Kylie Minogue’s calming ‘secret weapon’ revealed ahead of Tension world tour
By her own admission, Kylie Minogue has never been one for looking too far beyond the present, so her artistic longevity ahead of album No.17 must be as surprising to her as anyone else.
By her own admission, Kylie Minogue has never been one for looking too far beyond the present, so her artistic longevity must be as surprising to her as anyone else.
Ahead of issuing her 17th album, titled Tension II, the pop star shared with The Australian some insights into preparations for her next world tour, which will begin in her homeland in February.
“I’m never good at long-term planning,” said Minogue, 56. “I know what I should be doing, but I have to get round to it when I’m ready. I do know that when it comes to it, I’m going to be putting signs up everywhere saying, ‘Take vitamins, exercise, take a break ’ to keep myself on track – but I do have a secret weapon when I’m touring.”
“It’s not a bed in my dressing room,” she said. “I know [US musician and Black Eyed Peas frontman] Will.i.am had a bed in his dressing room, even though I never actually saw it. I don’t need that. I’m a little person, I can curl up on a sofa or an armchair.”
Her secret weapon, then, is what she calls her ‘calm mat’: “I sit on the floor every afternoon and do a 10-15 minute meditation which can sometimes go on longer, and that keeps me calm, keeps me sane and keeps me on track,” she said.
Released on Friday via Mushroom Music, Tension II is a follow-up to her 2023 collection Tension, which earned about half a billion streams from fans worldwide.
Its Grammy Award-winning lead single Padam Padam has 166m streams on Spotify alone, and its breakout success reinvigorated a career that many assumed was on the downslope, as is natural for pop stars who spend decades in the spotlight.
“Tension I and in particular Padam Padam more than exceeded expectations,” she said. “Honestly, I was blown away by the response and it opened so many doors with people coming to me with new songs and ideas and it just felt really exciting.”
“For me it was like this complete resurgence of my music and I wanted to keep going, keep exploring, keep working with new people,” she said. “I went into the experience with a real enthusiasm and vigour, which I think you can feel in the music.”
On Tension II, Minogue collaborates with artists including fellow Australian Sia Furler, as well as Bebe Rexha and Orville Peck. Its sound extends upon the sleek dance-pop heard on her 2023 album, which places her firmly in the company of younger chart-topping acts such as Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.
“Doing the Tension albums, I’d be sitting in a writing room with Lostboy (producer and co-writer of Padam Padam) and he has all these great references to the past,” she said. “He’d be mentioning all these current inspirational artists and that was so fantastic for me. I don’t feel like I have my finger on the pulse of exactly what is going on, but I do have a sort of ‘spider sense’ of catching new people.”
Of working with Lostboy, aka 31-year-old British producer Peter Rycroft, she said, “We have this lovely, vibey relationship exploring music and working … It’s spontaneous and fun, but also focused and creative, which is the dream.”
In July, the pop singer-songwriter and actor was featured in The Australian’s list of the 60 most influential Australians of the past 60 years, alongside fellow musical acts AC/DC and Nick Cave.
Minogue’s Tension world tour, meanwhile, is set to begin at Perth’s RAC Arena on February 15.
Her 10-date Australian tour has sold well so far; four concerts have sold out, including three at Rod Laver Arena in her hometown of Melbourne, while the other shows are nearing capacity.
As for whether her famed golden hot pants might make an appearance during the upcoming run of shows?
“I always say no and then somehow they creep back into the mix, so I’d say never say never,” she said with a laugh. “But I’d say stylistically the portal of entry for the tour is the type of outfit I’m wearing on the Tension tour poster – slick, ‘less is more’ sort of vibe.”
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