The ‘singing budgie’ found her voice and became pop royalty

Liz Giuffre on the Netflix documentary series Kylie

- Liz Giuffre

Netflix’s three-part documentary about Kylie Minogue, Kylie, covers her nearly 40 year career.

We go from the release of Minogue’s first self-titled album and time as an actor on Neighbours to the present day with a new single Light Up and preparations for an anniversary tour next year, writes Liz Giuffre, Associate Professor in Media, University of Technology Sydney.

Minogue is well represented in this documentary. Her commentary shows her depth of character, understanding and connection as a music professional.

Minogue frames the documentary, sitting in what looks like her archive room, going through boxes of slides and mementos, including a glorious moment with a 1980s boombox which she says “started it all”.

As Adrian Renzo and I found in our book, Kylie, an exploration of her first album, there were different standards applied to Minogue than to her male contemporaries when she began in the industry.

Minogue and her sister, Dannii, started as children in the Australian music and media industries.

Dannii was the first in the family to be a musician via Young Talent Time.

Kylie Minogue appeared as a child actor in shows like The Sullivans and The Henderson Kids. But her star truly arose with her role as Charlene Robinson in soap opera Neighbours. Her ascension in music and television collided in 1987 with her single Locomotion, and the famous wedding of Charlene and Scott (Jason Donovan).