the soap was airing in Britain, music producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman were impressed by the Australian beauty, and decided to transform her into the first of many career stages -- pop singer Kylie -- just as her Neighbours days drew to a close. Her string of successful hit singles took off with the release of "I Should Be So Lucky," and was followed by the chart-topping infectious tunes "Got To Be Certain," "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi," "Hand On Your Heart," "Wouldn't Change A Thing," and "Never Too Late," all off her debut album, Kylie, and her sophomore effort, Enjoy Yourself (released in 1988 and 1989, respectively). Kylie's success grew even more after a duet with her Neighbours co-star, Jason Donovan. After her role in the 1989 film The Delinquents, and with the turn of the '90s, Kylie morphed from wholesome pop princess to sexy superstar. This new flirtatious image was underscored by her steamy romance with Michael Hutchence, the late lead singer of INXS (whom she met while on tour in Hong Kong). The newly transformed Minogue was gaining more media coverage than ever, and was signed to a new record deal, with Deconstruction Records. She even jumped on the erotic literature bandwagon (like Madonna) by writing a sex book, although it was never actually released.

Throughout her professional life, Minogue has been the subject of intense media interest in both the United Kingdom and Australia, which remained constant even while her success as a recording artist had temporarily fluctuated. Her efforts to be taken seriously as a musician have sometimes been hindered by her high profile as noted by The Australian, who wrote in 1997, "When you have to lug around an image the size of Kylie's, it's difficult for any music you produce to match the hype—especially in a country that gives scant credibility to pop". Her relationships, including her recently ended relationship with French actor Olivier Martinez, have been extensively reported as well.