Kylie honored with top award

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Kylie Minogue’s 20-year contribution to the pop music industry was recognised this past weekend as she scooped the prestigious Music Industry Trust prize at a ceremony in London.

“I am truly thrilled to be recognized in this way,” said Kylie.

Previous winners of the award include Peter Gabriel and Elton John. Significantly, this is the first time the prize has ever been awarded to a woman.

And Kylie’s sister Danii could not contain her delight.

“I am so proud of you. It’s been an amazing journey and there’s still so much more to come. It’s been great to be there from the beginning,” she said.

39-year-old Kylie has bounced back admirably after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She beat the illness and is due to release her tenth album, X, next month.

In fact, some lucky fans got a taste of what is to come on that album when two rejected songs appeared on the internet.

The tracks, Spell of Desire and In The Mood For Love, briefly appeared on the website of Scottish DJ Mylo, who collaborated with Minogue for the two tracks. However, they were quickly taken off of the website.

This weekend’s award is no more than Kylie deserves after two decades in the pop industry. The Australian pop sensation originally made her name in the 1980s from her role in hit Australian soap Neighbors. She was signed by recording company Stock, Aitken and Waterman and was an immediate hit going straight to number one with I Should Be So Lucky.

She has since become one of the world’s best loved female artists.

In a video message to this weekend’s award ceremony, Sting had this to say to Kylie: “I have a great deal of respect for you as an artist. And, like most men on the planet, I’m certainly not immune to your iconic beauty - but more than this, you have become a symbol of courage and of grace under pressure.”