Dannii profile,
| Dannii Minogue | |
|---|---|
 Dannii Minogue during an in-store appearance in Melbourne, Australia (2006) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Danielle Jane Minogue |
| Born | 20 October 1971 |
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Pop, dance, disco, house,electronica |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, model |
| Instruments | Voice |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | All Around the World, Mushroom,MCA, Ultra, Eternal, London |
| Associated acts | Kylie Minogue, Terry Ronald,Ruth Lorenzo, Trouser Enthusiasts |
| Website | DanniiMusic.com |
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue (born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality and model. Minogue rose to prominence in the early 1980s for her roles in the Australian television talent show Young Talent Time and the soap opera Home and Away, before commencing her career as a pop singer in the early 1990s. Minogue achieved early success with hits such as "Love and Kisses" and "This is It", though by the release of her second album, her popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to concentrate on other fields such as television presenting. The late 1990s saw a brief return to music after Minogue reinvented herself as a dance artist with "All I Wanna Do", her first number one UK Club hit.
In 2001, Minogue further returned to musical success with the release of her biggest worldwide hit to date, "Who Do You Love Now?", while her subsequent album, Neon Nights, became the most successful of her career. In the UK, she has achieved twelve consecutive number one dance singles, becoming the best-performing artist on the UK Upfront Club Chart. As a recording artist Minogue has sold over 7 Million Records worldwide.
Childhood and beginning
Minogue was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Ron Minogue, an Australian accountant of Irish ancestry, and Carol Jones, a dancer from Maesteg, Wales. She is the youngest of three children; her sister, Kylie, is a pop singer, and her brother, Brendan, is a news cameraman in Australia.
Minogue began her career as a child on Australian television. From the age of seven, she appeared in several soap operas, including Skyways and The Sullivans. In 1981, she joined the successful weekly music programme Young Talent Time. Minogue recorded her first solo recordings for the programme, including a cover version of Madonna's hit single "Material Girl"; during this time, she also performed live at several sold-out nationwide concert tours. In 1988, Minogue departed from Young Talent Time to continue her acting career, appearing as the rebellious tomboyish teenager Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away. Minogue remained on the programme for only a year. She proved to be popular among Australian audiences when she was nominated for a "Silver Logie" as the Most Popular Actress on Australian television.
In September 1988, Minogue released her own fashion range entitled Dannii. She became interested in fashion design while appearing on Young Talent Time. Minogue had designed the clothing she had worn on the show, and the positive response from the audience resulted in her releasing her one line.Minogue's debut line Dannii sold out across Australia in ten days, and was followed by three additional summer lines in 1989
See also:
Career
1990–1995: Early career
Minogue signed a recording contract with Australian-based Mushroom Records in January 1989. Her first album, Dannii, was released the following year and reached number twenty-four on the Australian albums chart. Outside Australia, the album was released in 1991, under the title Love and Kisses, and became a top ten hit. Minogue's debut single "Love and Kisses" peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and was certified gold.In the UK, the song reached the top ten on the singles chart.August 1991: Embarked on an extensive promotional tour of South East Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taipei and the Philippines.
Minogue released Love and Kisses and..., a re-issue of her debut album, in April 1992. The album, a collection of dance songs, comprised tracks and remixes from Love and Kisses. It peaked at number forty-two on the UK albums chart, and sold nearly 60,000 copies.Several remixes by producer and DJ Steve "Silk" Hurley were successful in European dance clubs. She credits these remixes for providing her with a "new image and sound to work with" on future releases. Also that year, Minogue made her feature film debut in Secrets, which co-starred Noah Taylor. The film revolved around five Australian teenagers who become stuck in the basement of a hotel in an attempt to see The Beatles. The film was not well received by audiences or critics, with Minogue's performance being described as "not all that convincing".
Minogue released her second album Get Into You, which included the songs "Show You the Way to Go", "This Is It" and "This Is the Way", in October 1993. The album contained uptempo dance tracks and mature vocals, but despite her past chart success, failed to make the British top fifty. In mid-1994, Minogue returned to television as a presenter, co-hosting Channel 4's morning show The Big Breakfast in the UK. In 1995, Minogue released the singles "Rescue Me" and "Boogie Woogie", a collaboration with dance act Eurogroove. Released only in Japan, both songs reached number one on the Japanese singles chart. She began recording her third album in 1995; however, Minogue and her record label, Mushroom Records, parted ways in late 1995 following a contract disagreement.
In 1990 Dannii Minogue was asked by Queen Elizabeth II to perform at the Royal Variety Show; she sang her latest release "Success". Which went very well- and expressed her singing well!
