Kylie Minogue says she wrote new festive tracks through ‘tears and migraines’ as she talks Kylie Christmas reissue (EXCLUSIVE)
Minogue also teased her hopes to revisit Golden - and (tentatively) revealed her favourite career era - as she gears up for another blockbuster release
By Callum Wells
Kylie Minogue has spent the better part of four decades soundtracking our lives, but this winter she’s doing something different – stepping back into the glittery chaos of Christmas.
Fresh from the emotional high of her Tension Tour, the pop icon brought sparkle to Battersea Power Station last month, officially switching on the 40-foot Christmas tree in Malaysia Square and illuminating the landmark’s four iconic chimneys.
The surprise appearance kicked off a full season of Kylie cheer, complete with a three-day pop-up shop and the upcoming release of Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) – a tenth-anniversary edition packed with nostalgia, sparkle and four new tracks. And with her brand new Amazon Music Original single ‘XMAS’ already out in the world, Minogue is clearly determined to soundtrack your December.
Armed with the new tunes, family memories, and a surprisingly honest look at the highs and lows of the festive season, Kylie is in full storytelling mode while speaking to Attitude and other press.
Has it been a long day?
It’s been a huge day and a great day. I’m kind of bending my story as I go because I haven’t talked about the album or the experience and it’s all kind of happening today. There’s no stress with this album. It’s a celebration that’s come from working with just tight people. No stress. Let’s just try and get songs. Xmas was an idea that started ten years ago, so it’s like that’s done. Office parties couldn’t be more fun. And Christmas hasn’t felt like a reality – it’s just been PDF files and MP3s until about three days ago.
Do you have any family Christmas traditions?
Chaos! Aussie Christmas is just the seafood, the cooking… I kind of just take a big step back. I’ve been more on decorations – maybe that’s my role. I’m not the natural kitchen prep-and-clean-up person. Someone’s got to do it, but my mum, my brother and sister are all great cooks. I need to put a bit more time into it – I’m basic – but it’s just like, you can have too many cooks in the kitchen.
It’s exciting, but now it’s more about the kids. They’re teenagers. We’re focused on making it the least stressful for everybody. Although if my mum wants to go wild, just let her do it, because it’s always beautiful. And this song makes me think of that.
Is Christmas emotional for you?
Yeah. Even literally this song… We lost our grandmother – she lived to over 100 – and when I played this to my mum, she loved it. She loved it. I said I’d better play ‘Office Party’ or something next!
There are definitely songs where the timing is funny, like things happen at the right time. When we were writing it, it was about people who maybe aren’t there because they’re working, or they’re far away – however you interpret it.
There’s definitely the emotional part of Christmas, and I think that’s a beautiful part. That’s why you need terrible party hats and bad jokes and crackers. It’s all of the emotions. And the musicians on this album – I really got to play with those emotions. Everyone is just running around. What happens to us this time of year? We all go a bit… like, “No, we’re going to be cool, we’re not going to run around getting presents.” And then you run. It’s some of the chaos.
I do love this time of year – all the emotion and heart. ‘Hot in December’ is basically a pop song disguised as a Christmas song.
Were the tracks recorded in different sessions?
We wrote them in three lots of three days between the Tension Tour. I was in various states for those sessions. One of them was migraine central. I really shouldn’t have been with the guys – that’s how much I love being with my co-writers. Being with them gives me more than it takes from me.
Some sessions weren’t easy. I was in tears at one point, feeling faint. We only had one Christmas stocking, and I’m not going to say a lousy one but when I did the Christmas album ten years ago, the whole place was decked out like Christmas – decorations everywhere. This time it was my friend’s tiny studio, one room. I thought, “I better take something,” and that was just the thing that was there. So there’s this Christmas stocking. I took it to the first session and two months later it was still there. And on the third session – still there. It’s hanging on.
Are there any particular Christmas albums you love?
I literally… I don’t know. I couldn’t even tell you. We’ve got Wham!, we’ve got Mariah Carey, we’ve got the classics. When I did the first Kylie Christmas, it was the one time I did need an autocue at the Kylie Christmas concerts – no one knows all those lyrics!
And my sister’s on this one. That came from us talking about Australian Christmas – there are no songs about it being boiling hot, forty degrees. That’s why it exists.
I’m from Melbourne so it could be anything, but my memories as a kid are long, hot summers. It’s our school holidays, six weeks, so it feels endless. Australia’s better now at having an Australian Christmas identity. Everything used to have snow on it – we’d put snow on the window and it’d be crazy. Now it might be a eucalypt branch. Generations move on.
What are your plans for Christmas this year?
I spent 25 minutes thinking about this. We’re pretty quiet. When my parents had a dog, that was the most hilarious Christmas – a Jack Russell shredding everything. When the kids were smaller it was the same. Teenagers bring a new set of problems.
It’s more like: “Who’s on the barbecue? Who’s in the kitchen?” It’s normally me. And traditional Australia: Boxing Day cricket. Whether you like cricket or not, it’s just reassuring. It’s just there, it’s on, there are some people doing stuff on Boxing Day and you relax.
You’ve had so many eras. If Father Christmas wrapped one up for you, which would you pick?
That is an awful question. It’s so difficult. I want dots after this. I think I want to say Fever… just because it was so millennial. The millennium bug! Everything was millennium. Even though it was 2001, it felt like the new millennium.
But I could go through them all. Golden was important. Tension – I’ll probably look back and go, “Tension was just wild.”
Would you return to country music?
I don’t know about a whole album. It’s kind of like Christmas or jazz – it gives you a great challenge of doing it your way. Golden didn’t make sense to me until I went to Nashville. You land at Nashville Airport and there’s a guitarist singing.
With my band and backing singers, when we warm up, we often launch into a few Golden songs. We’ve forgotten most of the lyrics. But I’d love to perform them again one day. It’s a beautiful problem to have.
What’s immediately next for you?
I think I should have a mini break. It’s not my default. But I’ll still be reaching out to my writers. We just want to make music. I don’t know what’s next immediately, but I know there’ll be songwriting next year – maybe not for a thing year, but just because we love it.
The more I’ve progressed in my career, the more profound and challenging and rewarding it becomes. It’s more emotional. Everything is more. After lockdown, performing Tension was cathartic. I’m super proud of it. We stuck to our guns about what it looked like. It wasn’t scaled down in effort, but visually it was, and the focus was really… there was nowhere to run or hide.
Do you have a glass of fizz before performing?
Not before – maybe after. Before is like being a professional athlete. You don’t feel like any of it, it becomes fuel. Next year, I want my system to calm down and enjoy food again – not just being on the run. On this tour, I’ve never felt more like… everything you cannot get wrong. You have to be at a certain level. I’m proud of myself and the team.
Do you have a relaxing day coming?
Not today. Next week, maybe. Who knows? Hopefully. Fingers crossed.
Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) is set for release on December 5. Pre order here. A pop-up shop runs from 5 – 7 December 2025 at Battersea Power Station.
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