This month Chartbeat chats to Kim Wilde.
“I thought the success of ‘The second time around’ was great because as I’ve been away for so long it was hard to judge what kind of reaction I would get. I’m especially happy about it’s success for the sake of the album ‘Teases And Dares’. In fact it’s probably the best single I’ve done for a while.”
‘The Second Time Around’ is Kim Wilde’s first single on MCA and it was also her first release in almost one year. Chartwise the single did extremely well in both Europe and the UK. I asked Kim what sort of reaction she was getting from the album.
“Well so far so good. I was worried about the album I really want it to do well. Especially as I’ve written some of the songs on it, which is a new experience for me. I feel this album is a departure from what I was doing before and a step forward onto things that are more musical. So you can imagine how delighted I felt when the album charted in Europe and the UK.”
Is songwriting something you’ve always wanted to do?
“Yes, I’m really serious about it. I even managed to get one of my own songs on the B-side of my single ‘The Touch’, which really encourages me to carry on. I’d also like to write songs for other bands. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see another band chart well with a song I’ve written.”
Have you got anyone in mind?
“No, I’m keeping an open mind on it, it’s really a matter of meeting the right person and to get talking to them.”
Do you still have the same ambition to succeed now as you dd when you started your career?
“Yeh, because my ambition initially was to make good pop records with Ricky. I’m now finally establishing myself as a musical person but to me this includes being a songwriter, producer, singer and entertainer. I’ve yet to achieve all those degrees, especially the songwriting and the performing. I feel that my ambitions are just becoming more apparent to me now.”
Does acting come into the above categories?
“I don’t know about acting. You see I’ve got so much respect for actresses and actors and their craft. Honestly if I involved myself with acting it would be an insult to the word. Most popstars usually make right prats of themselves when they act.”
Why do you think ‘Dancing In The Dark’ made a limited impression on the charts.
“I think it has got a lot to do with RAK records. They wanted us to keep coming up with hit singles almost one after the other. They got greedy and failed to recognise that we were her to make music and not 7 inch records. This was one of the reasons why I left RAK. Ricki’s writing naturally suffered y’know there’s a limit to how much you can do.”
‘The Touch’ was the first selection of songs to be recorded at Kim’s new digital studio, Selectsound in Kenilworth.
“Buying this studio was the best idea I’ve ever had. It’s given me the confidence to go ahead with my own stuff and not worry about it. Obviously we can also spend more time in our studio when we like. As a result of this we’re producing sound we want to hear.”
The album was produced by Ricki (her brother) and Marty Wilde (her father) and engineered by Nigel Mills. Did this joint effort effect their family life.
“No, because I live on my own in London and Ricki lives on his own. When we do get together in the studio it’s usually very productive. We don’t really have a family life as such.”
How do you feel when you win award for the Best Female Vocalist Award and Most Attractive Female Popstar?
“I think it’s great winning awards. I’ve always liked winning them, even when I was at school and I haven’t stopped liking them since.”
By the way why did you use Wilde as your stage name?
“Well my real name is Smith and I was brought up being called Wilde. To me Wilde is as much my name as Smith. I didn’t use it because I wanted people to recognise me for my dad. In fact that’s the last thing I wanted. It’s something everyone would have found out anyway.”
