Danielle Minogue Biography

[Nicola_lover]

Danielle Minogue (born 20 October 1971) is an

Australian Singer,
Occasional Actress,
TV Personality.

Danielle Minogue rose to prominence in the early 1980s for her roles in the Australian television talent show "Young Talent Time" along with

Tina Arena,
Roselyn Della Sabina,
Vince Del Tito
Mark Stevenson,

Also in the soap opera Home and Away, before commencing her career as a pop singer in the early 1990s.
Minogue achieved early success with hits such as "Love and Kisses" and "This is It", though by the release of her second album, her popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to concentrate on other fields such as television presenting.
The late 1990s saw a brief return to music after Danielle Minogue reinvented herself as a dance artist with "All I Wanna Do", her First Number One UK Club Hit.
In 2001, Danielle Minogue further returned to musical success with the release of her Biggest Worldwide Hit to date, "Who Do You Love Now?", while her Subsequent Album, Neon Nights, became the most successful of her career.
In the UK, she has achieved eleven consecutive number one dance singles, becoming the best performing artist on the UK Upfront Club Chart.
Danielle Minogue is currently signed to All Around The World and, in 2006, released her second official "best of" compilation, The Hits and Beyond.
She is currently a Judge on Australia's Got Talent and The X Factor.
Minogue's private life, including her marriage to Australian actor Julian McMahon and engagement to both Canadian Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve and former Bros band member Craig Logan, has been much discussed in the media.

Contents

• 1 Biography
o 1.1 Childhood and Beginning
o 1.2 1990–1995: Early Career
o 1.3 1996–2001: Girl, Presenting, and Theatre
o 1.4 2002–2004: Neon Nights and Radio Programme
o 1.5 2004–2006: The Hits & Beyond
o 1.6 2007-2008: X-Factor, Deluxe Editions and Unleashed
o 1.7 2009: Return To Music
• 2 Personal Life
o 2.1 Relationships
o 2.2 Controversies
• 3 Media Portrayal and Other Activities
• 4 Discography
• 5 Other Credits
o 5.1 Television
o 5.2 Film
o 5.3 Stage
• 6 Awards and Recognition
• 7 External Links


Biography

Childhood and Beginning


Danielle Minogue as a regular performer on the weekly music program Young Talent Time.
Minogue was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Ron Minogue, an Australian accountant and Carol Jones, a dancer from Maesteg, Wales.

She is the youngest of three children;
her sister, Kylie, is a pop singer,
her brother, Brendan, is a news cameraman in Australia.

Danielle Minogue began her career as a child on Australian television.
From the age of seven, she had appeared in several soap operas, including Skyways and The Sullivans.
In 1981, she joined the successful weekly music programme Young Talent Time.
Danielle 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, Danielle 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.
Danielle Minogue remained on the programme for only a year, but proved to be popular among Australian audiences when she was nominated for a "color=Blue]Silver Logie[/color]" for the country's "Most Popular Actress on Australian television".
In September 1988, Danielle Minogue released her own fashion range entitled Dannii.
She became interested in fashion design while appearing on Young Talent Time.
Danielle Minogue had designed the clothing she had worn on the show, and the positive response from the audience resulted in her releasing her one line.
Danielle Minogue's debut line Dannii sold out across Australia in ten days, and was followed by three additional summer lines in 1989.

