Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess

January 1989
Kylie signed to star in feature film entitled "The Delinquents". As Kylie and Jason continue promotion in the UK, Especially For You becomes the first No.1 of 1989. Elsewhere, The Loco-motion reaches No.1 in Canada, while in Japan, even with no video or remixes to accompany its release, Turn It Into Love hits No.1 and stays there for an amazing 10 weeks!

25th January - Kylie has her third U.S. hit when It's No Secret reaches the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

February 1989
February 1989 "Especially For You" hits Top 10 in Germany and No.1 in Belgium, giving Kylie her fourth No.1 in Belgium! Kylie voted "Best International Female Artist" by a landslide in Irish Record Industry Awards. The Japanese Phonographic Record Association presents Kylie two 1988 "Disc Awards" for The Best Selling New Artist and Best Selling Single of the Year ("Lucky") and the album goes platinum in Japan. "Kylie" the album turns gold in the U.S.A. and Germany, with Switzerland and Austria following shortly after. "Especially For You" goes No.1 in Hong Kong - staying there for six weeks!

Kylie becomes one of the honoured few to pose for a wax model of herself at the World famous Madame Tussaud's in London.

The Mirror in London voted Kylie the "Best Actress in the World"! She also returns to the PWL studios to begin work on her second LP.

25th February - It's No Secret and Especially For You are released in Japan

March 1989
The Australian Record Industry Association nominates Kylie for five awards with "Lucky" picking up Biggest Selling Single of the year (1988). Kylie has FIVE singles on the Japanese International charts, in the Top 40. Turn It Into Love (#1 for 10 consecutive weeks), Especially For You (#3 with a bullet), It's No Secret (#4 with a bullet), The Locomotion (#27) and Lucky (#31). All together over the last 12 months Kylie spent 27 weeks (almost 6 months) in the No.1 spot on the Japanese International charts! Kylie nominated for three logies: the Gold for "Most Popular Personality on Australian Television", the Silver for the third year in a row and "Most Popular Music Video in Australia" for "Especially For You". Kylie receives her second "Heart Award" for Recording Artist of the Year from the Australian Variety Club. The Canadian Record Industry nominates "The Locomotion" as International Single of the year, and the album sells one and a half times platinum.

April 1989
Music Week award Kylie with their 'Top Album Award' for Kylie and 'Top Video Award' for Kylie - The Videos.

24th April - a brand new single, Hand On Your Heart is released and debuts at No.2 in the UK. The video features Kylie wearing three brightly coloured dresses, dancing in a room full of mirrors. Kylie is hoping to be joined by her dancers for the clip, but in the end has to perform by herself. The result is what Kylie later admits to being one of her least favourite videos...

May 1989
The week after release "Hand On Your Heart" hits No.1 on the U.K. national Singles chart, the Independent Singles chart and the Dance Singles chart (7 May) giving Kylie her third No.1 and sixth consecutive Top 2 single in Britain. In the English magazine "No.1"s reader's poll Kylie was voted Best Female Singer, Best Actress, Most Adorable Female and 2nd Most Masterful L.P. U.S. Smash Hits readers voted her fourth Best Female Singer (after Siouxie, Debbie Gibson and Madonna). "Hand On Your Heart" debuts on the Australian charts at No. 4 on week of release. In France "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" enters the Top 20 and "Especially For You" goes to No.1. Demand for Kylie product from behind the iron curtain becomes so great that an E.P. is released in East Germany. Meanwhile in West Germany "Hand On Your Heart" enters the Top 40. This means that since "Lucky" was released in January 1988 not a day has gone by when Kylie has not had one or more singles on the German charts. On the 28th May Kylie turned 21. She celebrated her coming of age at a private party in Melbourne plagued by paparazzi.

In Australia, Kylie celebrates her 21st birthday on-set of her first feature film, The Delinquents. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Australian author Criena Rohan. Set in the 1950s, it follows the story of Lola Lovell (Kylie) and Brownie Hansen (played by American actor Charlie Schlatter), two teenagers who fall in love and are forced apart by their parents and the authorities.

June 1989
Kylie completes filming on "The Delinquents".

"Kylie" the album has remained in the British Top 40 for over twelve months and is still selling well.

July 1989
Kylie travels to London to finish recording her second album. Whilst there, she films the video to her new single Wouldn't Change A Thing, her first video shot outside of Australia.

