Kylie: Back to the start and ‘Locomotion’

In this short excerpt from a candid interview with Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum, Kylie talks about signing with Mushroom Records and her first hit song, ‘Locomotion’ in 1987.

She also hints at her struggle to be taken seriously as a pop music artist from the very beginning of her career.  

We see snippets of the music video for ‘Locomotion’, directed by Chris Langman, as Kylie reflects on that period with a sense of clarity, honesty and self-awareness. The production values of the music clip show a deep understanding of the pop-loving young audience she is targeting. It’s really an extension of her effervescent girl-next-door persona from the television soap, Neighbours.

It was a clever idea to show behind-the-scenes moments in the music video – Kylie in the recording studio and learning dance moves – because she was learning how to be a singer and performer herself at the time, so we are invited to enjoy and forgive her awkwardness.

Despite a lack of support from local radio stations, ‘Locomotion’ became a huge commercial success in Australia and (later, in a new version) overseas. It remains her highest-charting hit in the US.

To date Kylie has won numerous awards for her music including 14 ARIAs, 3 BRIT Awards and a Grammy. She was inducted onto the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2011 and is the highest selling Australian-born artist of all time.

The cover image is an iconic photograph of Kylie taken from the photoshoot for her debut album Kylie (1988). Photographer: Lawrence Lawry. © Darenote Ltd.

Notes by Beth Taylor