Dannii Minogue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dannii Minogue
Minogue at the 58th Annual Logie Awards in 2016
Born	(1971-10-20) 20 October 1971 (age 53) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Education	Camberwell High School
Occupation	Singer television personality actress
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Julian McMahon ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1995)​
Partner(s)	Jacques Villeneuve (1999–2001) Kris Smith (2008–2012)
Children	1
Relatives	Kylie Minogue (sister)
Musical career
Genres	Pop dance
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Mushroom MCA Warner London Ultra All Around the World

Dannii Minogue (born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, TV star, and actress. She first became famous on the TV talent show Young Talent Time (1982–1988). She also played Emma Jackson in the soap opera Home and Away (1989–1990).

Dannii started her music career in the early 1990s. Her first album, Love and Kisses (1991), was a big hit. It included popular songs like "Love and Kisses" and "Jump to the Beat". After her second album, Get into You (1993), she focused more on theatre.

In the late 1990s, Dannii returned to music. She changed her style to dance music with her album Girl (1997). Her fourth album, Neon Nights (2003), was her most successful. It featured hit songs such as "Who Do You Love Now?" and "I Begin to Wonder". In the UK, she has had nine songs in the Top 10. She also had 13 dance songs reach number one on the UK Dance Chart. She has sold over 7 million records worldwide.

Dannii has been a judge on many TV talent shows. These include The X Factor UK (2007–2010) and Australia's Got Talent (2007–2012). She also hosted shows like Dance Boss (2018) and I Kissed a Boy (2023).

Early Life and First Steps in Showbiz

Dannii Minogue grew up in Surrey Hills, Melbourne. She went to Camberwell Primary School and Camberwell High School. Her mother, Carol Ann Jones, was a dancer from Wales. Her father, Ronald Charles Minogue, was an accountant. Dannii is the youngest of three children. Her older sister is the famous pop star Kylie Minogue. Her brother, Brendan, works as a news cameraman.

Dannii started her career on Australian television when she was seven. She appeared in soap operas like Skyways. In 1982, she joined the music show Young Talent Time. She sang her first solo songs on this show. She also performed live in concerts across Australia. In 1988, Dannii left Young Talent Time to act more. She played Emma Jackson in Home and Away. She was very popular and was nominated for a Logie Award.

In September 1988, Dannii launched her own fashion line called Dannii. She loved designing clothes she wore on Young Talent Time. People liked her designs, so she created her own line. Her first collection sold out very quickly in Australia.

Music Career Highlights

Early Albums: Love and Kisses and Get into You

Dannii signed with Mushroom Records in 1989. Her first album, Dannii, came out in 1990 in Australia. It reached number twenty-four on the charts. In other countries, it was called Love and Kisses and was released in 1991. This album reached number eight in the UK and sold very well.

Her first song, "Love and Kisses", was a top five hit in Australia. In the UK, it reached number eight. Other songs like "Success" and "Jump to the Beat" also did well in the UK.

In 1991, Dannii released Love and Kisses and... This album had dance songs and remixes from her first album. It sold nearly 60,000 copies in the UK. She also made her first movie, Secrets, in 1991. The movie was not very popular.

Dannii's second album, Get into You, came out in 1993. It had upbeat dance songs. However, it did not do as well as her first album in the UK. In 1994, Dannii started presenting TV shows again. She co-hosted The Big Breakfast in the UK. In 1995, she released two songs, "Rescue Me" and "Boogie Woogie", in Japan. Both songs reached number one there. She left Mushroom Records in 1995 due to a contract disagreement.

In 1991, Dannii performed for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. She sang her song "Success".

Dance Music Success: Girl and Neon Nights

In 1996, Dannii hosted children's shows like Disney Time. She also co-hosted It's Not Just Saturday. In 1997, she hosted Top of the Pops, a British music chart show. Later that year, she returned to music.

In April 1997, Dannii performed in the musical Grease: The Arena Spectacular as Rizzo. The show sold over 450,000 tickets in Australia. She was nominated for an award for her role.

Dannii became very interested in dance music. She said remixes of her songs made her love dance music and clubbing. This led to her third album, Girl, released in 1997. It had a more grown-up dance style. The main song, "All I Wanna Do", reached number four in the UK. It also reached number eleven in Australia. All three songs from Girl became number one hits on the UK dance chart.

In 2001, Dannii released "Who Do You Love Now?" with Riva. This song reached number three in the UK and number one on the dance charts. It also did well in Australia and the US. In 2001, she signed a new record deal with London Records.

