Dannii Minogue

Danielle Jane Minogue was born on 20 October 1971 and brought up in Surrey Hills, Melbourne. She attended Camberwell Primary School and later Camberwell High School. She is the younger daughter of Carol Ann Jones, a dancer from Maesteg, Wales, and accountant Ronald Charles Minogue. She is the youngest of three children; her older sister is singer Kylie Minogue, while her brother Brendan is a news cameraman in Australia. Minogue began her career as a child on Australian television. From the age of 7, she appeared in several soap operas, including Skyways and The Sullivans. In 1982, she joined the weekly music programme Young Talent Time. Minogue recorded her first solo recordings for the programme, including a cover version of Madonna's hit single "Material Girl"; during this time, she also performed live at several sold-out nationwide concert tours. In 1988, Minogue departed from Young Talent Time to continue her acting career, appearing as the rebellious tomboyish teenager Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away in 1989. Minogue remained on the programme for only a year. She proved to be popular among Australian audiences when she was nominated for a Silver Logie as the Most Popular Actress on Australian television. Minogue's debut line Dannii sold out across Australia in ten days and was followed by three additional summer lines in 1989. ==Music career==

1990–1995: Dannii and Get into You Minogue signed a recording contract with Australian-based Mushroom Records in January 1989. Outside Australia, the album was released in 1991 under the title Love and Kisses and peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom and was certified gold. Minogue's debut single "Love and Kisses" peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and was certified gold. Subsequent singles "Success", "Jump to the Beat", "Baby Love" and "I Don't Wanna Take This Pain" all reached the UK top 40. Minogue released Love and Kisses and..., a re-issue of her debut album, in November 1991. The album, a collection of dance songs, comprised tracks and remixes from Love and Kisses. It peaked at number 42 on the UK albums chart and sold nearly 60,000 copies in its own right. 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, but despite her past chart success, failed to make the British top fifty. The tracks recorded in 1994/1995 for Minogue's planned third album were unheard for many years, they were finally released in 2009 via Cargo Records on the compilation album The 1995 Sessions. In 1991, Minogue appeared before the Queen at the Royal Variety Show where she sang "Success". 1996–2004: Girl and Neon Nights In 1996, Minogue resumed her co-hosting duties, presenting the Eggs on Legs road show segment. That same year, Minogue briefly hosted the children's show Disney Time and co-hosted, with Gareth Jones, the teenage Saturday morning entertainment show ''It's Not Just Saturday for 16. In 1997, Minogue hosted Top of the Pops'', a British music chart television programme, before returning to her recording career later that year. peaked at number four on the UK singles chart. In her native Australia, the single peaked at number eleven and was certified gold. The album's second single "Everything I Wanted" made the top 20 in the UK and the top 50 in Australia, while the third single "Disremembrance" narrowly missed the top 20 in the UK, peaking at number 21. All three singles released from Girl reached number one on the UK dance chart. In November 2001, Minogue released the single, "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Riva. Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at number three on the UK singles chart and reached number one on the dance charts. In Australia, the song peaked at number 15, while in the United States the song was released to dance clubs and reached number 12 on the US Billboard Dance Club chart. {{listen In March 2003, Minogue released her fourth album, Neon Nights, which the BBC called "a pleasant cocktail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility". It consisted of 1980s inspired dance-pop songs and provided Minogue with some of the strongest reviews of her career. Neon Nights peaked at number eight on the UK albums chart (her highest ranking since her debut) and produced four top 10 singles. In Australia, the single garnered Minogue another top 20 hit, peaking at number 14 and was also certified gold. Third single "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" reached number five in the UK, while in Australia the single just missed the top 20, charting at number 22. Following extensive airplay by North American dance radio, Warner Music Group released the album in the United States in late 2003. Singles "I Begin to Wonder" and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" were also substantial successes on the US dance charts. "Perfection", a collaboration with the Soul Seekerz, followed in October 2005 where it reached the top twenty in both the UK and Australia. Minogue released The Hits & Beyond, a greatest hits album, in June 2006. The album consisted of new songs alongside singles from her four studio albums. It debuted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. The album introduced a new single, "So Under Pressure", inspired by the cancer diagnoses of her sister Kylie as well as that of an