Kim Wilde | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Kim Smith |
Born | Chiswick, Middlesex, England | 18 November 1960
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1981–present |
Labels | |
Website | kimwilde |
Father | Marty Wilde |
Relatives | Ricky Wilde (brother) |
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) [3] is an English pop singer. She first gained success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo artist. [4] In 1986, she had a UK No. 2 hit with a reworked version of the Supremes' song "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Between 1981 and 1996, she had 25 singles that charted within the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Her other hits include "Chequered Love" (1981), "You Came" (1988), and "Never Trust a Stranger" (1988). In 2003, she collaborated with Nena on the song "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", which topped the Dutch and Austrian charts.
She holds the record for being the most-charted British female solo act of the 1980s, with seventeen UK Top 40 hit singles. Starting in 1998, while still active in music, she has branched into an alternative career as a landscape gardener, which has included presenting gardening shows on the BBC and Channel 4. In 2005, she won a Gold award for her courtyard garden at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show.
She was born as Kim Smith in the West London suburb of Chiswick, the eldest child of 1950s rock and roller Marty Wilde (birth name Reginald Smith) and Joyce Baker, who had been a member of the singing and dancing group the Vernons Girls. She attended Oakfield Preparatory School, in the Southeast London area of Dulwich.[ citation needed ] When she was nine, the family moved to Hertfordshire, where she was educated at Tewin and later Presdales School. [5] In 1980, at age 20, she completed a foundation course at St Albans College of Art & Design. As Kim Wilde, she was signed to RAK Records by Mickie Most. [6]
Wilde's father Marty and brother, Ricky, were responsible for writing virtually all of her material in the early-to-mid 1980s. Key influences on the songwriting process included Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Ultravox, John Foxx, Gary Numan, Skids, Sex Pistols, the Clash, Kraftwerk and the Stranglers. [7] [8] Wilde released her debut single "Kids in America" in January 1981. An instant success, it reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and scaled the Top 5 in other countries such as Germany, France and Australia. [9] Although it achieved only moderate success in the US, peaking at No. 25 when released in 1982, it is often regarded today as Wilde's signature song. Her debut studio album Kim Wilde (1981) repeated the success of the single, spawning two further hits in "Chequered Love" (Top 5 in the UK, France, Australia and Germany) and the UK-only single "Water on Glass" (UK No. 11).
Wilde's follow-up album was 1982's Select , led by the hit singles "Cambodia" and "View from a Bridge". Both were No. 1 hits in France and reached Top 10 positions in Germany and Australia. At the time, there was some controversy about Wilde's hesitation to do live concerts. [10] Her first concerts in September 1982 took place in Denmark, [11] before embarking on a UK-wide tour in October. [12] Wilde's third studio album, Catch as Catch Can (1983) was a relative commercial failure.[ citation needed ] The first single from the album, "Love Blonde", was another success in France and Scandinavia, but failed to have major success in other countries. The failure of the album led to her leaving RAK and signing with MCA Records in the summer of 1984. [13]
Wilde's first album for MCA Teases & Dares (1984) was again overlooked in her home country,[ citation needed ] but fared better in Germany, France and Scandinavia as well as scoring another German Top 10 single with "The Second Time" (which was Top 30 in the UK). The video for this song appeared in an episode of the 1980s TV hit Knight Rider in 1985. [14] The second single, "The Touch", was not a commercial success, but the third single, the rockabilly "Rage to Love" (the video for which features a cameo appearance by Justin Hayward, guitarist and frontman of the Moody Blues) made the UK top 20 in 1985. On Teases & Dares, Wilde made her first songwriting contributions, penning two songs. Meanwhile, she had embarked on three European concert tours (1983, 1985 and 1986).[ citation needed ]
On her fifth studio album, 1986's Another Step , Wilde wrote or co-wrote most of the songs. The album's lead single "Schoolgirl" flopped in Europe and Australia, but Wilde's fortunes improved in spectacular fashion with the album's second single, a Hi-NRG remake of the Supremes classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On". [15] After topping the charts in Australia and Canada and peaking at No. 2 in the UK, it became a US No. 1 single in 1987. With that hit, she became the fifth UK female solo artist ever to top the US Hot 100, following Petula Clark, Lulu, Sheena Easton, and Bonnie Tyler. [16] Her popularity, especially in her native UK, was revitalised and she scored further Top 10 hits in 1987 with "Another Step (Closer to You)" (recorded with Junior) and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (a Comic Relief charity single, recorded with comedian Mel Smith).
