{"id":2423084,"date":"2026-05-19T10:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2423084"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:06:38","slug":"kylie-minogue-netflix-doc-fame-cancer-and-her-ever-growing-fandom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/kylie-minogue-netflix-doc-fame-cancer-and-her-ever-growing-fandom\/","title":{"rendered":"Kylie Minogue Netflix doc: Fame, cancer and her ever-growing fandom"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

While reflecting upon her four-decade-long career in \u201cKylie<\/u><\/a>,\u201d an intimate new three-part Netflix documentary, Kylie Minogue says a throwaway line that anchors the endeavor: \u201cLife makes sense to me onstage.\u201d Considering how she\u2019s made 17 albums, sold 80 million records worldwide, her songs have been streamed over 5 billion times, and how she\u2019s Australia\u2019s bestselling female artist of all time, with shelves full of accolades like 18 ARIA Awards and two Grammys, one can easily understand her POV.<\/p>\n

Directed by Emmy-winning editor Michael Harte (\u201cThree Identical Strangers,\u201d \u201cStill: A Michael J. Fox Movie,\u201d \u201cBeckham\u201d), we\u2019re given a glimpse into Minogue\u2019s life through a narrative composed of home movie footage, personal photos and new interviews with her, family, former colleagues, lovers and dear friends like musician Nick Cave, who affectionately refers to her as \u201cthis force\u201d in the \u201cjoy machine\u201d of pop music. An immensely popular teen soap actor turned pop superstar, Minogue, 57, learned how to smile for the camera on cue despite intense \u2014 and often cruel and misogynistic \u2014 scrutiny of her every move at a very early age. As she grows and evolves, we witness the evolution of a publicly confident, sparkly superstar and a warm, private, resilient survivor of breast cancer and the fickle middle finger of showbiz who doesn\u2019t take herself too seriously.<\/p>\n

There was no \u201cseismic shift\u201d compelling her to share her story, but gentle, prolonged prodding from producer John Battsek (of \u201cThe Deepest Breath,\u201d \u201cWham!\u201d and \u201cBeckham\u201d) did the trick. \u201cIt took a number of years for me to say yes to him,\u201d she says, Zooming into our chat from the UK. \u201cI\u2019d just go, either there\u2019s too much going on, or I don\u2019t feel ready. But at a certain point I thought, if not now, when?\u201d<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/i><\/p>\n

The level of fandom you experienced at such a young age must\u2019ve been overwhelming. How did you process all the attention? <\/b><\/p>\n

You just keep trying to figure it out. In the \u201cNeighbours\u201d days, Jason [Donovan, her co-star and ex-boyfriend] and I were a team with Guy Pearce. The three of us were thick as thieves, all the same age, all fresh out of high school, into this soap opera. It wasn\u2019t like we were stepping into a role in this smash hit show. We were part of its success story. We just were like, \u201cOh, we\u2019ve got a job. We\u2019ve got to know our lines. We\u2019ve got to get to work on time.\u201d And they worked<\/i> us. We were offered shopping malls, this photo shoot, that photo shoot \u2014 Smile, keep smiling! Bigger smiles! <\/i> We had each other, all three of us, and we\u2019ve got solid families and people in our lives. I can\u2019t imagine being more of a loose cannon, or how you would navigate it without that grounding.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/picture>\n
\n

Kylie Minogue with Jason Donovan, her co-star in \u201cNeighbours.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Netflix)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Your family seems like such a solid support system throughout the documentary, especially given how the press treated you. Just watching how downright cruel, predatory<\/b> and misogynistic they were was unbelievable. We\u2019re the same age, so I remember some of what you experienced.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, unbelievable! When you were talking about what it must have been like to have that fandom early, I don\u2019t think that was ever a problem. It was a thing to navigate, but it [the problem] was the press. They\u2019re saying one thing, but I meet people on the street, and they don\u2019t think that way. So, to quote myself from the documentary, it just didn\u2019t make sense. I\u2019ve been meeting quite a lot of millennials and younger people on promo these past few days, and they\u2019re riled. They got to know me in the 2000s in these kind of stellar moments, and they just had no idea.<\/p>\n

The documentary includes discussions about your public past relationships, like with your co-star Jason Donovan, then about Michael Hutchence and Nick Cave. That\u2019s such a vulnerable thing to share with your fans. What went into deciding whether <\/b>to let us in on that personal part of your life?<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that I\u2019m so comfy, like, \u201cHey, let\u2019s talk about my life!\u201d To talking about Michael [Hutchence], I didn\u2019t give it much thought beforehand. I knew I had some great images and some great footage of that time. I didn\u2019t know Michael [Harte] would craft it so beautifully and poetically, and that just kind of leads … [to Nick Cave] … You\u2019ve got the bright-eyed wonder of Jason and I, more like a younger love, and it\u2019s a forever story \u2014 we could see each other for the rest of time, and we will always be those people. But I didn\u2019t really see it coming the way it\u2019s transpired, talking about Michael in the documentary, and that time.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Kylie <\/picture>\n
\n

