Kylie: La La La

by Kylie Minogue, William Baker

Kylie Minogue is Europe’s best-selling female pop singer. Her latest album, “Fever,” shot to the top of the charts, selling six million copies worldwide. In this lavish tribute, we are offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the creative drive and talent that have made her one of the world’s top recording artists. Featuring over 250 photos, many never before seen, La La La is a dazzling and intimate record of her career.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Photography, Biography, Celebrity, Pop Culture, Own

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews.

Initially presented as a "girl next door", Minogue attempted to convey a more mature style in her music and public image. Her singles were well received, but after four albums her record sales were declining, and she left Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992 to establish herself as an independent performer. Her next single, "Confide in Me", reached number one in Australia and was a hit in several European countries in 1994, and a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", brought Minogue a greater degree of artistic credibility. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists, Minogue took creative control over the songwriting for her next album, Impossible Princess (1997). It failed to attract strong reviews or sales in the UK, but was successful in Australia.

Minogue returned to prominence in 2000 with the single "Spinning Around" and the dance-oriented album Light Years, and she performed during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her music videos showed a more sexually provocative and flirtatious personality and several hit singles followed. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in more than 40 countries, and the album Fever (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the United States, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Minogue embarked on a concert tour but canceled it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. After surgery and chemotherapy treatment, she resumed her career in 2006 with Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her tenth studio album X was released in 2007 and was followed by the KylieX2008 tour. In 2009, she embarked upon her For You, For Me Tour, her first concert tour of the United States and Canada, and the following year released her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite.

Minogue has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 68 million,[2] and has received notable music awards, including multiple ARIA and Brit Awards and a Grammy Award. She has mounted several successful concert tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire "for services to music", and an Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2008.

Reviews

[Jan De la Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I lost this book for about a month and I was pretty depressed. Not only was it a gift, but it was also out of print. I cried in my sleep until I found it on a box full of old photos ans such. It has made me happy since day one. Beautiful edition with beautiful photos. A must for fans.

[Alannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredible collection of many of Kylie's amazing outfits from her various appearances, videos and performances through the years. Although it would be impossible to include everything she's worn through her career, there is a really good selection of most major pieces here. In general, there is a photo or two of each outfit, along with a small blurb about it. There is also a description of the materials used to make the outfit, along with the designer and where/when it was worn. I believe this book was made as a companion to her travelling exhibition that was shown in select museums in 2006, even though I was not lucky enough to see that in person. This book is really well done and very highly recommended!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

As near to a Kylie (auto)biography as there's likely to be for now, this is a fun look back at her career from Neighbours to Fever. Her gay best friend Will Baker (the author) is a witty guide, although he gets far too bogged down in the detail of tour costumes towards the end.

[Barendx van den Bergh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything in this book. She is my idol and I LOVE her!

[Barendx van den Bergh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Photos are sensational! Each photo has a story to tell. Obviously not a major storyline in these books but it centered around the "main character", that we all truly love... GlitterDust! Bx

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pictures, love the cover, really informative and lots of great info for those interested in styling/the fashion industry.

[Tobias · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're looking for a Kylie style biography, for example who made a dress or outfit for a certain tour or video, this is for you. This isn't rocket science however and Baker does seem to use some words like femininity and sensuality a lot in this book, and I finished it in a few days. "La La La" is also very short so if you're looking for a juicy read about Kylie's ups and downs, both professional and personal then I'd advise to look elsewhere, but if you prefer to read the 'official' version of things, this is the best you're going to get until Kylie decides to tell her own story.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially a coffee table book, with text that you're never likely to read but plenty of pictures to make up for it. The fact that Ms Minogue is very photogenic is a bonus, as is the fact that she knows a lot of very good photographers. Nice to look at, but hard to recommend otherwise.

[CadyCan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning photo book. Can't remember when read it but was pre 2009

[Adrián · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the deConstruction era chapters, ``Impossible Princess´´ being my favorite album. Recommended to anyone who's really into fashion.