In 1988, Wilde released her biggest selling album to date,[ citation needed ] Close , which returned her to the UK top 10 and spent almost eight months on the UK album chart. It produced four major European hits: "Hey Mister Heartache", "You Came", "Never Trust a Stranger" and "Four Letter Word" (the last 3 were Top 10 hits in the UK). The release of the album coincided with a tour of Europe, where she was the opening act for Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour. [17] Wilde released her next studio album, Love Moves , in 1990. The album barely made the UK Top 40, and, although it was a Top 10 success in Scandinavian countries, it failed to sell as well as its predecessor and only spawned two minor hits, "It's Here" a Top 20 success in Middle and Northern Europe as well as "Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love)", her last Top 20 hit in France. She toured Europe again as the opening act for David Bowie. [17]
A collaboration with Rick Nowels, who had produced hits for Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle, resulted in the guitar-driven pop of the single "Love Is Holy" and the album Love Is (1992). The album's success was again limited to a small number of countries, though the single became another Top 20 hit in the UK, [18] and the second single ("Heart over Mind") also made the Top 40. [18] In 1993, she released her first official compilation album The Singles Collection 1981–1993 , which was a success throughout Europe and Australia and the dancefloor-influenced single "If I Can't Have You" (a cover of the Yvonne Elliman song from the film Saturday Night Fever that was penned by the Bee Gees), became her last UK Top 20 Hit as well as a No. 3 hit in Australia. [19]
Wilde embarked on a huge "Greatest Hits" concert tour through Europe in 1994 and also toured Australia and Japan for the first time in six years.[ citation needed ] Her next studio album, Now & Forever (1995), was a commercial failure worldwide. [17] Her single "Breakin' Away", however, was a minor hit, and the follow-up, "This I Swear", was also a minor hit in Europe. [20] She released the single "Shame" in 1996, an Evelyn "Champagne" King cover. [21] From February 1996 to February 1997, Wilde appeared in London's West End production of the rock musical, Tommy . [22]
Since November 2001, Wilde has toured the UK three times (and once in Australia during 2003) as part of the Here and Now Tour, an Eighties revival concert series, together with artists such as Paul Young, the Human League, Belinda Carlisle, Howard Jones and Five Star. New recordings also followed; in 2001, she recorded a new track, "Loved", for a compilation album which became a surprise hit in Belgium. [23] She recorded the single "Born to be Wild" in 2002, and in summer of 2003 she had a major hit with "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", a duet with German pop star Nena. The single was a Top 10 hit in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands and Switzerland. [24]
In 2006, Wilde signed a new recording contract with EMI Germany and released the first single from her tenth studio album in many countries across Europe, Scandinavia and Asia. "You Came 2006" charted Top 20 in most of these countries and became her biggest solo hit in Germany since 1988. [20] The album Never Say Never included eight new tracks plus five re-worked previous hits and has charted in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The second single from the album, which was voted for by fans on her official website was "Perfect Girl", released in November 2006 and spent nine weeks on the German Top 100 singles chart. [20] A third single, "Together We Belong", was released in March 2007 and a fourth single, "Baby Obey Me", was released in Germany as a remix featuring German rapper Ill Inspecta. [25]
Since 2003, Wilde has appeared on numerous festival bills and concerts all over Europe with her own band. [26] In early September 2009, a brand new single, "Run to You", recorded as a duet with Swedish rock band Fibes, Oh Fibes!, was released in Sweden. The song reached the Swedish Top 30. [27]
In 2010, Wilde signed a new recording contract with Sony Music Germany. The label released her eleventh studio album, Come Out and Play on 17 August, [28] with "Lights Down Low" preceding that as lead single. [29] The album peaked at No. 10 in Germany [30] and was followed by a tour in Europe in February and March 2011.