Kylie Minogue with Michael Hutchence from \u201cKylie.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Netflix)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Can you share a little bit about the first time you went to Kylie Night and your decades-long mutual love with the LGBTQIA+ community?<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s awesome, to be supported through thick and thin. It was really, like, 1990 when I first heard of Kylie Night, I was like, \u201cWhat\u2019s Kylie Night?\u201d I actually didn\u2019t go that night, but I ended up going a few years later. Just to rattle through it, the photograph that you see in the documentary of me at Three Faces, a nightclub in Melbourne, I\u2019d been to a Lemonheads gig, which could not be more polar opposite than a drag club! That says a lot. There\u2019s that indie rock part of me, then bound into Three Faces. I came across it late in the making of the documentary, but I have footage from 1996 at Mardi Gras in Sydney, this rickety footage. No one had cameras! This place is just a sweat mosh pit \u2014 amazing!<\/p>\n

I remember when you received your cancer diagnosis and how heartbreaking that was for you. Cancer touches the lives of so many people. How did it change you? And why did you feel that it was important to share that part of your story in the documentary?<\/b><\/p>\n

Obviously, that\u2019s a moment that will forever be imprinted on my being and in my memory. It\u2019s like a meteor coming from outer space and hitting you on the head. You\u2019re still you, just a different version of you, or the next you. There was a lot of uncertainty at the time. It\u2019s beyond cool that I can talk about it now without really going there \u2014 \u2019cause I\u2019ll go if I go there \u2014 but I think, in general, my attitude is my glass is half-full. When it dips below, of course, it has from time to time, but I try to pump it up to be positive. I was determined to get back to do what I do. I wanted to feel able. Before there was streaming, friends would bring me DVDs, but I couldn\u2019t get through a movie. Getting down the street was a real mission. What does this mean? <\/i>It was overwhelming in a way that I can\u2019t describe to you. Even if we were to sit together all afternoon, I couldn\u2019t describe it.<\/p>\n

\n
\"It <\/picture>\n
\n

It took time for Kylie Minogue to agree to tell her story in the documentary, \u201cKylie.\u201d<\/p>\n

(From Netflix)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Now, with every record you put out, new young people become really interested in your work, which must feel so exciting and wonderful.<\/b><\/p>\n

With what \u201cPadam Padam\u201d kind of kick-started, especially in the States, was to know that there were kids for whom this was one of their first mega pop songs. After one of the most amazing \u2014 I will never forget it \u2014 gigs I was doing around that time, friends or team members would bring kids, or nephews, or whoever, and these little ones, you know, 7, 8, 9. They\u2019re trying to keep their eyes open to get to \u201cPadam,\u201d and the kids would go, \u201cOh, we love that new song, \u2018The Loco-Motion!\u2019 [originally released in 1987]. My heart started bloating! That\u2019s the sweetest thing ever.<\/p>\n

Are you at liberty to share what you\u2019re up to musically now? I saw on Instagram that you shot a new video. Fans are also fantasizing about an appearance from you on Madonna\u2019s album \u2026 <\/b><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a random thing. There was a rumor I was on her album, but I\u2019m not \u2014 I\u2019m excited to hear it, all! But new music? Yes! There\u2019s a new song called \u201cLight Up\u201d that lives perfectly within the documentary. It\u2019s not a \u201cPadam,\u201d but it\u2019s got a lot of heart. Initially, I was thinking about my mom, \u2018cause you can see in this documentary \u2014 don\u2019t make me cry \u2014 I love her so much. I was writing about when you\u2019re struggling, whether you\u2019re a child or a grown-up, and someone who loves you will look into your eyes and, like a manga cartoon, you kind of zoom in and you see this world of possibility. When you\u2019re lost, helpless or glassy-eyed, someone who can see in you what you can\u2019t see can light you up, and you can get through that moment. My family does, and you clearly see how Michael [Hutchence] and Nick can touch my soul. You can get through health issues. You can get out on stage and do that thing that you\u2019re supposed to do when everything feels like you couldn\u2019t do it, so it\u2019s like parental love, friendship love, can spread to audience love. Because they will give you the strength to go out and have those moments to share. It\u2019s a beautiful thing.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Kylie <\/picture>\n
\n

Kylie Minogue is no stranger to looking like a mirror ball \u2014 here she\u2019s in silver head to toe during an April 2025 concert in Illinois. <\/p>\n

(Rob Grabowski \/ Invision \/ AP)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

What do you hope your fans will take from watching the documentary?<\/b><\/p>\n

That this has been a lifelong journey. That we\u2019re all human. Stay true to yourself. Love the people around you. There\u2019s a thing I say very often before I step out on stage \u2014 I\u2019ll go, \u201cLet the love in and let the light out.\u201d It\u2019s quite a big thing to be able to accept that love because we\u2019re all weird, wacky humans wondering, do I deserve this? Am I going to get found out, or something?<\/p>\n

So you reflect the love back, like a mirror ball. <\/b><\/p>\n

It only takes one light to land on the mirror ball, and that refracts, so anything that I get is paid forward and multiplied. And I\u2019ll leave it at that.<\/p>\n

\u201cKylie\u201d premieres May 20 on Netflix.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While reflecting upon her four-decade-long career in \u201cKylie,\u201d an intimate new three-part Netflix documentary, Kylie Minogue says a throwaway line that anchors the endeavor: \u201cLife makes sense to me onstage.\u201d Considering how she\u2019s made 17 albums, sold 80 million records worldwide, her songs have been streamed over 5 billion times, and how she\u2019s Australia\u2019s bestselling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2423085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2423084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kylie-Minogue-Netflix-doc-Fame-cancer-and-her-ever-growing-fandom.com2F602F672Fb29736e34cd2b03c2df8ddbf.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2423084"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2423086,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423084\/revisions\/2423086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2423085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2423084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2423084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2423084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}