unnamed friend. On 11 December Minogue performed "Kids" with her sister Kylie during Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour in Melbourne and "Celebration" on 31 December in London at Wembley Arena. The single made the top 20 in Australia and the UK and also became her 10th consecutive song to reach the number one spot on the UK Upfront Club chart. Minogue has described the recording of "So Under Pressure" as a "real achievement" as she was "brave enough to put all [her feelings] into words". In September 2006, Minogue's cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" appeared on Spirit of Christmas, a compilation album of holiday songs available through the Myer department store chain across Australia. In November 2006, Minogue performed Sister Sledge's 1979 song "He's the Greatest Dancer" on BBC One's Children in Need telethon. A studio version of the song, remixed by Fugitive, appeared on the dance compilation Clubland 10, which was released in November 2006. The following month, "He's the Greatest Dancer" was released to UK dance clubs and reached number one on the Upfront Club chart. It also charted in the top 40 on the Australian singles chart. 2007–2010: Unleashed and Club Disco October onwards saw a total of five releases from Minogue; first, on 29 October, reissues of her 1997 and 2003 albums Girl and Neon Nights, each containing two discs, the second disc of which includes remixes. On 5 November, she released Unleashed, a collection of previously unheard material from her time with London Records, and The Video Collection, which includes every one of her music videos as well as bonus features. Minogue's fifth studio album Club Disco was released on the same date and in May 2008 in Australia, featuring several previously released singles, such as "You Won't Forget About Me", "Perfection", and "So Under Pressure", cancelled single "I Can't Sleep at Night" and covers of "Xanadu" and the disco classic "He's the Greatest Dancer". Finally, on 3 December, a single was released, titled "Touch Me Like That", which peaked at number one on the UK Dance Chart. In early 2008, Minogue was hired as the headline performer at Australian Fashion Week. In particular, she was booked to make an appearance at the opening party hosted by MAC Cosmetics. She also released Club Disco as a double album in Australia with some changes to the track listing. At the start of 2009, a digital compilation album, The Early Years, was released online that featured songs from Minogue's first two studio albums. On 7 December 2009, Minogue released The 1995 Sessions, an album full of previously unreleased recordings made for what would have been her then third studio album, which never materialised due to differences with her then label. On the same date, Minogue re-released remastered editions of her first two albums with MCA Records, her debut Love & Kisses and the follow-up Get into You. In total Minogue's music has achieved more than 200 weeks on the UK Sales Chart and she has sold more than seven-million records worldwide. On 23 June 2010, ITV2 announced Dannii Minogue: Style Queen, a three-part documentary about Minogue's fashion line "Project D", The X Factor, motherhood, her partner Kris Smith and her return to music as well as writing her autobiography My Story, which was produced by Steve Vizard and broadcast in Australia on Foxtel. 2011–2014: This Is It: The Very Best Of with her sister Kylie during A Kylie Christmas Show in 2015 In January 2012, Minogue appeared in the ITV documentary The Talent Show Story where she talked about her time on The X Factor UK and working on talent shows. Other talent show judges interviewed included Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh, Kelly Rowland, Tulisa, Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan, Carrie Grant and Simon Cowell, as well as The X Factor host Dermot O'Leary and ''Britain's Got Talent'' hosts Ant & Dec. In February 2012, Minogue officially opened Madame Tussauds Sydney, unveiling a waxwork of herself at the launch. In September 2013, Minogue teamed up with Ronan Keating to record a duet of the Christmas classic "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" for department store chain Myer's The Spirit of Christmas 2013 compilation. In late 2014, Minogue recorded a cover version of "That's How You Know" for the Australian We Love Disney album. 2015–present: Musical comeback In February 2015, Minogue announced that, after a long hiatus, she planned to make her musical comeback at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Minogue also revealed she had been working on new music. Following the announcement, Minogue, British rapper Reece Robertson and the official Sydney Mardi Gras profiles launched a mysterious online campaign on social media featuring the #pressplay hashtag. At the end of February, Sydney Mardi Gras shared a YouTube link to a video called #pressplay featuring the extended mix of "Summer of Love". On 2 March, the extended mix of "Summer of Love" was made available to pre-order on iTunes. In December 2015, she and her sister Kylie released their duet 100 Degrees for the latter’s Christmas album Kylie Christmas. They performed the song on The X Factor Australia and on Kylie’s Christmas Show at the Royal Albert Hall. In August 2017, Minogue confirmed that she would be a support act for Take