10 Things You Should Know About Gay Icon and Sexercize Queen, Kylie Minogue

Breaking news: the battle of the Kylies. Kylie Jenner wants to claim legal ownership of the name Kylie, while Kylie Minogue is like move over bitch. Michel Ghanem reports.

Let me assure you, Kylie Jenner and Kylie Minogue are on two different planes of existence.

In case you missed it, Jenner is hoping to claim legal ownership over the name Kylie for use in her beauty and clothing business endeavors. In February, Minogue filed a copyright opposition, claiming the trademark would dilute Minogue’s brand. To be clear, Minogue has had thirteen studio albums, six books, a collection of greeting cards, a home fashionings collection, an H&M swimwear collaboration, two documentaries, ten fragrances, and a list of awards longer than this article. She broke into the worldwide market with her 2001 single, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” which became one of the most renowned songs of her career, reaching number one in 40 countries. Looking way back, there was also the ridiculously 80s but equally iconic “The Loco-motion,” a cover of the 1962 pop single by Little Eva.  And yet, I’m often explaining who she is to those I meet. She may not have 54 million Instagram followers—but she’s Kylie fucking Minogue. Have some respect.

The Guardian mentioned Jenner’s recent controversies involving cultural appropriation and an ableist Interview spread. In contrast, Minogue has dedicated much of her career to breast cancer awareness and other philanthropic ventures. So when Minogue called Jenner a “secondary reality television personality,” it was hard to disagree.

In honor of the original Kylie, here’s 10 things you should know about her:

1: Breast Cancer Survivor

A month into her Showgirl: Greatest Hits world tour in 2005, 36-year-old Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer. In an interview on 60 Minutes with Karl Stefanovic, she revealed it was a “mixture of memories and emotions,” and she had to let go of her selfless nature and let others take care of her. A year and a half of surgery and chemotherapy later, she picked up where she left off on her tour. In 2011, she received an honorary Doctorate of Health Sciences from Anglia Ruskin University for her work with breast cancer awareness.

2: Gay Icon

Kylie loves her queer audience. She says she first took notice of her gay fans in 1988 due to drag performances, and headlined at the 1994 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. She reportedly has one of the largest gay followings in the world. It’s difficult to pin down exactly what makes her so irresistible to gay men—her style, her unapologetic sexual nature, or her unrelenting, underrated career. She’s also known for making lowkey appearances at gay bars.

3: Australia’s Madonna

I love making this comparison when I meet someone who says they don’t know Kylie. Both artists have released thirteen studio albums, and have reached their own levels of massive success—Kylie is Australia’s highest selling artist. She cites Madonna as a major source of inspiration, and there are very clear similarities. They both have iconic stage looks designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, world-renowned music, but are from two completely different sides of the pop music realm. Actually, why haven’t they collaborated yet?

4: Cover Girl

Basically, if you’ve never heard of Kylie Minogue, you’ve never looked at the magazine rack in the check-out line at your local grocery store.

5: Statue Goddess

There’s a bronze statue of Kylie at Waterfront City in Melbourne, and she has four wax statues at Madame Tussauds. The only woman in the world who has been immortalized in wax more than four times is Queen Elizabeth II.

6: Queen of the Orgy

I’m unsure if anyone has ever recorded the largest orgy in the world, but “All The Lovers” might be it. Released in 2010, the music video features a mountain (I’m not joking) of diverse orgy participants—straight, gay, and otherwise. The track, which is uplifting and euphoric, frames the video in a refreshing, sex-positive light, and was hugely influential in the unpacking and understanding of my own sexuality. It was featured on her album, released the same year, aptly titled Aphrodite. The imagery in the video was also vaguely reminiscent of 2003’s brooding synthpop jam, “Slow.”

7: Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Joining David Bowie, Audrey Hepburn, Uma Thurman, Marion Cotillard, and more, Kylie was recognized in 2008 for her contributions to French culture. The order was established in 1957 by the French government. When presented with the award, she was described as the “princess of pop” by Christine Albanel, France’s Culture Minister at the time.

8: Jay Z’s Roc Nation

Kylie’s 2014 album, Kiss Me Once, was her first and last album under the management of Jay Z’s Roc Nation. Collaborators included Sia, Pharrell, Ariel Rechtshaid, Enrique Iglesias, and MNEK. Sadly the album received mixed reviews and very little promotion. Fortunately, it gave birth to two of Kylie’s catchiest bops—Sexercize and I Was Gonna Cancel (note the catchy chorus has the same “go, go, go” repetition as Beyonce’s “Green Light”—both produced by Pharrell).

9: Sexercize

I felt this Kylie moment deserved its own category. Not only is it one of her most unforgettable tracks, but it received one of the most aggressive promotion campaigns I’ve ever seen for a single—more promo than the album itself ever received. The very interactive Sexercize.tv features a series of GIFs, music videos, collage inspirations, and of course, Sexstrology. She collaborated with Roman Coppola & Maserati, Mait Maitland & Jean Paul Gaultier, and Hattie Stewart. “Feel the burn (bounce bounce)!”

10: Recently Engaged

Kylie has never been married, and has speculated in interviews that she’s “never really seen it.” Granted, this interview was before meeting 28-year-old Joshua Sasse (go off, Kylie!). She recently appeared on ABC’s Galavant starring Sasse, making a dance performance cameo.

Michel Ghanem is a fashion-obsessed Canadian student and journalist. Read his last article for Slutever, an interview with the first chair in transgender studies in the world, HERE.

You can keep up with Michel on Tumblr here.

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