1990–1995: Early Career

Danielle Minogue signed a recording contract with Australian-based Mushroom Records in January 1989.
Her First Album, Dannii, was released the following year and reached Number 24 on the Australian Albums Chart.
Outside Australia, the album was released in 1991, under the title Love and Kisses, and became a Top Ten Hit.
Danielle Minogue's debut single "Love and Kisses" peaked at Number 4 on the Australian Singles Chart and was Certified Gold.
In the UK, the song reached the Top Ten on the Singles Chart.
Danielle Minogue released Love and Kisses and..., a reissue of her debut album, in April 1992.
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.
Several remixes by producer and DJ Steve "Silk" Hurley were successful in European dance clubs.
Danielle Minogue credits these remixes for providing her with a "new image and sound to work with" on future releases.
Also that year, Danielle Minogue made her feature film debut in Secrets, which co-starred Noah Taylor.
The film revolved around five Australian teenagers who become stuck in the basement of a hotel in an attempt to see The Beatles.
The film was not well received by audiences or critics, with Danielle Minogue's performance being described as "not all that convincing".
Danielle 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 and mature vocals, but despite her past chart success, failed to make the British top fifty.
In mid-1994, Danielle Minogue returned to television as a presenter, co-hosting Channel 4's morning show The Big Breakfast in the UK.
In 1995, Danielle Minogue released the singles "Rescue Me" and "Boogie Woogie", a collaboration with dance act Eurogroove.
Released only in Japan, both songs reached number one on the Japanese singles chart.
Danielle Minogue began recording her third album in 1995; however, Danielle Minogue and her record label, Mushroom Records, parted ways in late 1995 following a contract disagreement.

1996–2001: Girl, Presenting, and Theatre

In 1996, Danielle Minogue resumed her co-hosting duties, presenting the Eggs on Legs road show segment.
That same year, Danielle 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 sixteen weeks.
In 1997, Danielle Minogue hosted Top of the Pops, a British music chart television programme, before returning to her recording career later that year.
In April 1997, Danielle Minogue made her stage debut as Rizzo in the musical Grease: The Arena Spectacular.
In Australia, the show sold over 450,000 tickets during its first season.
The following year, Danielle Minogue resumed her role as Rizzo, performing in New Zealand.
At the 1998 MO Awards, Danielle Minogue was nominated for "Best Female Musical Theater Performer" for her role.
Following the release of several remixes of her songs by Steve "Silk" Hurley, Danielle Minogue became interested in dance music.
Danielle commented that the remixes were "the first thing I did that was really cool and my love of dance music and clubbing started from there."
Danielle Minogue's interest in dance music and clubbing influenced her third album Girl, released in September 1997, which featured collaborations with musicians such as Brian Higgins of Xenomania.
The album presented a more sophisticated and adult style of dance music, but despite generally positive reviews, failed to make the British top fifty.
Danielle Minogue's single "All I Wanna Do", which the Daily Mirror described as a "bass-bumping, shuddering return", peaked at Number 4 on the UK singles chart and was certified gold in Australia.
The album's follow-up singles, "Everything I Wanted" and "Disremembrance", failed to reached the top ten, but reached number one on the UK dance chart.
Mushroom Records released two budget compilation albums in December 1998, as part of the label's twenty-fifth anniversary.
Working with Roselyn Della Sabina it was released only in Australia, The Singles comprised all of Minogue's single releases, while The Remixes contained popular remixes.
These releases were promoted with the song Coconut which was previously only available as a hidden track on CD versions of the Girl album.
In January 1999, following her performance at the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Danielle Minogue released the festival's first official theme song, "[color=Blue Everlasting Night".
It appeared on the compilation CD Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras of 1999, and its music video, co-directed by Danielle Minogue, was a tribute to Australia's gay and lesbian community.
In 1999, Danielle 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 Danielle Minogue "lacks true conviction as she ploughs through the lines without capturing their full force", while Fiachra Gibbons singled Danielle Minogue's performance out, noting in her review that Danielle 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.
In 2001, Danielle Minogue also appeared in the stage play The girl thingy Monologues, which co-starred Kika Markham and Meera Syal.
In November 2001, Danielle Minogue released the single "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Dutch dance act Riva.
Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at Number 3 on the UK singles chart, and reached Number 1 on the dance charts.
In the United States, the song was released to dance clubs, and reached number one on the United States Billboard Dance Club chart.
In 2001, Danielle Minogue signed a six album deal with London Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music International.

2002–2004: Neon Nights and Radio Programme


Danielle Minogue in the video for I Begin To Wonder.

