Date: 12 November 2001
Originally published in: Joepie (Belgium)
Written by:
In the eighties and the early nineties everyone knew her name. When you said ‘Kim Wilde’, everyone knew you were talking about the famous blonde funky and especially punky lady! Who never reclaimed the success she had at the beginning of her career, but never stopped trying…
Timeline
18 November 1960
On 18 November musician Marty Wilde and Vernon’s Girls singer Joyce Smith get a daughter. Kim Wilde is born!
1980
Kim gets a record deal at RAK Records, after a producer listens to demos Kim recorded with her equally musicminded brother Ricky.
1981
Kim scores her first hit: ‘Kids in America’ is composed by her brother Ricky and produced by father Marty. Her first self-titled album is also a big success! But fans don’t just fall for her music, her look is appealing as well and everyone imitates it.
‘I don’t do anything special. I cut and dye my own hair and buy second hand clothing’, she explains, surprisedly.
1982
Kim has sold more records in a year than her father in his whole career. Her song ‘Cambodia’ sells extremely well and her single ‘View from a bridge’ sells 50.000 copies before it’s released! Kims second album ‘Select’ scores well and that is an encouragement to undertake her first European tour.
1983
Kim just misses a British Pop & Rock Award, but does win a British Phonographic Industry Award for best female artist.
1984
Kim’s record company thinks that it’s time to release a ‘The Very Best of Kim Wilde’.
1986
‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ becomes Kim’s second monster succes. She doesn’t reach number one in the UK (a hotspot she never reached with any of her singles). In the American Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart she does reach the top spot.
1987
Kim shows her golden heart and collaborated on the charity single ‘Let It Be’.
1988
Not only mere mortals are fan of Kim, Michael Jackson likes her sound as well and asks her to play as his support act during his tour.
1990
And Kim continues on this road: this year she supports David Bowie’s ‘Sound & Vision’ tour.
1993
The punkly blondine scores a few more hits, with ‘Who Do You Think You Are’, ‘Love Is Holy’ and ‘If I Can’t Have You’, but she can’t achieve the same success as she did with ‘Kids in America’.
1996
Kim marries Hal Fowler on 1 September.
1998
On 3 January she gives birth to her first baby: Harry Tristan.
2000
Harry Tristan gets a little sister on 14 January: Rose Elizabeth.
2001
Never say ‘never’! Kim’s decision to quit the music world didn’t last. She gets behind the microphone once more, the result being… ‘Loved’, the single that makes her comeback final. This new success doesn’t stand in the way of her TV career, because she remains the star of the BBC-program ‘Garden Invaders’. If she can continue both careers successfully, you’ll be able to read in your favourite magazine of course!
