FEATURE:
On a Night Like This
IN THIS PHOTO: Kylie Minogue at the announcement of her Voltaire residency/PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
Inside Kylie Minogue’s Voltaire Residency
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THIS year….
has been a busy and successful one for Kylie Minogue. An iconic Pop artist who has been transforming and shaping music since her 1988 debut album, her new release, TENSION, comes out on 22nd September. I think that this album will be among her very best. The first single from it, Padam Padam, was a chart success around the world. It was eventually played on BBC Radio 1, but it was delayed because the station were reluctant at first. Ageism is still very much alive when it comes to featuring artists. The success and huge wave of love Padam Padam showed that it doesn’t matter how old an artist is – quality is quality and is the only real metric stations should focus on. Going forward, Minogue is looking forward to the arrival of her sixteenth studio album. Whereas 2020’s DISCO and 21018’s Golden had themes, TENSION will not. In terms of sound, TENSION is going to be fairly close to DISCO, in the sense there is abandon, dancefloor celebration and embracing a Disco/Dance sound. It is a musical blend that is very popular and in demand at the moment. In addition to a new album, Minogue is preparing for a residency in Las Vegas. The BBC explained what the residency will involve and when it begins:
“The hugely popular singer has announced her first exclusive residency in Sin City, following in the footsteps of Adele and Celine Dion.
The 55-year-old has not toured in North America since 2011, so her shows at the Voltaire nightclub at The Venetian in Las Vegas will be a major US return.
Minogue has promised extravagant costumes and dances, saying that at this point in her career she has "earned the right to" play Las Vegas.
"I've performed a couple of times at Vegas, but as part of a tour, and particularly when I did the Showgirl tour in 2004 - at that time we said, 'oh, this feels like a Vegas show', the Australian pop star said at a Los Angeles news conference.
Her later Aphrodite tour had featured "so many waterworks in like precision fountains," she continued. "My team at the time kept saying, 'Why isn't this in Vegas? We've got to do it at some point.'"
The show promises to be one of its kind for Vegas: based in a smaller venue that allows Minogue to give guests and fans a more personal show.
"I want it to be the kind of essence of what a Kylie show has become, enough glamour and abandon. I've got some versions of songs that have not been heard, like reinterpretations of songs, which is exciting. Live bed dances, amazing costumes.
"That's the base and then we'll see what surprises we can come up with," she revealed.
And it's finally something she can check off her career bucket list.
"I was thinking years ago I want to do it when I'm younger like, I don't want to do it when I'm at the sunset of my career. So, I think I've got it right somewhere in the middle where I feel like I've earned the right to and have the experience to really enjoy being there."
She will perform tracks from her forthcoming album Tension, alongside many of her greatest hits including Can't Get You Out Of My Head and All The Lovers.
Dubbed the Princess of Pop, Minogue has sold over 80 million records worldwide, won a Grammy and three Brit Awards.
She recently scored her biggest solo hit in more than a decade with the song Padam Padam.
It's the star's first song to break into the UK top 10 since All The Lovers peaked at number three in 2010.
That means Kylie is one of only four women to reach the UK's top 10 in five separate decades, alongside Cher, Lulu and Diana Ross.
For the past 20 years, Minogue has sold out stadiums across Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has a more modest following in the US.
But this residency could bring unprecedented success for the pop singer in America.
In a previous interview with top reality host Andy Cohen, she said she was thrilled that her recent single was doing so well in the States.
"It feels good, 'cuz as we know it's not my main market," Minogue said. "But I would love it if it was to become one of them. I think 'Padam' has really given me a chance to reach everyone."
Minogue's Vegas residency will begin on 3 November 2023 and is expected to include about a dozen shows. Tickets go on sale on 9 August.
While Minogue hopes that the show will bring international visitors, UK fans unable to make the trip across the pond will be able to see her in 2024 when she embarks on her arena Tension tour.
The pop star also headlines Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester this September”.