In March 2003, Danielle Minogue released her 4th, Album, Neon Nights, which the BBC called "a pleasant thingytail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility".
It consisted of 1980s inspired dance-pop songs and provided Danielle Minogue with some of the strongest reviews of her career.
Neon Nights peaked at Number 8 on the UK Albums Chart (her highest ranking since her debut), and produced 3 Top Ten Singles.
The Second Single, "I Begin to Wonder", Danielle Minogue thanked Roselyn Della Sabina and it was declared one of the "best things" on the album by Ireland's Radio Telefís Éireann, became her highest charting single, peaking at Number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
The album's success was equally widespread, and following extensive airplay by North American dance radio, Warner Music Group released it in the United States in late 2003.
Singles
"I Begin to Wonder"
"Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling"
were also substantial successes on the US dance charts.
In June 2003, Danielle Minogue hosted her own radio programme, Dannii Minogue's Neon Nights.
Broadcast in Australia and the UK, Danielle Minogue played songs by up-and-coming DJs, as well as her own music.
Minogue was dropped by London Records in May 2004 due to low record sales.
Later that year she got working with Roselyn Della Sabina and signed a new contract with independent dance label All Around the World Records.

2004–2006: The Hits & Beyond


In the video for "So Under Presure"

In October 2004, Danielle Minogue released the Single "You Won't Forget About Me", a collaboration with the dance act Flower Power.
Described by MSN Entertainment as a "real grower" and noted for its "snip snapping house beats and '80s flecked synths", the song peaked at Number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Perfection", a collaboration with the Soul Seekerz, followed in October 2005.
Danielle Minogue released The Hits & Beyond, a Greatest Hits Album, in June 2006.
The album consisted of new songs alongside Singles from her 4 Studio Albums.
It debuted at Number 17 on the UK Albums Chart, but dropped quickly, spending only 7 Weeks in the Top 75.
In Australia, The Hits & Beyond became one of Minogue's lowest charting albums, peaking at Number 67.
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.
The single became her 10th, consecutive song to reach Number 1 on the UK Upfront Club Chart.
Danielle 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".
Throughout her sister's battle with cancer, Daniele had been closely followed by the media, who wanted to know about Kylie's developments.
The period left her feeling drained, but also motivated her to continue to record and compose personal lyrics.
In September 2006, Danielle Minogue's cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" appeared on Spirit of Christmas, a compilation album of holiday songs available through Myer department stores across Australia.
In November 2006, Danielle 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, 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.

2007-2008: X-Factor, Deluxe Editions and Unleashed

In 2007, Danielle Minogue was a Judge on the Network 7's Variety Show Australia's Got Talent along with Red Symons and Tom Burlinson.
She also appeared as a Judge and mentor in the fourth series of ITV's music talent show, The X Factor, alongside,
Simon Cowell,
Sharon Osbourne
Louis Walsh.

