“I’m having a hard time”, says Kim Wilde. “I have some problems with myself and then I am also punished with adversity. In Germany someone stole my handbag. I lost everything: addresses, credit cars, photographs, my papers, etcetera. It’s something to cry about.”
Kim Wilde doesn’t look happy when we meet her on a grey morning. She tells us she’s having a cold, but that can’t be the reason for her empty stare. “I’m going through a rough time”, she says. “I can not say that I feel happy. I’m confused about my career as well as about my personal life and the fate of the world.”
“To start with the latter: I was in Basel when the Rhine was polluted. For the first time in my life I was really shocked. It suddenly hit me that we are slowly destroying this world. That feeling made me angry and unhappy. I think that the human race is racing towards its end.”
“As far as my career goes, I can say this. I am not desperate, but I have my doubts. A few years ago I was totally at the top. Then I had some setbacks. And now I have to fight to get to the top once again. Financially there’s no problem, I’m rich enough. But then what? I haven’t got the feeling that it makes me better or happier.”
“I am going to concentrate more on writing songs anyway. It’s still pleasant to be a popstar, but the real personal fulfilment has to come from somewhere else. I really love performing ,but the long tours are starting to take their toll.”
“And so we end up with my personal life. If it was perfect, then certainly I would have less problems with the other things. I am glad to have overcome my naivity, but on the other hand, the more realistic one becomes, the more difficult it is.”
“I live in a flat in London, but I’m never home. I have a lot of friends but I never see them. Sometimes I long for a ‘normal’ life, for rest and the good feeling of a family of my own. I am very calm when I get home. I can enjoy making over my bathroom.”
“But let’s end on a higher note. It won’t be this bad. Everyone has a period of doubt and uncertainty. I will get through it. My music will get me through it.”