That on their first Australian tour in over twenty years, which would take place that November. She also announced a single titled "Holding On" would be released on 11 August and that more new music would be released around the time of the tour. On 2 November 2017, Minogue confirmed she would release a song titled "Galaxy" on 10 November, a day before the tour was due to start. In February 2023, Dannii Minogue appeared on‑stage alongside her sister Kylie Minogue at the opening concert of Sydney WorldPride 2023 in The Domain, Sydney — the first time the festival has been held in the Southern Hemisphere. Later in 2023, it was announced that Minogue would be releasing a new song just weeks after her sister, Kylie Minogue, would be releasing the lead single for her upcoming album Tension, "Padam Padam". Minogue's song "We Could Be the One" was released on 2 June 2023, and also features as the opening song for the British gay sting show that she hosts, I Kissed a Boy. It charted at number 5 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart on 9 June 2023. On 16 June 2023, Minogue released an anniversary edition of her Neon Nights album. Titled Neon Nights 20, the album was made available on all digital outlets and CD and vinyl. Minogue had confirmed the deluxe, expanded anniversary issue in April 2023. On 2 February 2024, she released a new single, "Thinking ‘Bout Us". The song charted at number 24 on the UK singles chart. ==Television career==

UK television In 2007, Minogue became a judge on the fourth series of The X Factor UK, alongside Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne. She mentored the Boys category and selected Leon Jackson, Rhydian Roberts and Andy Williams to represent her in the live rounds of the competition. Ultimately, two of her chosen acts, Roberts and Jackson, became the final two, with Jackson eventually becoming the winner after topping the public vote. Minogue was the first female judge to win the show. On 20 September 2008, Minogue presented the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards ceremony. That same year, Minogue returned to the show's fifth series alongside Cowell, Walsh and Cheryl Cole, who replaced Osbourne. Following the initial auditions and boot camp stages of the competition, Minogue was assigned the Over 25s category to mentor. She chose Daniel Evans, Rachel Hylton and Ruth Lorenzo as her top three contestants for the live shows and was assisted by Spice Girls member Emma Bunton. In the quarter-final, Minogue lost her final contestant as Lorenzo was the eighth contestant eliminated from the competition, leaving her without a contestant in the semi-final. Throughout the fifth series, several people in the entertainment industry, including Ronan Keating, Noel Gallagher and Graham Norton questioned Minogue's judging credentials and mentoring ability. On 22 November 2008, during a live broadcast of the programme, Minogue broke down in tears and was unable to introduce one of her acts, Rachel Hylton, following an on-air row with Louis Walsh over a choice of song. Despite the controversies, she proved popular in public votes and polls. Minogue later stated that she did not enjoy her experience on the fifth series and "would never want to go through that again". Minogue returned for the sixth series in 2009 and mentored the Girls category. She chose Rachel Adedeji, Lucie Jones and Stacey Solomon as her top three contestants to compete in the live shows and was assisted at the judges' houses stage by her older sister, Kylie Minogue. Despite losing Adedeji in week 4 and Jones the following week, Solomon went on to advance into the final and ultimately becoming the last contestant eliminated. In 2010, Minogue was pregnant. She later stated that, as her baby's expected arrival in July would clash with filming for The X Factor audition dates, she would be unable to judge in the audition episodes for the seventh series. Minogue returned during the judges' houses stage. She mentored the Boys category selecting Nicolo Festa, Matt Cardle and Aiden Grimshaw as her top three contestants, with Paije Richardson as her wildcard contestant. Minogue was assisted by fellow Australian and friend Natalie Imbruglia who was a guest judge in the Birmingham auditions that year filling in for Minogue. Cardle was her only contestant to make it into the final and eventually came first, with Minogue becoming the winning mentor for the second time. On 14 May 2011, it was announced that Minogue would not be returning for the eighth series of The X Factor UK. Of her decision, Minogue said "During discussions for me to return (to The X Factor) it became clear that unfortunately, this year, the X Factor audition dates in the UK clash with the live shows of ''Australia's Got Talent during June and July. For this reason I am unable to return." She was replaced by Kelly Rowland. In January 2012, Minogue appeared on the ITV documentary The Talent Show Story where she talked about her time on The X Factor and working on talent shows. Other The X Factor'' judges who were interviewed included Gary Barlow, Walsh, Tulisa, Rowland and Simon Cowell as well as the host Dermot O'Leary. In June 2013, Minogue joined Elle Macpherson and Tyson Beckford on the judging panel for the ninth series of Sky Living's ''Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model''. She replaced