Wilde's twelfth studio album, Snapshots , was released on 26 August 2011 and featured cover versions of songs hand-picked from the last five decades. A double release of "It's Alright" and "Sleeping Satellite" was released on 19 August as the lead single. Two further singles failed to reach the chart. Wilde toured in support of the album in Germany in March 2012. In November 2012, Wilde was featured as the lead vocalist on Reflekt's "A Beautiful House".[ citation needed ]
Wilde released her next studio album, Wilde Winter Songbook in November 2013. [31] On 18 December 2017, Wilde released a Christmas single with Lawnmower Deth titled "F U Kristmas!". [32] Wilde released her fourteenth studio album Here Come the Aliens on 16 March 2018. [33] It was inspired by an encounter with a UFO she had in 2009. While sitting in her garden with her husband and a friend, they noticed something odd about the sky and experienced an eerie silence. [34] [35] [36] They observed a huge bright light behind a cloud. Being curious she walked down the grass to track the source of the light and what she noticed was that the light was swiftly moving back and forth. She thought about it every day and it gave her the idea for her new album. [37]
In May 2021, Wilde confirmed she would celebrate 40 years of music with the release of a box set greatest hits album titled, Pop Don't Stop: Greatest Hits . The album was released in August 2021. [38]
Wilde holds the record for being the most-charted British female solo act of the 1980s, with seventeen UK Top 40 hit singles throughout the decade (including her duets with Junior Giscombe and Mel Smith). [39]
A number of artists have performed covers of Kim Wilde songs, ranging from pop and rock to dance and death metal versions. On 16 February 1991, then Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl recorded a version of "Kids in America" in an Arlington County, Virginia basement studio. [40] It is the third track on the rare 2015 "Songs from the Laundry Room" Foo Fighters EP, a clip of which plays during the credit roll of the Seattle, Washington episode of Grohl's Sonic Highways documentary TV series. [41] American pop star Tiffany recorded a version of "Kids in America" in 2007 for her album I Think We're Alone Now: '80s Hits and More . German eurodance act Cascada, recorded a version of "Kids in America", on their Everytime We Touch album in 2007.
Wilde has provided inspiration for other artists, including Charlotte Hatherley, who wrote a song about her entitled "Kim Wilde", and included it on her debut album, Grey Will Fade . [42] East German punk rock band Feeling B also recorded a song called "Kim Wilde", which featured on their debut album, Hea Hoa Hoa Hea Hea Hoa (1989). In 1985, French singer Laurent Voulzy paid tribute to Wilde in his song "Les Nuits Sans Kim Wilde" ("The Nights without Kim Wilde"). [43] In her graphic novel Persepolis , Iranian cartoonist Marjane Satrapi has a comic strip titled Kim Wilde. In it the main character Marji, a young Iranian girl, sings "Kids in America" in the streets of the Iranian capital. Also, when her parents go on holiday in Turkey, they buy a poster of Wilde and smuggle it into Tehran for Marji. Marji pins the poster on her bedroom's wall and practises emulating Wilde. [44]
During her first pregnancy, an old interest in gardening resurfaced and she attended Capel Manor College to learn about horticulture, so as to create a garden for her children. As a celebrity, she was asked by Channel 4 to act as a designer for their programme Better Gardens. [45] A year later, she started a two-year commitment with the BBC, recording two series of Garden Invaders. [46]
In 2001, she (along with fellow horticulturist David Fountain) created the "All About Alice" garden for the Tatton Flower Show and was awarded the 'Best Show Garden' award. [47] In 2005, she won a Gold award for her courtyard garden at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show. [48] She has designed and created numerous gardens during her involvement in the Better Gardens and Garden Invaders TV programmes and commissioned by individuals and organisations. She has also created gardens for flower shows across the UK. In 2001 she was involved in setting a world record for the largest tree transplantation, when a 18 metres (58 ft) London plane was moved from Belgium to a development site in Warrington. [49] After standing in its new location for six years, however, the tree was toppled by a storm in January 2007. [50]
Wilde has written two books as part of her gardening career. The first, Gardening with Children, was released on 4 April 2005 by Collins publishers. [51] Translations of the book were released at the same time in Spain, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, and later in Germany. [52] [ citation needed ] Her second book, The First-Time Gardener, was released on 3 April 2006 (again by Collins), and is a beginner's guide to gardening. [53]