24th July - Wouldn't Change A Thing is released, entering at No.2 in the UK and No.10 in Australia. In the USA, Kylie is presented with the AMPEX Golden Reel Award for Gold sales of the Kylie LP and donates her cash prize to Greenpeace International.

Kylie's waxwork is unveiled in the Hall of Fame at Madame Tussaud's in London.

September 1989
With her personal style gradually developing, Kylie is featured on the cover of prestigious 'style-bible' Tatler.

Kylie performs at the Miss Asia Pacific beauty pageant in Hong Kong.

Kylie travels to Japan to put on her first ever live concerts. The Disco In Dream shows feature Kylie alongside Dead Or Alive and Sinitta. Kylie is executive producer of her 40-minute, eight-song part of the show, assisting in choreography with her dancer Venol John. Accompanying her on the 4-date tour of Japan is her mum, who is in charge of wardrobe, and a film crew who are shooting the trip for an hour-long TV special. Kylie performs for 38,000 fans in a single night at the Tokyo Dome. Kylie performs live in ten totally free roadshows across the U.K. sponsored by local radio stations. She is treated like a hero with thousands of screaming fans and police escorts. Her second album, "Enjoy Yourself", is released in the U.K. going double platinum with pre-sales of 600,000 and enters the U.K. charts at the number 1 position. For the second year in a row U.K. Smash Hits readers vote Kylie "Most Fanciable Female" and "Best Female Singer in the World".

October 1989
Kylie brings her live shows to the UK as part of the Coca-Cola Hitman Roadshow, alongside several other SAW-produced acts.

9th October - her second LP Enjoy Yourself is released, going double platinum upon release in the UK and entering the charts at No.1. The album comes with a free poster and a Meet Kylie Competition. At Kylie's insistence the sleeve of the album is made from recycled paper.

November 1989
"Enjoy Yourself" is released in several countries worldwide and enters the following charts in the top ten: Hong Kong #1, Ireland #1, Greece #2, Belgium #3, Norway #4, Japan #5 and Denmark #10. In it's first week of release in Australia, the album goes gold and debuts top #10 nationally. "Kylie - The Videos II" released in U.K. and goes silver on day of release. Charting at #1 whilst Kylie - The Videos (I) is still #3 in U.K. Again Kylie has created history, all of the seven singles she has released in the U.K., plus both albums and the videos, have charted at #1 or #2. "Never Too Late", Kylie's eighth consecutive Top 5 hit single in the U.K., and 10th internationally, goes silver with sales of over 200,000 units. Kylie is honoured by being only the third artist ever to have a "star" in the "Hard Rock Walk Of Fame" in Sydney.

December 1989
Kylie switches on the Regent Street Lights in London, a tradition normally reserved for Royalty. Kylie joins with Bob Geldof, Bananarama, Bros, Cliff Richard, Lisa Stansfield, Wet Wet Wet, Cathy Dennis and others for Band Aid 2's recording of Do They Know It's Christmas? to raise money for Ethiopia. It debuts at No.1 in the UK and holds that position over Christmas.

The Delinquents Sydney premiere, Kylie and Charlie Schlatter

Kylie's first movie, The Delinquents premieres in London, with over 20,000 fans crowding Leicester Square to catch a glimpse of Kylie. More of a stir is caused at the Australian premiere in Sydney, as Kylie arrives on the arm of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. The couple started seeing one another a few months previously, but had yet to appear in public together. Not only is the pairing unlikely (given Kylie's sweet, girl-next-door persona and Hutchence's wild rock 'n' roll star image), but Kylie's appearance is striking, as she sports a mini-dress with a bold naughts and crosses design and a cropped, platinum-blonde hairstyle! The shocking 'do' is later revealed as a wig.

Kylie is voted 'The Best Female Vocalist' at the Japan Radio Music Awards.

The TV special filmed in Japan, Kylie - On The Go is screened on Christmas Eve. Although Kylie's vocals have been overdubbed so that it appears she was miming, the 'un-cut' version with her live vocals is screened in Australia. Kylie makes an appearance on Hey Hey It's Saturday, performing Tell-Tale Signs (an album track) completely live.

Kylie travels back to the UK, where Enjoy Yourself has sold over a million copies and turned triple platinum. On New Years Eve, she appears on the Clive James' Review Of The Decade show, where she is named 'Woman Of The Decade' and sees in the new decade performing I Should Be So Lucky!

