Early on in my viewing of An Audience with Kylie, I found myself tearing up. A sad song wasn’t being performed. No emotional answer to a celebrity-delivered question was being given. There was just something about the overall emphatic appreciation radiating off the screen that sent me into a bit of a tizzy.
An Audience with… is an ongoing series of specials produced by ITV studios where a live performer hosts a mix of questions from the audience and a live performance. While the series began with some stand-up comedians, the specials now revolve around beloved musical artists. For American audiences, the recent episode with Adele went viral stateside for surprising the singer with a childhood teacher.
Debuting last year on ITV, An Audience with Kylie is heading to Hulu. (Perfectly timed with Pride month, might I add.) Kylie Minogue, the Australian pop icon, legend, and role model fills the hour-long concert with her extensive catalog of pop hits and exuberant personality. The crowd is filled with fans and British celebrities (from crossover stars like Andrew Scott and Jonathan Bailey to British staples like Allison Hammond, Rosie Jones, and Carol Vorderman) who are all visibly honored to be in the presence of pop greatness. Clips have made their way across the internet since ITV debuted the special last year, but for some reason, Hulu isn’t receiving the complete special.
I am, unequivocally, a Kylie Minogue stan. Now, I am not encyclopedic when it comes to her discography (Jimmy Kimmel Live writer Louis Virtel is one to look at for that knowledge), but her music is played daily in my home, car, and head. Kylie represents a certain care-free mentality that is not as common as one might expect in pop music, especially the moodier (yet appreciated) records that have been populating the space as of recent.
Last year, “Padam Padam”, her first single off of her 2023 album Tension, was released whilst I was working on board a cruise ship. It took over my life. It played on repeat for close to a month. When I decided to DJ a crew after-hours gathering, the deck was booming with the chorus as crew members began to jump and scream the chorus. Kylie is infectious and is one of the greatest presences in pop music to ever live.
For some reason, she’s never “hit” in America like she has elsewhere around the world. While she did pick up her second Grammy for “Padam Padam”, she is probably most popular in the United Kingdom. She has had five number one albums in five consecutive decades, the first to ever do it in the country. The queer community holds her tight in the USA, recently headlining at WeHo Pride, but unfortunately she’s never achieved the ubiquity in the states she’s so richly deserved. (Confirmation that the LGBTQ+ community has better taste in music than most!)
Maybe that’s where the tears came from during the special. Seeing Kylie grateful to be performing and to be loved surrounded by people grateful to watch her perform and give the love was a rather beautiful thing. As “Tension” began to play, I sat up and started to dance. You can’t help it. Kylie is, and will always be, a connoisseur of pop. While it’s never going to be a movement starter, here’s hoping Hulu’s debut of An Audience with Kylie helps spread the gospel of Minogue. (Even if they cut “Love At First Sight”…)
An Audience with Kylie premieres June 5th on Hulu.