Pop icon Kylie Minogue has opened up about fame taking a toll on her mental health in a new interview.

Since splashing onto the scene in 1987, the Aussie pop goddess has cultivated an incredible music career – spanning seven number-one singles, eight number-one albums, and 34 top-ten singles in the UK.

In addition to her record-breaking feats, Minogue has earned a dedicated LGBTQIA+ fanbase for her inclusive pop anthems and never-ending allyship.

While the beloved talent has cultivated a long and successful career in the industry, it has sometimes been a challenging ride.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone UK, the ‘Padam Padam’ singer discussed the negative effects fame has had on her life – specifically regarding her mental health.

“What I think is great for a lot of people now is that there’s a discussion about mental health and the toll [fame] can take on people. I had that. I lived that,” she explained.

“I was able to manage that myself and with my family and close friends and navigate those waters. It wasn’t a decision [to stay private]. It was a reaction to protect myself and to protect my family because they would go through it with you.”

Minogue added that it takes “some work… and some sacrifice” to protect her privacy and mental health.

“I can really go from doing a full kind of blitz of doing it all and then stop and recalibrate,” she added.

Towards the end of her interview, the Aphrodite singer opened up about claiming her space as a music legend, following her acclaimed 2019 Glastonbury performance.

 

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“[It] is a huge deal for me to say: ‘I deserve to be here.’ Every artist that’s ever existed was also riddled with insecurity and self-doubt and all that stuff. But I feel like now it’s okay. I chased it,” she told the publication.

“I longed for it for a long time. I thought it just might not ever happen for me. But I think there’s enough of it now. I don’t know that everyone knows the extent of what it’s taken for me to keep doing this.

“The respect is there. It’s taken its good old time. I feel a lot more peaceful than I did a while ago. It doesn’t change my drive and determination.”

Minogue’s thoughtful interview comes a few weeks before the release of her 16th studio album, Tension.

According to a press release, the record will contain 11 “unabashed pleasure-seeking, seize-the-moment, joyful pop tunes”.

“Unlike my last two albums there wasn’t a ‘theme’, it was about finding the heart or the fun or the fantasy of that moment and always trying to service the song,” the beloved singer explained in a statement.

“I wanted to celebrate each song’s individuality and to dive into that freedom. I would say it’s a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic high.”

Check out Minogue’s music video for the album’s titular track below.