1996–2000: Girl, presenting, and theatre
Minogue performing on her 1998 concert tour Unleashed '98 UK Tour.
In 1996, Minogue resumed her co-hosting duties, presenting the Eggs on Legs road show segment. That same year, Minogue briefly hosted the children's show Disney Time and co-hosted, with Gareth Jones, the teenage Saturday morning entertainment show It's Not Just Saturday for sixteen weeks. In 1997, Minogue hosted Top of the Pops, a British music chart television programme, before returning to her recording career later that year. In April 1997, Minogue made her stage debut as Rizzo in the musical Grease: The Arena Spectacular. In Australia, the show sold over 450,000 tickets during its first season. The following year, Minogue resumed her role as Rizzo, performing in New Zealand. At the 1998 MO Awards, Minogue was nominated for "Best Female Musical Theater Performer" for her role.
Following the release of several remixes of her songs by Steve "Silk" Hurley, Minogue became interested in dance music. She commented that the remixes were "the first thing I did that was really cool and my love of dance music and clubbing started from there."Minogue's interest in dance music and clubbing influenced her third album, Girl, released in September 1997, which featured collaborations with musicians such as Brian Higgins of Xenomania. The album presented a more sophisticated and adult style of dance music, but despite generally positive reviews, failed to make the British top fifty. Minogue's single "All I Wanna Do", which the Daily Mirror described as a "bass-bumping, shuddering return", peaked at number four on the UK singles chart and was certified gold in Australia. The album's follow-up singles, "Everything I Wanted" and "Disremembrance", failed to reached the top ten, but reached number one on the UK dance chart.
In June 1998 Minogue went on tour, The Unleashed Tour, a UK tour only. Mushroom Records released two budget compilation albums in December 1998, as part of the label's twenty-fifth anniversary. Released only in Australia, The Singles comprised all of Minogue's single releases, while The Remixes contained popular remixes. These releases were promoted with the song Coconut which was previously only available as a hidden track on CD versions of the Girl album. In January 1999, following her performance at the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Minogue released the festival's first official theme song, "Everlasting Night". It appeared on the compilation CD Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras of 1999, and its music video, co-directed by Minogue, was a tribute to Australia's gay and lesbian community.
In 1999, Minogue returned to theatre, starring in the production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play received mixed reviews; critic Matt Grant wrote that Minogue "lacks true conviction as she ploughs through the lines without capturing their full force", while Fiachra Gibbons singled Minogue's performance out, noting in her review that Minogue's "disco-queen-from-hell delivery works well" for her character, Lady Macbeth. Two years later, Minogue appeared as Esmeralda in the musical production of Notre-Dame de Paris in London's West End. The musical received poor reviews from British critics who called it "lame" and its songs "reminiscent of [the] Eurovision song contest". At the 2002 Maxim Awards, she won "Best Stage Performance" for her role. In 2001, Minogue also appeared in the stage play The Vagina Monologues, which co-starred Kika Markham and Meera Syal.
2001–2004: Neon Nights and radio program
Minogue performing in London, England, 2004
In November 2001, Minogue released the single, "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Riva. Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at number three on the UK singles chart, and reached number one on the dance charts. In the United States, the song was released to dance clubs, and reached number one on the United States' Billboard Dance Club chart. In 2001, Minogue signed a six album deal with London Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music International.
"I Begin to Wonder" (2003)
A dance track that features Minogue's vocals over a heavy bass line.
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In March 2003, Minogue released her fourth album, Neon Nights, which the BBC called "a pleasant cocktail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility". It consisted of 1980s inspired dance-pop songs and provided Minogue with some of the strongest reviews of her career. Neon Nights peaked at number eight on the UK albums chart (her highest ranking since her debut), and produced three top ten singles.The second single, "I Begin to Wonder", was declared one of the "best things" on the album by Ireland's Radio Telefís Éireann and became her highest charting single, peaking at number two on the UK singles chart. The album's success was equally widespread, and following extensive airplay by North American dance radio, Warner Music Group released it in the United States in late 2003. Singles "I Begin to Wonder" and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" were also substantial successes on the US dance charts.
In June 2003, Minogue hosted her own radio programme, Dannii Minogue's Neon Nights. Broadcast in Australia and the UK, Minogue played songs by up-and-coming DJs,as well as her own music.Minogue departed London records when warner (its parent owner) dismissed its staff and offered Minogue a deal to depart the label or stay and wait a year to release her next album which had been partially recorded. Minogue collaborated with Roselyn Della sabina and JCA. Many of these tracks where later released on the album "Unleashed". Later that year she signed a new contract with independent dance label All Around the World Records.