Whitney Port and Julien McDonald. In September 2016, it was revealed Minogue was returning to British television, as a judge on the judging panel of Gary Barlow talent show Let It Shine alongside fellow judges Martin Kemp and Barlow. In May 2022, it was announced that Minogue would host a brand new gay dating show in the UK on BBC Three called I Kissed a Boy. The list of contestants and a preview for the show were released in April 2023. The show officially aired on Saturday 13 May 2023 on BBC Three. In 2024, Minogue began hosting a spinoff of the show, for lesbians, with I Kissed a Girl also airing on BBC Three. In May 2024, it was announced that I Kissed a Boy would be returning for a second season, with Minogue returning as host. Australian television In 2007, Minogue was hired by Simon Cowell to become a judge on the Seven Network talent show ''Australia's Got Talent along with Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. It was after this series that Minogue was offered the role on The X Factor UK after Cowell thought she proved good as a judge on Australia's Got Talent. She returned to the panel for seasons two and three in 2008 and 2009. Australia's Got Talent'' returned for a fourth season in 2010, and Minogue was the only original judge to remain on the panel as producers revamped the series. Brian McFadden and Kyle Sandilands took the places of Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. Minogue also returned for the fifth season in 2011 and the sixth season in 2012. In November 2012, it was announced that Minogue would not be returning for the seventh season in an attempt to reboot the show. She was replaced by Geri Halliwell in the Nine Network's version of the show. In 2013, Minogue joined the judging panel of the fifth season of The X Factor Australia as Mel B's replacement. She joined returning judges Ronan Keating and Natalie Bassingthwaighte and fellow new judge Redfoo, who replaced Guy Sebastian. Minogue mentored the Over 24s category and one of her contestants Dami Im came first place. Minogue reprised her judging role for the sixth season in 2014. She mentored the Groups category and one of her contestants Brothers3 were the last contestant to be eliminated in the competition. Minogue returned for the seventh season in 2015 for the final time as a judge where she mentored the Girls Category and ended up losing all of her contestants by the 7th week of the show. She was replaced by Mel B. In 2019, she was announced as one of the panellists on the Australian version of The Masked Singer alongside Jackie O, Dave Hughes and Lindsay Lohan. Minogue returned for the second season alongside Jackie O and Hughes, and new judge Urzila Carlson who replaced Lohan. All judges returned for the third season in 2021. However, in June 2022, it was announced that Minogue, Jackie O and Carlson would not be returning to the judging panel for the fourth season. It was later announced that Minogue departed the show because she was busy filming a new show in the UK. She was replaced by international pop singer Mel B. On 30 July 2025, production for Australian / UK co-commissioned series Imposter announced that Minogue had been cast to the series in her first major television role since Home and Away. ==Other ventures==

Theatre productions In 1999, Minogue returned to theatre, starring in the production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play received mixed reviews; critic Matt Grant wrote that Minogue "lacks true conviction as she ploughs through the lines without capturing their full force", while Fiachra Gibbons singled Minogue's performance out, noting in her review that Minogue's "disco-queen-from-hell delivery works well" for her character, Lady Macbeth. Two years later, Minogue appeared as Esmeralda in the musical production of Notre-Dame de Paris in London's West End. The musical received poor reviews from British critics who called it "lame" and its songs "reminiscent of [the] Eurovision song contest". At the 2002 Maxim Awards, she won "Best Stage Performance" for her role. Minogue departed London Records when Warner (its parent owner) dismissed its staff and offered Minogue a deal to depart the label or stay and wait a year to release her next album which had been partially recorded. Minogue collaborated with producers Hugo Lira, Gareth Young, Ian Masterson, Ross Callum and Pascal Gabriel. Many of these tracks were later released on the album "Unleashed". Later that year she signed a new contract with independent dance label All Around the World Records. In May 2013, Minogue announced that she would no longer be associated with Project D, ending a three-year collaboration with Somerset-Webb. In late July 2011, it was announced that Minogue would serve as the ambassador for 2011's Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, a role that will see Minogue participate in a series of appearances in September. In 2014, Minogue continued her expansion into the fashion world by launching her own ecommerce store fashion saga. In addition, Minogue announced the launch of her petite clothing line through Target Australia. To date, Minogue has released six Dannii For Target Petites Collection ranges along with a range of shoes and accessories. Dannii has her own fashion range which she promotes and sells through QVCUK called Dannii Minogue. Endorsements Minogue has