Wilde broadened her eco-friendly image by taking on advertising jobs for various 'green' companies. For two years, she featured on advertisements for the highstreet health food shop Holland & Barrett. She wrote infomercials for Bold [54] and Timotei, [55] and in 2008, she started advertising 'green kitchens' for Magnet. [56] In 2019, Cadbury featured Wilde in one of their 30 second TV commercials for their Darkmilk chocolate bar campaign, set in a horticultural setting. [57]
Wilde presented Secret Songs on Magic 105.4 every Sunday between 10 am and 1 pm.[ when? ] [58] It later became The Request Show. In 2021, Wilde joined Ireland's Classic Hits Radio, presenting The Kim Wilde 80's Show which airs in the evenings, four days a week. [59]
On 1 September 1996, Wilde married her co-star in Tommy , Hal Fowler, and expressed a desire to have children as soon as possible. [60] On 3 January 1998 she gave birth to Harry Tristan. [61] On 13 January 2000, Rose Elisabeth was born. [62] [63] They announced their separation and subsequent divorce via a statement on Twitter on 21 December 2022. [64]
Studio albums
| Compilations and other albums
|
Billboard Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Herself | Top Pop Singles Artist – Female | Nominated | [66] |
1987 | Top Pop Singles Artist | Nominated | [67] | |
Top Pop Album Artist – Female | Nominated | |||
Top Dance Sales Artist | Nominated | |||
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" | Top Pop Single | Nominated | ||
Top Hot Crossover Single | Nominated | |||
Top Dance Sales 12' Single | Nominated |
Brit Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | Herself | British Female Solo Artist | Won | [68] |
1985 | Nominated | [69] | ||
1987 | Nominated | [70] | ||
1988 | Nominated | [71] |
Classic Pop Reader Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2019 [72] | Herself | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Live Act of the Year | Nominated | ||
"Kandy Krush" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1981 [73] | Herself | Best Female Singer | Nominated |
Most Fanciable Female | Nominated | ||
1982 [74] | Won | ||
Best Female Singer | Nominated | ||
1983 [75] | Nominated | ||
Most Fanciable Female | Nominated | ||
1984 [76] | Won | ||
Best Female Singer | Nominated | ||
1985 [77] | Nominated | ||
Most Fanciable Female | Nominated | ||
1986 [78] | Nominated | ||
1987 [79] | Nominated | ||
Worst Female Singer | Nominated | ||
Best Female Solo Singer | Nominated | ||
1988 [80] | Nominated | ||
Most Fanciable Female | Nominated | ||
1989 [81] | Nominated | ||
Best Female Solo Singer | Nominated |
Bananarama are an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the Guinness World Records for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Between 1982 and 2009, they had 32 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.
Erasure is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. In 1979, they released their breakthrough album We Are Family, which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and included the 1979 US top-10 singles "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family". "We Are Family" earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet, formerly known as Alf, is an English singer noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice. She came to prominence as half of the synth-pop duo Yazoo, but has since mainly worked as a solo artist.
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals, and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.
Texas is a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, founded in 1986 by Johnny McElhone, Ally McErlaine, and Sharleen Spiteri. Texas, despite their name, has no connection with the state of Texas USA. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. The band released their debut album Southside in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover", which was a top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many other European countries. Southside entered at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 88 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, and sold over two million copies worldwide. Despite the success of Southside, the follow-up albums Mothers Heaven (1991) and Ricks Road (1993) were less successful, peaking at number 32 and number 18 on the UK Albums Chart respectively, but achieved moderate success on various European markets.
Mel and Kim were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at the age of 23.
Steps are a British dance-pop group consisting of Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins. They were formed in May 1997 and achieved two number-one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive UK top-5 singles including two number ones. The group has sold over 22 million records worldwide, 15 million albums worldwide.In-addition to earning a BRIT Award nomination in 1999, for Best Newcomer, the group would be an opening support act for Britney Spears on her debut American tour the same year. When Richards and Watkins departed to form a recording duo, the group disbanded, on 26 December 2001 (officially). Their penultimate single reached No. 5 on the UK charts, while their final album of greatest hits, Gold (2001), was the group's second No. 1 album in the UK.
