Kim Wilde: the cool blonde with the hot hits
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"Kids in America" seems to develop into the summerhit of the year. Singer Kim Wilde (21), the blonde with the cool look, made a flash career for herself with the new wave hit. All about the newcomer here...
Just a few months ago she was totally unknown on the rock scene. But then Kim Wilde shot into the charts with "Kids in America". It changed her life dramatically. Photoshoots, television shows: the whole music world is suddenly after the blonde English woman, who sends her impressions of the American youth on rousing synth sounds and distorted drum sounds. But it's not just her superhit and the crystal clear sound of her voice that made Kim Wilde to a female rock star all of her sudden. Her hairdo and the fiery red "BB" pout and her cool blick have gained her the image of a sex symbol. For many the cool Kim is already one of the successors to Debbie Harry.
Kim herself reacts with mixed feelings on such compliments. She was so unprepared for the success, that she couldn't form a backing band, to go on tour with. Although her father Marty Wilde was a famous rock 'n' roller in the Fifties, Kim is a total new started in the business.
Kim Wilde hasn't bothered thinking of her image. "I always wanted to be a singer", she says, "and when my brother wrote the song 'Kids in America' together with my father, we simply made a record at our own risk." Not a lot of thought even went into the photo on the cover of the record. Kim had simply let herself be photographed in her favourite clothes, which she'd bought, like always, for a little money in a boutique in London. She didn't want to throw glitter around, while she prefers to wear jeans and t-shirts in her free time. The musical 'family company' gave Kim free rein. Her father supports Kim's career wishes forcefully, but he never forces his opinion on her. And Kim always uses this freedom for her creativity. She even went to art college for two years after highschool. After that Kim tried her first steps as a rock singer, but it didn't work yet. Father Marty did have a few songs on hand and brother Ricky wrote lyrics to them, but the right track didn't come about. It also happened during this time that Kim didn't look her best, which scared off the record company. But Kim didn't let it go. She talked about her new ideas time and again with her brother, who had to put them into lyrics, until Kim was satisfied. Kim proved herself to be a real Scorpio during this time: ambitious, persistent and tough. And she learned that it wasn't enough just to have a famous father. "One has to make the jump to artistry themselves", says Kim, "otherwise your best relationships will do you no good at all." Experiences that have brought her along nicely.
Kim's first album has just come together and the second single "Chequered Love" is developing into another hit in England.
Kim Wilde doesn't want to become fully attached to the new wave sound of "Kids in America": "I don't want to be put inside a box. Personally I like Abba just as much as the Police and Elvis Costello - that's why I want to be as broad as I can as a singer. On my first album is a reggae-song, a ballad and synth song."
Kim Wilde does belong to the stable of the successful producer Mickie Most, who made top stars like Smokie, Sweet, Hot Chocolate and Suzi Quatro. Kim Wilde, who is called "Marilyn Monroe of Rock", "Wilde cat" or "Killer queen" in England, is not so happy about her image: "Behind my cool look is shyness. I am not a vamp, who acts innocently. I am a very average girl with normal problems. I think my hips are too wide, my shoulders too broad, I am not perfect at all. When I was 15, 16 I felt like a hopeless wallflower, because boys looked past me."
The 20 year old doesn't have a steady boyfriend yet: "I haven't met anyone who has really meant something to me. I am the independent type and concentrate fully on my career for now!"
