“This is my best time right now”

Date: 1 February 2025
Published in: Lübecker Nachrichten (Germany)
Written by: Steffen Rüth

Today, Kim Wilde is happier than in her twenties – her new album “Closer” follows on from “Close” from 1988.

After seven years, there is finally another studio album with new songs by Kim Wilde, who, barely out of her teens, caused pop euphoria with hits like “Kids In America” and “Cambodia”. It’s called “Closer” and it’s really something to listen to. The Englishwoman (64) offers ten new songs that never sound old-fashioned, but always contemporary.

Kim, you turned 64 a few weeks ago. A good age?
At the moment I keep thinking of 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 the current phase of my career. In many ways, it’s 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 record from 1988, with songs that are still very popular, like “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 very personal way.

What exactly do you see there?
A woman who learns that life, even if she’s already reached a certain age, can get better and better. I take very good care of myself and my needs these days. 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 a little over a year ago, and it was a really scary experience. Since then, I’ve been working hard on my body to make sure that it never happens again. I take care of myself like never before and feel a lot stronger now at 64 than I did at 54.

The last song on “Closer” is called “Savasana” – like the relaxation phase at the end of a yoga class.
Yoga is also an integral part of my exercise routine. The album is dominated by fast-paced, energetic, catchy songs. That’s why it was important to me to include this final relaxation at the end.

“I embrace myself and accept myself as I am,” you sing in “Savasana”.
It’s not just a song about calming down, but also a song about self-love. I really like the idea of ​​getting to know myself again at this point in my life, of forgiving myself, of 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 very difficult for myself in my twenties and thirties, constantly putting myself under pressure. Today I can finally let go.

How do you do 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, or my brother Ricky Wilde and his family. I also eat everything and I love food very much. But I try to eat as healthily as possible. And for the last eight years I have completely abstained from alcohol. That was a very good decision because it helps me to keep my head clear.

Your new song “Trail Of Destruction” could be about personal experiences, but it could also be a comment on the actions 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 also show in the song “Hourglass Human”, which is about how we’re running out of time to do something about the climate catastrophe.