been a global ambassador for Etihad Airways since 2008. It was confirmed that Minogue would be one of the new faces of Marks and Spencer. She filmed her first commercial in South Africa, which featured Cheryl Lynn's "Got to be Real", for their Spring campaign that aired 24 March 2010. She starred alongside Twiggy, Lisa Snowdon, VV Brown and Ana Beatriz Barros. Minogue didn't feature in the Autumn ad due to her pregnancy, she did feature in the Christmas ad with Peter Kay which featured the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancing". Minogue travelled to Miami, Florida in January 2011 to shoot the commercial for M&S for the 2011 Spring collection. Minogue is a former face of world-famous cosmetics brand ModelCo, appearing in ad campaigns for the company. On 5 April 2015 Minogue was announced as the 2015 Style Ambassador for Westfield Australia. In January 2017, Minogue was announced as an Ambassador for L'Oréal Australia. Writing In 2010, Minogue released her autobiography, My Story. The following year she released a fashion book titled My Style. ==Personal life==

Relationships In January 1994, Minogue married actor Julian McMahon, whom she met in 1990 while working on the television series Home and Away. McMahon was the son of the former Prime Minister of Australia Sir William McMahon and Lady McMahon. Minogue and McMahon were married for less than two years and divorced in 1995. Minogue stated that McMahon's mother, Lady Sonia McMahon threatened not to attend their wedding and caused a rift. In October 1995, Minogue posed nude in the Australian edition of Playboy. 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." She later said that she had posed for the money, saying that she was broke following her divorce. In October 1999, Minogue became engaged to 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, but their relationship ended in 2001. In early 2002, she 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 they ended their relationship. In August 2008, Minogue began dating English model and former professional rugby league player Kris Smith. They met in Ibiza, where Smith was celebrating his 30th birthday. On 9 January 2010, it was announced that Minogue was pregnant; the news was revealed after receiving her 12-week scan. Minogue gave birth via caesarean section to an 8 lb 3oz/4 kg boy, at Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 5 July 2010. In April 2012, Minogue announced on Twitter that she and Smith had separated. In May 2024, after Minogue stated "I identify as queer in a weird way," it was widely reported that Minogue had come out as queer; however, Minogue later clarified in an Instagram post that she is straight. Politics In 2002, the British National Party (BNP), a far-right and anti-immigration political party, falsely claimed that Minogue supported their cause following comments she had made in an interview with Britain's GQ. In the interview, Minogue was quoted saying that French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had "struck a chord with people". Minogue responded saying that she had been misquoted and was "mortified" to be associated with the party adding that "Australia is the most multicultural melting pot of people. I'm completely proud of that." Minogue responded to the British National Party's claims in Gay Times magazine saying, "I am not a racist. That is not how I live my life. I have a Jewish manager, I perform in gay clubs, I come from a multicultural background and I am very proud of that." Media portrayal and other activities Throughout her career, Minogue has often been compared with her sister, Kylie, whose career has been more successful. Referring to the comparison, Minogue said: "[I]t is hard to be compared all the time to Kylie. On the other hand, however, people will always try to compare you to somebody. Look at Britney and Christina." In an interview with Elle in April 2009, Kylie criticised X Factor judge Louis Walsh for his jibes at her sister: "I'm so proud of my sister and it annoys the hell out of me when comparisons between us are made. In the UK, you lot don't know where she came from. She was on TV every week from 7 years old. It makes it harder for her when she gets Louis Walsh's rather pathetic jibes – one of which is she hasn't had a hit record and that's just not true." She also denied rumours that she did not get along with Cheryl Cole and that she had referred to former judge Sharon Osbourne as "so cheap". Like her sister, Minogue has a sizeable gay following and has performed multiple times at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the London nightclub G-A-Y. She credits her gay following for much of her success, commenting that gay culture has "always been a part of [her] music". In 2004 she posed nude, wrapped only in a red ribbon, to promote World AIDS Day in Australia and the UK. Sport Minogue is a basketball fan, supporting Melbourne United of the NBL and Southside Melbourne Flyers of the WNBL. She was courtside for all ten games during HoopsFest in Perth at RAC Arena in January 2026. == Discography ==

• Dannii (1990) • Love and Kisses (1991) • Get into You (1993) • Girl (1997) • Neon Nights (2003) • Club Disco (2007) == Filmography ==

Television Film DVDs == Books written ==

• My Story (autobiography) (2010) • My Style (fashion book) (2011) ==Awards and nominations==