It was revealed on 29 September that she would be mentoring the boys category during the show.
She chose
Leon Jackson,
Rhydian Roberts
Andy Williams
to represent her in the live rounds of the competition.
Since her appearances as a judge on the talent show, Danielle Minogue has commented "[color=BlueI've finally been accepted as me.
It's a fantastic opportunity, for once, not to be compared with Kylie.
At last, I've found my own slot."
Despite heavy criticism about her credentials to be a judge, 2 of her chosen acts,
Rhydian Roberts
Leon Jackson,
became the final two, with Jackson eventually becoming the winner on 15th, December 2007 after winning the public vote.
Danielle Minogue was the first female judge to win the show.
Her success on the show has led to her considering a career as a music manager.
October onwards saw a total of five releases from Danielle Minogue; first, on 29th, October 2007, reissues of her 1997 and 2003 albums Girl and Neon Nights, each containing a double-disc, the second disc of which includes remixes.
On 5th, November 2007, Danielle Minogue 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.
Finally, on 3rd, December 2007, a new single was released, entitled "Touch Me Like That".
The song is to be credited as Dannii Minogue vs Jason Nevins, and received its premiere on BBC Radio 1 on the Scott Mills Show, on the morning of 3rd, October 2007.
"Touch Me Like That" was made available to purchase digitally, one week ahead of its physical CD release (26th, November 2007).
The single eventually hit the UK singles chart at a diasappointing No 48.
Danielle Minogue released digital album Club Disco on 5th, November 2007.
The album includes several previously released singles, such as
"You Won't Forget About Me",
"Perfection"
"So Under Pressure".
Also included is cancelled single "I Can't Sleep At Night" and a cover of the disco classic "He's The Greatest Dancer".
The album has another cover, a chilled out version of "Xanadu".
Club Disco charted at no 2 on the Uk dance album charts and no 1 in Australia on the dance album charts.
In 2008, Club Disco was released as a double album in Australia. "Touch Me Like That" was added to the track listing while "Do You Believe Me Now?" was removed from the album.
The second disc featured selected remixes from the album singles.
In April 2008, Danielle Minogue was hired as the headline performer, Australian Fashion Week.
In particular she was booked to make an appearance as the opening party hosted by MAC Cosmetics.
Daniele returned to judge "Australia's Got Talent" for its second series in 2008.
Danielle also returned to British television in August 2008 as a Judge on
The X Factor,
Simon Cowell,
Louis Walsh
Cheryl Cole
who replaced Sharon Osbourne.
Following the initial auditions and Boot Camp stages of the competition, Danielle Minogue was assigned the Over 25s category to mentor.
She chose
Daniel Evans,
Rachel Hylton
Ruth Lorenzo
as her Final 3 contestants for the series.
In the 8th live show, Danielle Minogue lost her final act as Lorenzo was eliminated from the competition, leaving her without a contestant in the semi-final.
However, Danielle Minogue insisted that she was proud of her performance on the series as she had kept the Over 25s category intact until week six of the competition, which was a record for the show.
Once again, there was criticism of Danielle Minogue's position on the panel throughout the series.
A number of people in the public eye, including
Ronan Keating,
Noel Gallagher
Graham Norton
questioned her judging credentials and mentoring ability.
Additionally, there were a series of tabloid reports claiming that Danielle Minogue was jealous of newcomer Cheryl Cole and that this had led to backstage tension.
However, Danielle Minogue repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Cole, who claimed that the reports were based on "a stupid stereotype which is not true".
On the 20th, September 2008, Danielle presented the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards 2008 ceremony.
On the 23rd of November 2008, during a live broadcast of The X Factor, Danielle broke down in tears and couldn't introduce one of her acts, Rachel Hylton.
After Rachel's performance, it was revealed that fellow Judge Louis Walsh had been the root cause of Dannielle's tears having publically accused her of 'stealing' a song for Rachel to sing that he wanted for one of his acts JLS.
That week, Louis had gone to the press and called Danielle "heartless" and that she should be sacked.
Simon Cowell twice came to Danielle's defence, once in the main live show and then again in the ITV2 extra show, where he accused Louis of being childish.
Simon went on to say Danielle was perfectly within her rights to choose whatever song she felt was best for her artist.
Insiders believe Danielle's emotional moment on the show was the result of the unwarranted media backlash that had afflicted her since the arrival of Cheryl Cole on the show.
Many fans of The X Factor flooded various online communities calling for Louis to be sacked or to make a public apology to Dannii.
Simon ordered him to apologise live on air, but Danielle snubbed Louis' attempt at apologising.
Although The X Factor has been an emotional time for Danielle, in December 2008 she was voted Metro's NO.1 celeb of 2008 with Cheryl Cole coming second, which was voted by the public.
As well as that, Danielle Minogue finished on tops on all the polls for the viewers favourite X Factor judge with Cheryl always coming a close second.

2009: Return To Music

At the start of the year a digital compilation album The Early Years was released online that featured songs from her first two studio albums which reached No 6 on the Uk Dance Chart.
Currently, Daniele is recording a track with The Freemasons, which is due for release later this year.
The track will be released under 'The Freemasons featuring Danielle Minogue', though it is unknown whether it will be a single.
It will indeed be on the new Freemasons album.

