Mellow down on a couch in the lobby of a grand hotel near Champs-Elysées, I await the time of my appointment with Kim Wilde. At the given time, she appears at the door and comes towards me smiling. She seems to be in an excellent mood. To be tranquil, we will sit down in the bar of the hotel, away from photographers and eavesdroppers. And this is what she told me …
Kim, what’s happened since our last meeting?
Well, this summer I toured with Michael, it was great, a pleasure to work with his team! Also tiring, it is very challenging to do the first part of the show for someone like him, because every night, you wonder if everything is okay. Mentally, it was exhausting! This whole tour was crazy, sometimes even a little too crazy for me! But I was rewarded for my efforts: You Came became a hit, and the album sold more than ever it makes me happy because I worked on almost every song.
So you did not take a vacation this year?
I managed to take a week in the middle of the summer I went on a farm in England a friend of mine, a real farm with sheep and chickens! (Laughs) But that’s all.
Besides, I’m always traveling, next week I go to the USA. I practically live in my suitcase. Last Christmas, I bought a house in the country, in order to spend more time close to nature. You see, I left my family and I went to live in London five years ago, but I miss the countryside. But this house, I have not decided yet if I will renovate and resell or to settle there.
It seems that 1988 has revealed a new image of Kim Wilde?
Yes, I wanted the album to be perfect, down to the smallest details. Sometimes in the past, some things (sleeves, for example) have been somewhat neglected: all my work time was devoted to the music. But this time I wanted to have the last word on everything, even photos of the album and single.
The video of You Came is like a souvenir album of your tour with Michael …
Yes, absolutely. It’s great to be able to turn it. You’re right, it is a wonderful memory of the tour.
(At this point, she seems very excited, and I quickly changed the subject.)
I see that you wear clothes French (Jean Paul Gaultier). What do you like to do in Paris besides shopping?
I love watching Paris is a beautiful city, and there are so many beautiful things to buy, I spend all my money! On top of that, people here are wonderful to me, really warm. And I love the French language!
You seem able to manage in “french”!
When I was in school, I was always the best in French class. The teacher said, “Kim is going to read it because her accent is excellent.” This is partly why I agreed to participate in the disc by Laurent Voulzy few years ago. (The nights without Kim Wilde). I love talking and listening to French, it fascinates me completely. Everything is beautiful: I love your painters, your architecture and your quality of life here, even food is a work of art!! In England we don’t pay attention to the small details of life …
But England seems to be a mine of wealth for ideas for pop, fashion etc …
Yes, it is true that we are very strong in music: it is already the third generation of pop with us! But what is fashion, you have nothing to envy us: Jean-Paul Gaultier is French, right?
How do you spend the holidays at the end of year?
I’d like to return to the island of Reunion. I love the French islands, it’s hot (a change from the chilly Christmases!) And this is another opportunity to speak French!
What have you got in store for us next year?
I would like to tour again, this time alone, and give my fans a fantastic show! And if I can make a wish for 1989 is that someone asks me to write a song. I do not care that this person is very famous and sell millions of records or not, as long as she likes what I do enough to ask me to write for her. (Note to fans …)
On this fine resolution, we let Kim do her luggage as she flies back to London in two hours. For the good mouth, a last minute info: the next single from the album is’ Never trust a stranger, whose maxi version includes “remixes” of which Kim seems very proud.