January 1990"The Delinquents" becomes the top grossing movie in the U.K. and third highest in Australia. Opening to rave reviews in the Australian press. "Tears On My Pillow", Kylie's ninth consecutive Top 5 hit single in the U.K., and 11th internationally, debuts at #2 in Britain. Tears On My Pillow, a cover of a 50s hit by Little Anthony And The Imperials, is Kylie's contribution to The Delinquents soundtrack and clips from the film are featured as the backdrop in the video. In the history of British charts only five records by females have ever debuted at No.2. and four are Kylie's! "The Loco-motion" (Aug. 88) Madonna's "Like A Prayer", "Hand On Your Heart" (May 89), "Wouldn't Change A Thing" (July 89) and now "Tears On My Pillow". Kylie voted #1 Radio Artist for 1989 in France. (2nd David Hallyday, 3rd Madonna and 4th Phil Collins).Israeli radio votes Kylie "#1 Female Artist" of 1989.

Australian magazine Follow Me carries a feature on Kylie's fashion, interviewing Nicole Bonython on Kylie's gradually maturing style.

Kylie spends January rehearsing for her upcoming tour. At the end of the month, she performs a warm-up gig at The Cadillac Bar in Melbourne. Accompanied by her band, the gig is intended to be a secret and they are billed as The Singing Budgies (the Singing Budgie being Kylie's nickname in the Australian media).

February 1990
The Enjoy Yourself Tour begins in Australia and is a resounding success with fans and critics alike, one journalism is prompted to write "It's time to ditch the snobbery and face facts - the kid's a star!".

The queen of the No.2 position in England again romps it in the U.K. Music Week awards with #2 Artist of the year, #2 album "Enjoy Yourself", and the #2 single was "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Kylie's first concert tour of Australia is a resounding success, pleasing fans and critics alike. The Melbourne Herald wrote "Minogue's performance was confident, exuberant and bathed in a joyful sweat. It's time to ditch the snobbery and face facts - the kid's a star" whilst the critic from the Sun wrote "Kylie's first Australian tour was a fashion and dance spectacular". The U.K. Video Industry awarded Kylie "Top Music Video of 1989" for Kylie - The Videos. Australian Variety Industry honours Kylie with The "Mo Award" for Ambassador to Australian Showbusiness. The Music Week awards in London awarded Kylie two of the top five video awards for "Kylie - The Videos" Nos.I & II. March 1990 Kylie is awarded "Best Video" for 1989 with her video for "Never Too Late" at the 1989 Logie Awards. Kylie receives the International Outstanding Achievement Award voted to her by the Board of Governors of the Australian Record Industry Association.

Australian Variety Industry honours Kylie with the Mo Award for 'Ambassador To Australian Showbusiness'.

In the UK, Kylie is presented with the award for 'Top Music Video Of 1989' for Kylie - The Videos. Kylie begins recording tracks for her new LP at PWL studios.

April 1990
Kylie's "Enjoy Yourself" tour of the U.K., Europe and South East Asia kicks off in Birmingham where Kylie plays to a full house of 12,700 screaming fans and continues to play to capacity crowds in London, Belfast and Dublin. The British Press are as impressed by Kylie's performance as were the screaming fans that attended the shows - Music Week Magazine said "Kylie Live: It's a Triumph....the hits came flooding thick and fast, guaranteeing an ecstatic response from the audience..."

Kylie appears on Going Live! to perform Better The Devil You Know for the very first time. She and her dancers put the finishing touches to the routine minutes before going on air. The song is a progression for Kylie, sounding much more club-oriented and with a harder edge than her previous tunes. Kylie apparently rejected the original mix of the single, wanting the song to sound closer to her favourite tune of the moment, C'mon And Get My Love by D-Mob and Cathy Dennis.

Another sign of her growing confidence, Kylie also takes control of the design of her record covers and the look projected in her videos. The new confidence is epitomised in the video for Better The Devil You Know, where Kylie appears wildly dancing in a little black dress against a backdrop of flames, in a short red wig and silver hotpants and at one point, apparently naked and covered only by a man's arm.

30th April - Better The Devil You Know is released in the UK, reaching No.2.

April also sees the video release of Kylie On The Go - Live In Japan tour special with footage of Kylie's Disco In Dream and Hitman Roadshow concerts filmed the previous autumn.