Personal Life

Relationships

In January 1994, Danielle Minogue married Australian actor Julian McMahon, whom she met in 1991 while working on the television series Home and Away.
Danielle Minogue and Julian McMahon were married for less than two years and divorced in 1995.
Referring to the divorce, Minogue said that it was her "biggest regret and biggest downfall".
In October 1995, Danielle Minogue posed nude in the Australian edition of Playboy magazine.
Commenting on the reason she posed nude, Danielle Minogue said "I had 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."
The edition featuring Danielle Minogue sold out in under, four days and became one of the best-selling editions in Australia.
In October 1999, Minogue became engaged to Canadian Formula One driver 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 Danielle Minogue and Craig Logan were engaged, but in December 2002, it was announced that they had ended their relationship.
She is currently dating former English rugby player Kris Smith.

Controversies

In 2002, the British National Party, a far right and anti-immigration political party, claimed that Danielle Minogue supported their cause following comments she had made in an interview with Britain's GQ magazine.
In the interview, Danielle Minogue was quoted saying that French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had "struck a chord with people", and that "even the street signs [in Australia] are written in Asian".
Danielle 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 multi-cultural background and I am very proud of that".
In February 2006, Danielle Minogue made headlines again when surveillance tape stills from London strip club Puss 'N Boots were published by News Of The World, a British tabloid newspaper, showing Danielle Minogue and a female lap dancer in full-contact sexual activity.
A spokesman for Danielle Minogue downplayed the event and called it a "harmless girls' night out"

Media Portrayal and Other Activities
Throughout her career, Danielle Minogue has often been compared to her more commercially successful sister, Kylie Minogue.
She has struggled to find respect from critics and is often portrayed as a "wannabe" by the media.
Referring to the comparison, Danielle Minogue said "it 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."
Danielle Minogue 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."
Danielle Minogue openly supports gay rights causes for social equality and believes that same-sex marriages should be accepted by all government bodies.
Danielle Minogue is an ambassador for the Terrence Higgins Trust, an organization that works to increase awareness of AIDS.
She joined the charity in hope that her endorsement would encourage people to discuss safe sex and the disease more openly.
In 2004, Danielle posed nude, wrapped only in a red ribbon, to promote World AIDS Day in Australia and the UK.
Danielle has long been a supporter of breast cancer research and, in August 2008 became an ambassador for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal.

Discography

Main Article:Dannii Minogue Discography

Studio Albums

• 1991: Love And Kisses
• 1993: Get Into You
• 1997: Girl
• 2003: Neon Nights
• 2009: Danielle's Forthcoming Studio Album

Other Albums

• 1991: U.K. Remixes
• 1998: The Singles
• 1999: The Remixes
• 2006: The Hits & Beyond
• 2007: Club Disco
• 2007: Unleashed
• 2008: The Early Years

Other Credits

Television

• 1978: Skyways
• 1978: The Sullivans....As Carla (No 2)
• 1979: Dannii Appeared On Young Talent Time
• 1982-88: Joined Young Talent Time....As Herself
• 1988: All The Way....as Penny Seymour
• 1988: New Generation
• 1989-90: Home and Away....As Emma Jackson
• 1994: The Big Breakfast....As A Presenter
• 1994-95: Fan TC....As A Host
• 1996: It's Not Just Saturday....As A Host
• 1996: Scoop....As A Host
• 1997: Disney Time....As A Presenter
• 1997: Top of the Pops....As A Host
• 1997-98: Live & Kicking ("Electric Circus" Segments)....As A Presenter
• 2007-Present: Australia's Got Talent....As A Judge
• 2007-Present: The X Factor....As A Judge
• 2007: The Kylie Show....As Herself
• 2008: The F Word ....As Herself
• 2008: Goks Fashion Fix ....As Herself
• 2008: UK Kids Choice Awards 2008....As A Host

Film

• 1992: Secrets....As Didi
• 2004: The Porter....As Bunny Stigler
• 2009: Vauxhall Crossed....

Stage

• 1997: Grease: The Arena Spectacular....As Rizzo
• 1999: Macbeth....As Lady Macbeth
• 2000: Notre Dame de Paris....As Esmeralda
• 2000: The Girl Thingy Monologues