2004–2006: The Hits & Beyond
In October 2004, Minogue released the single "You Won't Forget About Me", a collaboration with the dance act Flower Power. Described by MSN Entertainment as a "real grower" and noted for its "snip snapping house beats and '80s flecked synths", the song peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart. "Perfection", a collaboration with the Soul Seekerz, followed in October 2005.
You Won't Forget About Me (2004)
An 80's inspired electro track performed with Flower Power.
So Under Pressure (2006)
A song inspired by the cancer diagnosis of her sister Kylie Minogue.
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Minogue released The Hits & Beyond, a greatest hits album, in June 2006. The album consisted of new songs alongside singles from her four studio albums. It debuted at number seventeen on the UK albums chart, but dropped quickly, spending only seven weeks in the top seventy-five. In Australia, The Hits & Beyond became one of Minogue's lowest charting albums, peaking at #67. The album introduced a new single, "So Under Pressure", inspired by the cancer diagnoses of her sister Kylie as well as that of an unnamed friend.[26] The single became her tenth consecutive song to reach number one on the UK Upfront Club chart. Minogue has described the recording of "So Under Pressure" as a "real achievement" as she was "brave enough to put all [her feelings] into words". In September 2006, Minogue's cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" appeared on Spirit of Christmas, a compilation album of holiday songs available through the Myer department store chain across Australia.
In November 2006, Minogue performed Sister Sledge's 1979 song "He's the Greatest Dancer" on BBC One's Children in Need telethon. A studio version of the song, remixed by Fugitive, appeared on the dance compilation Clubland 10, which was released in November 2006. The following month, "He's the Greatest Dancer" was released to UK dance clubs and reached number one on the Upfront Club chart.
2007–2008: The X Factor, Unleashed and Club Disco
In 2007, Minogue was a judge on the Network 7 variety show Australia's Got Talent along with Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. She also appeared as a judge and mentor in the fourth series of ITV's The X Factor, alongside Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. She mentored the boys category during the show and selected Leon Jackson, Rhydian Roberts and Andy Williams to represent her in the live rounds of the competition. In an interview reflecting on her first year with the show, Minogue commented: "I've finally been accepted as me. It's a fantastic opportunity, for once, not to be compared with Kylie. At last, I've found my own slot". Ultimately, two of her chosen acts, Rhydian Roberts and Leon Jackson, became the final two, with Jackson eventually becoming the winner on 15 December after topping the public vote. Minogue was the first female judge to win the show.
October onwards saw a total of five releases from Minogue; first, on 29 October, reissues of her 1997 and 2003 albums Girl and Neon Nights, each containing a double-disc, the second disc of which includes remixes. On 5 November she released Unleashed, a collection of previously unheard material from her time with London Records, and The Video Collection[disambiguation needed], which includes every one of her music videos as well as bonus features. Digital album Club Disco was released on the same date, featuring several previously released singles, such as "You Won't Forget About Me", "Perfection" and "So Under Pressure", cancelled single "I Can't Sleep At Night" and covers of Xanadu and the disco classic "He's The Greatest Dancer". Finally, on 3 December, a new single was released, entitled "Touch Me Like That", which hit the UK singles chart at #48.
In early 2008, Minogue was hired as the headline performer at Australian Fashion Week. In particular she was booked to make an appearance as the opening party hosted by MAC Cosmetics. She also returned as a judge on Australia's Got Talent for its second series and released Club Disco as a double album in Australia with some changes to the tracklisting.
Minogue returned to British television in August 2008 as a judge on The X Factor, alongside Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole, who replaced Sharon Osbourne. Following the initial auditions and Boot Camp stages of the competition, Minogue was assigned the Over 25s category to mentor. She chose Daniel Evans, Rachel Hylton and Ruth Lorenzo as her final three contestants for the series. In the eighth live show, Minogue lost her final act as Lorenzo was eliminated from the competition, leaving her without a contestant in the semi-final. Minogue stated that she was proud of her performance on the series as she had kept the Over 25s category intact until week six of the competition, which was a record for the show.