Performing Help at the Lennon Tribute concert

May 1990
Kylie performs her own band's arrangement of the classic Beatles song "Help" at the John Lennon Tribute held in Liverpool on the banks of the Mersey River to a crowd of well over 20,000. Natalie Cole, Lenny Kravitz and Terrence Trent D'Arby were amongst those backstage to congratulate her on her performance; whilst Yoko and Sean Lennon both thanked her personally for her contribution to the John Lennon Scholarship Fund and the Spirit Foundation, the charities to benefit from the concert's proceeds. The London Sun said "CHEERS - the soap star wows Scousers... Kylie Minogue deserved her applause" (Scousers being those who live in Liverpool). Kylie's Enjoy Yourself tour continued on playing to packed houses in London, Paris and Brussels where Kylie's performances pleases both audiences and press alike. In France and Belgium Kylie received gold records for outstanding sales of the "Enjoy Yourself" album. Kylie's 10th top 5 single in Britain (12th worldwide) "Better The Devil You Know" debuted on the U.K. charts at no. 5 and the following week raced to the number 2 position.

Kylie films a TV commercial for Coca-Cola, featuring her ordering a pizza and a couple of Cokes to her hotel room. The ad follows the delivery guy dodging hotel staff and security in order to deliver Kylie her goodies, ending with the pair sharing the drinks at the end. Nice.

Better The Devil You Know hits the No. 1 spot in Israel, No. 4 in Australia and Malaysia, No. 5 in Finland, No. 11 in Spain, going Top 40 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Sweden and Switzerland. The Enjoy Yourself Tour continues through Europe and Southeast Asia, finishing in Bangkok shortly before Kylie's 22nd birthday.

June - September 1990
Enjoy Yourself is released in the USA with brand new cover artwork shot by Isobel Snyder.

Kylie spends some time in LA recording and for the first time co-writing tracks for her new album. Previously, her only attempt at song writing came in the shape of a tune called Love Traffic for her sister Dannii's debut LP. She works with Stephen Bray (famous for his work with Madonna), Michael Jay (who worked with Martika) and Keith 'KC' Cohen (who produced for Paula Abdul) on four tracks. She also takes some time to prepare her new look for the album release, shooting some glamorous photos in the Mojave Desert near LA. The new image is very much inspired by 60s sci-fi fantasy movie Barbarella, starring Jane Fonda.

Kylie shoots the video for her new single, Step Back In Time around downtown Los Angeles. The song is a tribute to the 1970s, hence the video features Kylie wearing a host of outrageous 70s gear, including hotpants and garishly colourful feathered jackets, her hair backcombed and her false eyelashes firmly in place. In short, she has a ball filming the video, before traveling back to London to finish the album at PWL.

October 1990
22nd October - Step Back In Time is released, reaching No.4 in the UK, her 11th consecutive Top 5 hit. Kylie promotes the song on various TV shows, including Saturday morning show Motormouth, where she also takes the opportunity to perform the title track of her new album, Rhythm Of Love. The track was one of those co-written and recorded in LA without the assistance of SAW.

Kylie causes a panic at PWL when she announces on live TV - on Saturday morning kids' show Going Live! - a competition to win a limited edition copy of her new album with her name written in gold leaf on the sleeve. The record company had decided not to release this limited edition but no one had actually informed Miss Minogue. Therefore 100 copies are hastily pressed and given to DJs as further competition prizes.

November 1990
12th November - Kylie's third LP, Rhythm Of Love is released, going to No.9 in the UK and No.10 in Australia. The album turns gold in the UK and Spain and several other European territories.

Kylie is presented with the 'Diamond Award for Music Excellence' in Brussels, and performs Better The Devil You Know, Step Back In Time and Rhythm Of Love at the ceremony.

December 1990
Kylie's ever maturing sense of style earns her features in various fashion magazines, including Vogue (UK), which devotes a six-page spread to her in their December issue, in which Kylie is dressed in jewel-encrusted designer gear. Follow Me magazine in Australia carries a feature, entitled 'Kylie Vamps Up', accompanied by a stylish set of black and white photos by Grant Matthews. The striking shots show Kylie looking very different, mature and very sexy.

Sales of Rhythm Of Love reach platinum in the UK as Kylie films the video for her next single, What Do I Have To Do in London. Shot over two days, the clip features 'SexKylie' at her best, with big hair and lashes, leather outfits and saucy shots galore. One scene features Kylie with a huge (fake) tattoo of a panther on her back, another shows her dancing and flirting with a woman at a club, sporting a beehive hairdo. Her sister Dannii guest stars in the clip. "Step Back In Time" enters the Top 10 in several countries worldwide, including Australia and remained at the No. 1 position on the national Israel charts for 3 weeks.