Date: 4 January 2025
Published in: Die Glocke (Germany)
Written by: Steffen Rüth
With hits like ‘Kids in America’ and ‘Cambodia’ Kim Wilde (64) was high up in het charts. After seven years her new studio album ‘Closer’ is released on 31 January with ten new songs. Steffen Rüth spoke with the music icon from England about selfworth, health, family and icebaths.
A voice that has something to say
How do you do something good for yourself?
I don’t spend time with people who make me feel small and bad. Luckily, I have a lot of wonderful friends, my two children Harry and Rose, and my brother Ricky Wilde and his family. I also try to eat as healthily as possible. And I’ve completely abstained from alcohol for eight years. That was a very good decision because it helps me to keep a clear head.
A whole series of your new songs are self-confident declarations of a woman’s strength and resilience. What I’ve experienced in recent years plays a role here. I think that when we have dramatic experiences, it can break us, but it can also make us fighters. I would say that I’ve become more independent.
Your new song ‘Trail of Destruction’ could be about private experiences, but it could also be a comment on the work of some politicians.
Both are true. Many people destroy others, destroy themselves, and destroy the environment and our future on this planet with their decisions. Sometimes I’m really angry, which I show in the song ‘Hourglass Human’, which is about how we’re running out of time to do something about the climate catastrophe.
‘Scorpio’ is reminiscent of new wave hits from the eighties, and ‘Midnight Train’ also sounds a bit nostalgic.
We wanted to tie in with the sound of the past, while at the same time sounding fresh. ‘Midnight Train’ is heavily inspired by Gary Numan. And also by Duran Duran. I can practically hear Simon Le Bom singing here.
Siblings write and compose together
You have been working consistently with your brother Ricky since the beginning of your career and also on ‘Closer’, you often write music and lyrics together. Ricky’s daughter, your niece Scarlett Wilde, has also been part of the creative team for a long time.
I hope that I will be able to pass the baton on to Scarlett one day. She is a really great woman and artist and also – unlike me – a real organizational talent. And as for Ricky: our connection is really very close, it always has been. Ricky is only a year younger than me, we were close even as children. And I also worked on an album with Nena’s producer Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, which was also great, but with Ricky it is something very unique. We encourage each other to look at music with fresh eyes and to try new things. We are so happy that we have each other. Pop music simply means everything to us.
The most beautiful but also saddest piece on ‘Closer’ is the ballad ‘Lighthouse’. It’s about the bittersweet freedom you feel when the person you made a lifelong pact with is no longer there.
The words I chose in this song are very personal. When Ricky sent me the music, I was sitting by the sea, looking out the window and watching the boats. The words flowed out of me very quickly.
Do you like the sea?
I love the sea. I go swimming all year round, even when the water is freezing cold. And yes, even in England (laughs). I recently went swimming in Portsmouth. But that takes a lot of effort, doesn’t it? Not me. So far the water has never been too cold for me to even jump in for a short time. I even have a small, unheated pool at home that I like to jump into to practice (laughs).
Kim, you turned 64 a few weeks ago. A good age?
I’m always thinking about the Beatles song that I loved as a child, “When I’m Sixty-Four”. I would never have thought it possible to be so excited about releasing a new album and going on tour at this age. I’m really enjoying this phase of my career. In many ways, this is my best time right now.
What are the reasons?
I’m enjoying life a lot at the moment. My private life, but also my professional life. I feel young, healthy and motivated. We called the album ‘Closer’ because it’s a kind of sequel to ‘Close’, my 1988 record with songs that are still very popular, such as ‘You Came’ and ‘Four Letter Word’. Then as now, on the album I stick my head through the window and look at my life in a personal way.
What do you see?
A woman who is learning that life can get better and better, even when she is of a certain age. I take very good care of myself and my needs today. I take both my body and my mind very seriously and listen carefully to what they have to say to me. Because I know that if I neglect myself, things can go really wrong very quickly.
What happened?
I had a serious slipped disc just over a year ago, which was a really scary experience. Since then, I have been working hard on my body to make sure that it never happens again. I take care of myself like never before and now, at 64, I feel a lot stronger than I did at 54.
Is your back OK again?
Yes, it is. I have slowly but steadily built up muscle and improved flexibility, with weights and lots of stretching exercises.
The last song on ‘Closer’ is called ‘Savasana’ – like the relaxation phase at the end of a yoga class. “I hug myself and accept myself as I am,” it says.
It’s not just a song about calming down, but also a song about self-love. I like the idea of getting to know myself again at this point in my life, forgiving myself, being kind and loving to myself. I think we are often very hard on ourselves, especially when we are young. With a little more life experience, you learn how good it is to be kind to yourself. Looking back, I made life difficult for myself, constantly putting pressure on myself. Today I can finally let go.
Many thanks to Julian Reschke