Throughout the series, several people in the entertainment industry, including Ronan Keating, Noel Gallagher and Graham Norton questioned Minogue's judging credentials and mentoring ability. Additionally, there were a series of tabloid reports claiming that Minogue was jealous of newcomer Cheryl Cole and that this had led to backstage tension. However, Minogue repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Cole, who claimed that the reports were based on "a stupid stereotype which is not true". On 23 November, during a live broadcast of the programme, Minogue broke down in tears and was unable to introduce one of her acts, Rachel Hylton, following an on-air row with Louis Walsh over a choice of song. Despite the controversies, she proved popular in public votes and polls.Minogue later stated that she did not enjoy her experience on the fifth series and "would never want to go through that again".
Minogue's other main TV project in 2008 came on 20 September when she presented the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards 2008 ceremony.
2009–2010: Pregnancy, The X Factor and return to music
At the start of 2009, a digital compilation album, "The Early Years", was released online that featured songs from Minogue's first two studio albums. Simon Cowell later confirmed that Minogue would return to her role as a judge on the X Factor for its sixth series and praised her commitment to the show.The programme began airing on ITV1 on 22 August 2009 and Minogue was once again joined on the panel by Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole. Following the initial rounds, she was given the Girls category to mentor and picked Rachel Adedeji, Lucie Jones and Stacey Solomon to represent her in the live shows. Solomon was her most successful act in the series, finishing in third place.
On 10 October 2009, while providing comments on The X Factor regarding artist Danyl Johnson's performance, Minogue sparked controversy by remarking that Danyl had not needed to switch the words of his chosen song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "man" to "girl", after he had spoken in a newspaper interview about being bisexual.Danyl appeared visibly upset and responded: "I'm not ashamed." The comment prompted immediate outrage from viewers demanding Minogue's dismissal from the show. On the following night, Minogue apologised on air and said that her comments were not meant in the way that they were taken. The media regulator Ofcom later dismissed almost 4,000 complaints about the matter and cleared Minogue of any wrongdoing.
On 7 December 2009 Minogue released The 1995 Sessions, an album full of previously unreleased recordings made for her third studio album, which never materialized due to differences with her then label.On the same date, Dannii re-released remastered editions of her first two albums with MCA Records, her debut Love & Kisses and the follow-up Get Into You.
On 13 January 2010, Minogue and her partner Kris Smith announced that Dannii was pregnant with her first child. Minogue later stated that, as her baby's expected arrival in July would clash with filming for X Factor, she would be unable to appear in the audition episodes for series seven. On July 3, Minogue tweeted to fans that "Team Minogue is back!" Later on June 11, ITV announced that Minogue would return for the programme's Judges' Houses stage, with guest judges taking her place until then.
It was also confirmed in early 2010 that Australia's Got Talent would return for a fourth series. Minogue was the only original judge to remain on the panel as producers revamped the series. Brian McFadden and Kyle Sandilands took the places of Red Symons and Tom Burlinson.
It was confirmed that Minogue would be one of the new faces of Marks and Spencer. She is filmed in South Africa, for their Spring campaign that aired 24 March 2010.
It was reported on 20 June 2010 that Minogue had signed a deal with record label Ministry of Sound worth £1 million, including a new studio album and single to be released by the end of the year. She is rumoured to be working with English dance producers Wez Clarke, Terry Ronald, Ian Masterson, Freemasons and Richard Stannard, the latter who previously worked with Minogue's sister,Minogue has also been writing music with Ruth Lorenzo, a contestant Minogue mentored on The X Factor.
On the 23 June 2010, ITV2 announced Dannii Minogue: Style Queen, a three-part documentary about her fashion line "Project D", The X Factor, motherhood, her partner Kris Smith, and her return to music as well as writing her autobiography - My Story.
On 5 July 2010, Minogue gave birth to a baby boy, named Ethan Edward Smith, at Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne. Minogue had previously planned for a home birth.Bold text
Music career
Minogue is an Australian dance-pop singer and her musical career consists of five studio albums, six compilation albums, twenty-eight singles, and five video albums. Minogue rose to prominence in the early 1980s for her roles in the Australian television talent show Young Talent Time and in the soap opera Home and Away, before commencing her career as a pop singer in the early 1990s.
Minogue released in her debut Australian album Dannii in October 1990. In June 1991, the album was released with additional tracks in the United Kingdom as Love and Kisses. In the UK, it reached number eight and produced five singles. Her second album, Get Into You, was released in October 1993. The album did not perform as well as her debut, peaking outside of the top fifty in Australia and the UK. After a brief hiatus from recording music, Minogue released her third album Girl in September 1997. The album, composed of dance and electronic music, produced three number one club songs in the UK. In March 2003, she released her fourth album Neon Nights. Inspired by dance music from the 1980s, the album was certified in gold in the UK. It produced four singles, all of which became number one on the UK Dance Charts. In 2007, she released a compilation of tracks that she had recorded while signed to AATW, which were heavily inspired by 80s dance music, titled Club Disco. The album collected together the six singles she had released since her Neon Nights period: "You Won't Forget About Me", "Perfection", "So Under Pressure", "I Can't Sleep at Night", "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "Touch Me Like That". The album had moderate success in the UK and a minor success in Australia. As a recording artist Minogue has sold over 7 Million Records worldwide.
