Kylie: A Success Story

This profile piece on current affairs program Today Tonight delves into Kylie’s career resurgence in the early 2000s.

It explores how she became one of the world’s most marketable people following the release of her seventh and eighth studio albums in quick succession, Light Years (2000) and Fever (2001). Both received critical and commercial acclaim and consolidated her status as a pop and dance music icon.

The package combines highlights from some of Kylie’s acting in television and film, including Neighbours and Moulin Rouge!, and her numerous music videos. These are effectively interspersed to illustrate Kylie’s longevity, putting to rest any doubts about her talent and popularity. Seen together they demonstrate her ability to reinvent herself.

The report is proof that her rise to superstar status and fight to break free of derogatory tags such as ‘the singing budgie’ have been hard earned. The piece is overall a testament to her strength of character, with a surprising appearance by U2 lead singer Bono adding gravitas to the story.

The story also hits on Kylie as a global brand and marketing machine. Her star power has secured lucrative deals with Ford, Pepsi and Evian, along with her own lingerie line.

Dominic Mohan, Show Business Editor at British tabloid newspaper The Sun, talks about Kylie’s legendary gold hotpants from ‘Spinning Around’, and infers that Britons have a fascination with Kylie’s bottom.

In a piece of shamelss self-promotion, he attributes The Sun's prominent featuring of Kylie's hotpants as helping resurrect her career. But it's not surprising to learn that a front-page news story featuring Kylie always sells in big numbers.  

Notes by Mel Bondfield