Eternal are a British R&B group formed in 1992, with the line-up originally consisting of sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, with Kéllé Bryan and the latter's friend and classmate Louise Nurding, who were also recruited into the group by the label.
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, Unwritten, in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed international success with more than 2.3 million copies sold worldwide. Bedingfield received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the title track "Unwritten", and at the 2005 and 2006 Brit Awards, she was nominated for Best British Female Artist. Unwritten also produced her only UK number one, "These Words".
Louisa Gabriella Bobb, known professionally as Gabrielle, is a British singer and songwriter. Bobb was born in Hackney, London. She released her debut single, "Dreams", in 1993, and it topped the UK Singles Chart the same year. Her other singles include "Going Nowhere", "Give Me a Little More Time", "Walk On By", and "If You Ever" – a duet with East 17.
Sonia Marina Clarke, better known by her stage name Sonique, is a British singer, musician and DJ. She came to public attention as a member of dance band S'Express during the early 1990s, but achieved greater success as a solo artist in the early-to mid 2000s. During this period, she achieved UK top 20 hits with "It Feels So Good", "Sky", "I Put a Spell on You" and "Can't Make Up My Mind", and won the 2001 BRIT Award for British female solo artist.
Steven Nicholas Jolley and Tony Swain were a successful songwriting and record production duo in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, producing some of the top artists and songs of the era.
Beverley Craven is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK hit single "Promise Me". Her album Change of Heart was released in 2014 and Mixed Emotions in 1999.
"If I Can't Have You" is a disco song written by the Bee Gees in 1977. The song initially appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in a version by Yvonne Elliman, released in November 1977. The Bee Gees' own version appeared a month later as the B-side of "Stayin' Alive".
"Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her self-titled debut studio album. Largely inspired by the synth-pop style of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and number one in Finland and South Africa, and charted in the top 10 of many European charts as well as Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the song reached the top 40 in Canada and the United States. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Sweden; and has sold over three million copies worldwide. The song has been covered by many artists from different genres.
"Cambodia" is the fourth single by British singer Kim Wilde. It was released at the end of 1981—a year in which Wilde had already produced three highly successful hit singles and a best-selling debut album. The single was another international success, topping the charts of France, Sweden and Switzerland and reaching the top 10 in several other nations. The song was not released in North America.
"The Second Time" is the first single from Kim Wilde's fourth studio album Teases & Dares (1984). In North America, it was re-named "Go for It". The track was Wilde's first release on the MCA record label. Her last few releases on her original label had failed to make an impact commercially, but this one returned her to the charts of several European countries, peaking at number 29 in the United Kingdom. It also marked her second chart entry in the US, where it peaked at number 65.
"It's Alright" is a song by English boy band East 17, released in November 1993 by London Records as the sixth and last single from their debut album, Walthamstow (1993). The song was written by band member Tony Mortimer, and produced by Phil Harding, Ian Curnow, Richard Stannard and Neil James Stainton. The single version, labelled the "Guvnor mix", begins with a slow ballad-like intro for the first minute, before converting to the dance-pop sound for the rest of the track. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and became a number-one hit in Australia, France, Ireland, Israel, and Switzerland. The accompanying music video was directed by Chris Clunn and Lawrence Watson, depicting the band performing onstage. In 2011, English singer and songwriter Kim Wilde recorded a cover of the song for her 12th album, Snapshots (2011), which charted in Germany.
Desirée Annette Weekes, known by her stage name Des'ree, is a British pop/soul recording artist and songwriter, who rose to prominence during the 1990s. Known for her distinctive contralto voice and uplifting lyrics, Des'ree's biggest hits include the singles "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", and "Life", as well as the ballad "Kissing You", which featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. She was named Best British Female at the 1999 Brit Awards. Her other accolades include an Ivor Novello Award, a World Music Award, and four BMI Awards.
[Ricky Wilde:] [OMD's] Andy [McCluskey] appeared from nowhere and sat next to me, and I finally thanked him for all the inspiration. Who knows where Kim and I would be now.