This is a good move from Minogue. Whilst some artists seem ready-made for residencies – Cher and Elton John spring to mind -, maybe people hadn’t pictured Kylie Minogue going to Las Vegas and doing this sort of thing. Her tour diary is going to be busy this year. I think that this residency will not only get fans around the world traveling to see her but, crucially, it will get her a new generation of fans in the UI.S. America is a nation that has not really embraced Kylie Minogue as much as the U.K. or her native Australia. That said, DISCO did get into the top forty there. Looking at her albums before then; it has been a case of mixed results regarding chart positions in the U.S. I think there is this conscious move to establish Minogue as a vital artists that the country cannot miss out on. At a time when established artists like Kate Bush are only now being truly recognised by America, this residency is going to make Minogue much better known there. I wonder whether there will be other U.S. dates before or after the residency starts. She has moved back to Australia now, so it might be strange relocating for a while when she is playing in Las Vegas. In terms of the set, I do not know whether it is going to be a greatest hits selection, a different set each night, or whether Minogue is focusing on her newer material – with an emphasis on TENSION.
I think many people who are unable to go to Las Vegas to see one of Kylie Minogue’s nights hope that there is a DVD release. I think we will see trailers and some videos closer to the time, but I am not sure about the rights and whether the Voltaire nightclub are going to be quite protective. The venue is actually pretty amazing. I am going to round off with some details from the club’s website as to what we will expect:
“Launching this November at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Voltaire Belle de Nuit answers the call for a theatrical venue that offers Las Vegas a pre-party, headliner concert, and after party. Themed for daring voyeurism, Belle de Nuit is quite literally a flower that blooms in the night.
Pop sensation Kylie Minogue will be the first headliner to grace the stage at Voltaire. Blurring the lines between an intimate club, concert, and non-stop entertainment venue, Voltaire will usher in a new destination nightlife scene with Minogue at the forefront in an exclusive U.S residency that comes on the heels of her smash hit “Padam Padam” and upcoming “Tension” album release.
Voltaire is the uniquely inspired vision of producer Michael Gruber: an interactive night out with some of the world’s biggest superstars in an intimate, 1,000-seat setting where anything can happen and no two evenings are the same. Voltaire is the pregame, main event, and late-night after party rolled into one – an experience currently unmatched in Las Vegas that unlocks a new evening out that is elevated, transformative, but most of all, fun.
Promising an evening that never has to end, Voltaire will be filled with non-stop entertainment including top DJs, cabaret, burlesque by an incredible cast of performers and headline talent.
The venue’s opening on November 3 kicks off the Australian pop icon’s first Vegas Residency where she will perform tracks from her highly anticipated release “Tension,” alongside many of her greatest hits including “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and “All The Lovers.”
“The spirit of Voltaire is one of pure, authentic fun. It’s one I resonate with as a pop artist. My new album “Tension” is all about the space where the intimate and universal come together and Voltaire represents just that,” shares Minogue. “The creative team has designed an environment where people can get up and dance at their tables and revel in the night – that’s what Voltaire is and I can’t wait to perform in this intimate and exciting setting.”
Some of the most creative minds in fashion and design were tapped to bring the concept to life. With couture costumes from stage to floor developed by a world-class designer who has created looks for stars from Beyonce to Mariah Carey and of course, Kylie Minogue herself. The heavy couture influence lends the entire evening an unforgettably glamorous lens.
The space itself brings to life an immersive key-hole themed room design, centered around modern-day art deco fantasy by Emmy and Tony Award winning production designer Derek McLane, who has an incredible array of credits for shows such as the “Moulin Rouge” and “MJ on Broadway,” the Academy Awards, and most recently as designer for the 2023 Met Gala.
Capping at 1,000 people, it’s a venue to come out and lean in. The prevailing theme, Belle de Nuit, or Beauty of the Night is evocative of veils and mystery, of come-to-play, and dress-to-express. A simple but memorable table service includes select indulgences from fine spirits and champagne to caviar and cookies - and an atmosphere where guests can truly connect.
Tickets, tables, and packages for Kylie Minogue’s opening show and ongoing residency go on sale August 9, 2023, and are available for purchase at voltairelv.com”.
Another huge chapter for the amazing Kylie Minogue, this Pop sensation and queen will wow American audiences. Where does she go from there? Based in Melbourne, there is perhaps less flexibility to tour too much, but we will get a lot more albums and music. Many hope that Minogue will be invited back to Glastonbury next summer, and there is definite scope for other projects (a naturally great actress, a brief return to film would be welcomed). A winter treat for Kylie Minogue fans, those at Voltaire in Las Vegas are going to be stunned and moved. It is going to be captivating seeing Minogue in such a terrific venue…
ON a night like this.