They just went Wilde over Kim!

Kim Wilde has been called ‘the luckiest girl in the world’ and also ‘the most manufactured product’ in the pop business over the last couple of years. But the truth is that Kim became a star almost overnight because the record business was crying out for a new female personality. And she hit the road at just the right time.
The daughter of the 60s rock’n’roll star Marty Wilde, Kim shot to stardom with her very first record, Kids in America. This wasn’t so surprising really, because her songs were written for her by her Dad and her brother Ricky. And she was ‘packaged’ and sold to shrewd starmaker Mickie Most, who lost no time in promoting the new beauty on his Rak record label.
Kim ‘s life changed dramatically from that first record hit, in the summer of 1981. From ordinary good-looking college girl she was suddenly the toast of the pop world. But it wasn’t always like that, she recalls. “1 can remember feeling very plain indeed when I was about 15,” says Kim. “1 had a lot of very pretty school friends who made me feel fairly second-rate. I was a country bumpkin, I hadn’t a clue about make-up, and I wore nothing but jeans and T-shirts.
“It wasn’t until I left school and I wasn’t oppressed or influenced by school chums that I came out of myself and started trying to look good.”
People have talked about her as the new Bard!Jt or the new Debbie Harry. Yet underneath the glossy pop image, Kim is like any other 21-year-old, with doubts and fears going hand in hand with her dreams and ambitions.
She explained: “Sometimes I worry that things are too good to be true and that something horrible must be coming up around the corner. It’s as if things are so great, they bring out certain fears in me I would never otherwise have.”
In spite of her stunning looks, Kim says: “I’ve never been a girl to have lots of boys around. I’ve spent a lot of time without one. In fact, you could count my boyfriends in the past on the fingers of one hand. Three or four, maybe.
“Most of the time I’ve been without a man and I feel happy like that. Of course it’s always nice to have someone close to confide in, but I have old friends I can talk to.
“And sometimes when you get involved with a guy, as lovely as he might be, they tend to become a crutch of some kind. Afterwards you suddenly find you are much weaker without them and you have to build up your strength again.”
Kim now knows that whatever happens to her care er in the future, she has already tasted the fruits of success. “People have said that because my family is so involved in my career, I’m a sort of manufactured product. Well, I’m certainly not manipulated, I can tell you. If anything, I’m orchestrated. I take the advice of all the experts around me.
“Life is good, really wonderful. It’s what I’ve always wanted, to be a singer. I’m working hard and having a good time as well.”