Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane Minogue (born 20 October 1971), known as Dannii, is an Australian singer, songwriter, television personality and occasional actress, model and fashion designer. Minogue rose to prominence in the early 1980s for her roles in the Australian television talent show Young Talent Time and in the long-running Australian soap Home and Away, before commencing her career as a pop star in the early 1990s. She is the sister of Kylie Minogue.
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 eleven number one dance singles, becoming the best performing artist on the UK Upfront Club Chart. Minogue is currently signed to All Around the World and, in 2006, released her second official “best of” compilation, The Hits and Beyond. In 2007, Minogue became a talent judge on Australia’s Got Talent and The X Factor.
Minogue’s private life, including her marriage to Australian actor Julian McMahon and engagement to both Canadian Formula One world champion driver Jacques Villeneuve and former Bros band member Craig Logan, has been much discussed in the media. She has promoted gay rights causes throughout the world, and is noted for her work to increase awareness of AIDS
Biography
Childhood and beginning
Minogue was born in Melbourne, Australia, to accountant Ron Minogue and dancer Carol Jones. Minogue’s father was born in Australia but his family comes from County Clare, Ireland and her mother emigrated to Townsville, Queensland as a young child from Maesteg, Wales in 1955. She is the youngest of three children. Her sister, Kylie, is a pop singer and actress, and her brother, Brendan Minogue, works as a news cameraman in Australia. It was during the years on YTT that Minogue developed her work ethic. Johnny Young, the shows host, would later describe Minogue as the hardest working of the 40 children in the shows 18 year history. In 1988, Minogue retired from Young Talent Time and appeared in acting roles in the mini series “all the way” for the nine network and as the rebellious teenager Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away. Minogue remained on the programme for only a year, but proved to be popular among Australian audiences when she was nominated for a “Silver Logie” for the country’s “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 own line. Minogue’s debut line, Dannii, sold out across Australia in ten days, and was followed by three additional summer lines in 1989.
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.
She released Love and Kisses and…, a re-worked version 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. Minogue credits these remixes for providing her with a “new image and sound to work with” on future releases.
Later 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. The following year, 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 December 1995, Minogue guested with a host of pop stars, including Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, Deuce and others, on the UK charity single “The Gift of Christmas”. This was released to raise money for Childline and indeed was credited to ‘Childliners’. The song reached number 9 on the UK charts over the festive period, and Minogue performed the track alongside the other artists on Top of the Pops.
Personal life
In January 1994, Minogue married Australian actor Julian McMahon, the only son of former Australian prime minister Sir William 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, she 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.
Minogue became engaged to Canadian Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve in October 1999, but their relationship ended in 2001. In early 2002, Minogue 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.
Discography
- 2008: The Early Years
- 2007: Unleashed
- 2007: Club Disco
- 2006: The Hits & Beyond
- 2003: Neon Nights
- 1999: The Remixes
- 1998: The Singles
- 1997: Girl
- 1993: Get Into You
- 1991: U.K. Remixes
- 1991: Love And Kisses
Filmography (selected)
Films
- The Porter (2004)
- Secrets (1992)
Television
- Home and Away (1988)
All the Way (1988)
Ant and Dec Unzipped (1997)
The Sullivans (1976)
Skyways (1979)