All together, Minogue has achieved twelve number one dance singles on the UK Dance Charts, making her the most successful female dance-pop artist in the UK, as well as nine top ten hits on the UK Singles Chart.
Personal life
Relationships
In the early 90's Minogue dated Ray Slijngaard, rapper for Eurodance group 2 Unlimited. In January 1994, Minogue married Australian actor Julian McMahon, whom she met in 1991 while working on the television series Home and Away. Minogue and McMahon were married for less than two years and divorced in 1995. Referring to the divorce, Minogue said that it was her "biggest regret and biggest downfall". In October 1995, Minogue posed nude in the Australian edition of Playboy magazine. Commenting on the reason she posed nude, Minogue said she "just had a marriage break-up. Most women go to the hairdressers – I did Playboy. I chose the photographer, the location, what I did or didn't want to wear and everything else about the pictures. I found it a really liberating, empowering experience". The edition featuring Minogue sold out in under four days and became one of the best-selling editions in Australia.
In October 1999, Minogue became engaged to French Canadian Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve, but their relationship ended in 2001. In early 2002, she began dating music producer and Bros bassist Craig Logan, whom she met while recording material for Neon Nights. Media reports in March 2002 claimed Minogue and Logan were engaged, but in December 2002, it was announced that they had ended their relationship.
As of 2008 she is dating model and ex-professional rugby league player Kris Smith and has said she would like to marry and start a family with Smith but will see what the future holds for them. It was announced on 9 January 2010 that Minogue was pregnant. This was confirmed on her personal Twitter page when she tweeted "Woo hoo I'm gonna be a mummy! :-)" The baby was said to be due in July 2010 and Minogue revealed the news after receiving the all clear at her 12 week scan.Minogue gave birth via emergency caesarean section to a boy in Melbourne, Australia on 5 July 2010 named Ethan Edward Smith.
Controversies
In 2002, the British National Party, a far right and anti-immigration political party, claimed that Minogue supported their cause following comments she had made in an interview with Britain's GQ magazine. In the interview, Minogue was quoted saying that French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had "struck a chord with people", and that "even the street signs [in Australia] are written in Asian". Minogue responded to the British National Party's claims in Gay Times magazine saying, "I am not a racist. That is not how I live my life. I have a Jewish manager, I perform in gay clubs, I come from a multicultural background and I am very proud of that".
In February 2006, Minogue made headlines again when surveillance tape stills from London strip club Puss 'N Boots were published by News Of The World, a British tabloid newspaper, showing Minogue and a female lap dancer "canoodling." A spokesman for Minogue downplayed the event and called it a "harmless girls' night out".
Media portrayal and other activities
Throughout her career, Dannii Minogue has often been compared with her vastly more commercially successful sister, Kylie Minogue. Referring to the comparison, Minogue said "t is hard to be compared all the time to Kylie. On the other hand, however, people will always try to compare you to somebody. Look at Britney and Christina".[ In an interview with Elle in April 2009, Kylie Minogue criticised X Factor judge Louis Walsh for his jibes at her sister: "I'm so proud of my sister and it annoys the hell out of me when comparisons between us are made. In England you lot don't know where she came from. She was on TV every week from seven years old. It makes it harder for her when she gets Louis Walsh's rather pathetic jibes – one of which is she hasn't had a hit record and that's just not true." She also blasted rumours that Dannii did not get on with Cole or former judge Sharon Osbourne as "so cheap".
Minogue has performed multiple times at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the London nightclub G-A-Y. She credits her gay following for much of her success, commenting that gay culture has "always been a part of music".Minogue openly supports gay rights causes for social equality and believes that same-sex marriages should be accepted by all government bodies.
Minogue is an ambassador for the Terrence Higgins Trust, an organization that works to increase awareness of AIDS. She joined the charity in hope that her endorsement would encourage people to discuss safe sex and the disease more openly. In 2004, she posed nude, wrapped only in a red ribbon, to promote World AIDS Day in Australia and the UK. She has long been a supporter of breast cancer research and, in August 2008 became an ambassador for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal.
(source:wikipedia)
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