Date: 17 November 2020
Published in: Bild (Germany)
Written by: Dirk Steinbach
London – For millions of teenagers, she was the dream woman of pop music in the 80s. With her hydrogen-blonde mane, bright red lips and tight outfits, Kim Wilde (will be 60 tomorrow) reflected the lifestyle of this eventful decade. The darker the news about the cold war, the dying forests and the Chernobyl reactor disaster, the more the youth longed for fun. Wilde gave her that from 1981 with hits like ‘Kids in America’, ‘Cambodia’ and ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On ‘.
Looking back, she says in BILD: ‘In retrospect, I appreciate how great the 80s were. Probably more than I did then. Because it was a decade with a “chaos of musical styles”. The singer: “From disco to new wave, from synth-pop to rock ‘n’ roll. The hit parade contained so much diversity. There was enough space for glamorous individuals with bizarre hairstyles as well as for jeans and leather jackets. I fell somewhere between the two camps.”
As the decade of reunification drew to a close, its success diminished. Wilde retired to her home in Hertfordshire, north of London. She married musical actor Hal Fowler (52) in 1996 and had two children. Son Harry (now 22) and daughter Rose (now 20). Instead of music, the trained landscape gardener now delighted people in a very down-to-earth manner with gardening tips. Wrote books and hosted TV shows. Until 2002 Nena (60) called her. Wilde to BILD: “She gave me the great opportunity to sing on her album. Nena inspired me to get back on the saddle.” Their duet “Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime” marked the start of their second careers. But the contact is broken. “I haven’t seen Nena in a long time,” says Wilde. “But I know that one day we’ll hug. Hopefully not socially distanced!”
