Shameless 04: The Other Minogue

Most musically-informed people are at least vaguely aware of Kylie Minogue, and if nothing else remember her for either the "la la la's" of "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" or her late '80s revival of "The Loco-Motion." What most don't realize, though, is that Kylie has a little sister who's also been in the pop game for quite a while. Known for pretty much everything but her music, Dannii Minogue (I know, the spelling!) will unfortunately never be able to leave the shadow of her older and far more popular sister, no matter how hard she tries (which, compared to her big sis, doesn't seem like much at all). For those who love a good pop/dance song regardless of credibility, Dannii is always a good bet.

Like Kylie, Dannii got her start on an Australian soap opera. Three years her sister's junior, she got her start in the music industry shortly after Kylie began scoring hits. Dannii's career as a singer got off to a promising start with Love and Kisses in 1991, scoring four UK top twenty hits with its singles, including the ironically-titled "$ucce$$." Her follow-up album Get Into You, despite continuing her debut's upbeat mix of pop and dance, failed to find chart $uce$$. Released after four singles, including the top ten hit "This Is It," it missed the top 50 in both the UK and Australia. She disappeared from the music scene after losing her record deal, showing up often in the tabloids and infamously posing nude in the pages of Australian Playboy. Dannii eventually returned in 1997 with the more mature club sounds of Girl. Preceding it was her biggest hit yet, the top five "All I Wanna Do," however the album was met with low sales and little $ucce$$ outside of the club charts.

After another hiatus, Dannii collaborated with Riva on the huge international club hit "Who Do You Love Now?" An instant $ucce$$, it reignited her music career and got her a six-album deal with London Records. She returned in 2002 with the addictive dance cut "Put The Needle On It," and solidified her comeback with its follow-up "I Begin To Wonder," just narrowly missing out on her first number one hit in the UK. Her fourth album Neon Nights hit the top ten in England and went gold, and her run of top ten hits continued with her next two single releases. Her club success soared to new heights, propelled by the popular mash-ups of the album's singles (including the first to ever be allowed to sample a Madonna track). Suddenly, and with little explanation, she switched labels to dance independent All Around The World. Though a follow-up album to Neon Nights was supposedly imminent, it never materialized. Instead, she released two one-off collaboration singles and eventually a compilation of hits and new tracks called The Hits & Beyond. It was met with minor $ucce$$ and has since been followed by two limited-release singles, both of which have undeniably flopped due to lack of promotion. With no new music on the horizon, Dannii has most recently released a series of back catalog items, including Unleashed, a collection of unreleased tracks and mixes, and deluxe re-issues of Girl and Neon Nights, much to the joy of her fans. It may be a while before she gets back on top of her musical game, so take the opportunity to look back and see what the minor Minogue has to offer. There's a reason she's known by many as a trashier, more clubbed-up version of Kylie, but no reason to deny yourself of this truly guilty pleasure!

From The Hits & Beyond:
Dannii Minogue, "Baby Love" (Silky 70's 7" Mix) [YSI]
Dannii Minogue, "$ucce$$" (7" Version) [YSI]
Dannii Minogue, "All I Wanna Do" [YSI]
Dannii Minogue, "I Begin To Wonder" (Radio Version) [YSI]
Dannii Minogue Vs. Flower Power, "You Won't Forget About Me" (Radio Edit) [YSI]

From Unleashed:
Riva Feat. Dannii Minogue, "Who Do You Love Now?" (Riva's Bora Bora Edit) [YSI]
Dannii Minogue, "Put The Needle On It" (Cicada Vocal Edit) [YSI]

Bonus:
Dannii Minogue Vs. Jason Nevins, "Touch Me Like That" (Radio Edit) [YSI]

For the excellent Dannii mash-ups with classic Dead Or Alive and Madonna songs, check out the recent post Mixed & Mashed 13.

***Note: Links removed***

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