Kylie Minogue: Idea of discovering India as an artiste is very appealing

It was in 2009 when pop star Kylie Minogue had a ‘chiggy wiggy’ entry into Bollywood with the film Blue, in which she sang and featured in the dance track. While the singer has stayed away from Indian showbiz since then, she admits to harbouring a desire to explore the culture of India.

“I’m not sure about pre-conceived notions (about the country), but for me, the idea of discovering India as an artiste is very appealing. Music seems to play a big role in peoples’ lives and I would love to discover what performing in India would be like,” Minogue tells us.

Revisiting her short trip in India, the Australian star continues, “Being on set on a Bollywood film was a wonderful whirlwind. I feel like I literally had a peek inside an open door but I would love to enter the room and explore as an artiste and a tourist.”

Minogue shared the screen with actor Akshay Kumar for the AR Rahman -composed song, and says, “they were very nice to work with. They’re both such huge stars and talents that it was an absolute pleasure. I recorded Chiggy Wiggy in London with AR Rahman and that in itself was so interesting. The demo vocal had lots of trills, something that is not so natural for my voice, but I enjoyed the challenge of incorporating this style.”

Here, she gives a special mention to singer Sonu Nigam and adds, “We have never met but his voice is just … wow.”

Minogue recently released DISCO: Guest List Edition album and has paid homage to Disco with the album, without sounding like a cliché. “Once we unlocked this code and found the DNA of what the sound was, then we could build the songs to form the album. My inspirations were, of course, the many iconic and ever-inspiring disco classics plus other artists who had disco influences in their music,” she reveals.

She might not be working in India, but the Can’t Get You Out of My Head hitmaker is swamped with work. “I started work on the Disco album pre- pandemic so I had been in some regular studios, but once lockdown became a reality, so did a home studio. This was a first for me and a big learning curve. As challenging as it was, it was so rewarding and now, to have those skills is very pleasing,” says the 53-year-old.

“I will always be so grateful for this album as it really helped me through lockdown. It gave me purpose and even more inspiration than ever to connect with people through music,” adds the A Second to Midnight singer.