Kim Wilde: 'I still have the friends from my toddler days'

She's back, singer Kim Wilde. With a new album, "Teases and Dares". A very special record for Kim, because for the first time there are songs on it which she wrote herself. Why she can finally write her own lyrics, Kim tells to Flair. And it became a fascinating conversation with a young, adult woman.

Kim (25) has a new album out, called "Teases and Dares". Next to the usual hit tunes, written by father Marty and brother Ricky Wilde, we find two very soft, melancholy songs on this LP. The first two self-written compositions of Kim on record.

Why did it take so long until we got to hear something from your compositions?
The first song, 'Kids in America', was a big success. I wasn't prepared for that. I just got thrown before the lions. When I think back to that period, I remember nothing but promotion tours. In and out of airplanes, in and out of hotelrooms, in and out of television studios, sometimes twenty interviews a day. And that for three years. There's not time left for yourself and in the end you lose the plot completely. When I started singing I was adamant that I would become a good songwriter. But every song by Ricky and Marty became a big hit so that I could do nothing but sing their songs. I didn't have any confidence in that time. I doubted everything. At some point it became so bad that I felt: "some things need to change or I will lose my mind". I decided to live on my own and I'm still very happy about that. I find it necessary to have a few square meters to myself. I found myself slowly, until I had enough confidence to write my own songs.

Those songs are very melancholy?
Yes, but I do have more to tell. Those songs were coincidentally written in a sad mode, that's why they sound like that. Usually I'm very happy, just wait until you see the musical results of that.

Now that you live alone you have more time to yourself. What do you do?
A lot. I read about four or five different newspapers a day. In the old days I didn't care about the state of the world. Now I do. I want to make up for lost time. The reason why I read so many papers, is that when you read only one paper, you get your news from only one point of view. When you read many, news becomes more objective. I listen a lot to radio as well. I love music by Chaka Khan, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed and loads more. Their music influences me enormously.
What more do I do? I rarely go to the movies. I do go to the video store round the corner, choose four films and disappear into my sofa for the night, and watch television.
I wish I had more time to read books. I find autobiographies very interesting. Not from famous or infamous people, but rather how a bus driver gets through his day. The way that people lead their lives and how they view them, are both very interesting.

How do you feel about the fact that people see you as a beautiful dumb blonde?
I don't really feel good or bad with it, it doesn't matter much to me. If people like to think of me as dumb, then they can do so.

Do you cook often?
Yes, only late in the evening. Usually pasta. I love Italian food. Spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagne, cannelloni, just name it, I love it. It's very healthy too.

Are you very conscientious about what you eat?
Sometimes, er... no, not really. I do care whether it's healthy, but not whether it makes me fat or not. I like food so much that I can't balance it against a size 38 or 40.

Do you go out often?
I never go out dancing. I think it's miserable to go to such a dark place and wait until someone rude passes by, who spills his beer over my new dress and doesn't even apologise for it. No, such things are not interesting to me. I do go out with friends to the local pub or eat at home with friends. That's great fun. I have a lot of friends. There are people who like living alone, never get a visitor and never go out visiting someone else. I could never do that. I feel good when people are around me. Sometimes you get a little closed off in this job, but I still have four good friends from my kindergarten days. We go out on holidays together. I am still the same and I'm glad.

How do you look to the future, getting older?
Older people take on a bitter attitude towards younger people sometimes. That's pure jealousie. I never want to know that feeling. I still enjoy my life and I want to keep doing that when I'm 40, but in a different way. I also want children, lots of children. I know that in a few years I will find having children much more important than my career. And combining the two seems the most fun of all."