In March 2003, Dannii released her fourth album, Neon Nights. Critics praised it as a mix of pop and club music. It reached number eight in the UK, her highest chart position since her first album. Neon Nights had four top 10 songs. "Put the Needle on It" was a top 10 hit in the UK. "I Begin to Wonder" became her highest-charting song in the UK, reaching number two. It was also a top 20 hit in Australia. "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" reached number five in the UK.

Greatest Hits and Club Disco

In October 2004, Dannii released "You Won't Forget About Me" with Flower Power. This song reached number seven in the UK. "Perfection" followed in 2005, reaching the top twenty in both the UK and Australia.

Dannii released The Hits & Beyond, a greatest hits album, in June 2006. It included new songs and hits from her previous albums. The album reached number 17 in the UK. It featured a new song, "So Under Pressure". This song was inspired by her sister Kylie's cancer diagnosis. "So Under Pressure" became her tenth song to reach number one on the UK Upfront Club chart.

In November 2006, Dannii sang "He's the Greatest Dancer" on a TV charity show. A remixed version of the song also reached number one on the UK Upfront Club chart.

Minogue performing in 2008

In October 2007, Dannii released several new projects. These included reissues of her albums Girl and Neon Nights. She also released Unleashed, which had songs she recorded earlier. Her fifth studio album, Club Disco, came out at the same time. It included songs like "You Won't Forget About Me" and "Perfection". A new song, "Touch Me Like That", reached number one on the UK Dance Chart.

In 2009, a digital album called "The Early Years" was released. It had songs from her first two albums. In December 2009, she released The 1995 Sessions, which featured songs that were never released before. Dannii has spent over 200 weeks on the UK Sales Chart. She has sold more than seven million records worldwide.

Recent Music and Comeback

Minogue performing at Royal Albert Hall with her sister Kylie during A Kylie Christmas Show in 2015

In 2013, Dannii sang "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with Ronan Keating for a Christmas album. In 2014, she recorded "That's How You Know" for the Australian We Love Disney album.

In February 2015, Dannii announced her return to music. She performed at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. She also released a new song called "Summer of Love".

In August 2017, Dannii was a support act for Take That on their Australian tour. She released a song called "Holding On" and later "Galaxy".

In 2023, Dannii released a new song, "We Could Be the One". This song is also the opening song for the British TV show I Kissed a Boy, which she hosts. It reached number 5 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. In June 2023, she released Neon Nights 20, a special anniversary edition of her Neon Nights album. In February 2024, she released a new song, "Thinking ‘Bout Us".

Television Career

UK Television Shows

In 2007, Dannii became a judge on The X Factor UK. She joined Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Sharon Osbourne. She guided the Boys category. Two of her acts, Rhydian Roberts and Leon Jackson, made it to the final. Leon Jackson won the show, making Dannii the first female judge to win.

In 2008, Dannii returned for the fifth series of The X Factor UK. She mentored the Over 25s category. She chose Daniel Evans, Rachel Hylton, and Ruth Lorenzo for the live shows. She lost her last contestant in the quarter-final.

Dannii returned for the sixth series in 2009. She mentored the Girls category. Her acts included Rachel Adedeji, Lucie Jones, and Stacey Solomon. Stacey Solomon reached the final and finished in third place. In 2010, Dannii was pregnant. She returned to The X Factor later in the season. She mentored the Boys category. Her act, Matt Cardle, won the show. This was Dannii's second win as a mentor.

In 2011, Dannii announced she would not return to The X Factor UK. This was because the filming dates clashed with Australia's Got Talent. In 2013, Dannii joined the judging panel for Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model.

In 2016, Dannii returned to British TV as a judge on Gary Barlow's talent show Let It Shine. In 2022, it was announced that Dannii would host a new dating show on BBC Three called I Kissed a Boy. The show started in May 2023. In 2024, she began hosting a spin-off show for lesbians, I Kissed a Girl.

Australian Television Shows

Minogue in 2010

In 2007, Dannii became a judge on the TV talent show Australia's Got Talent. She returned for seasons two, three, four, five, and six. In 2012, she left the show.

In 2013, Dannii joined the judging panel of The X Factor Australia. She mentored the Over 24s category. Her act, Dami Im, won the competition. Dannii returned for the sixth season in 2014, mentoring the Groups category. She also returned for the seventh season in 2015.

From 2019 to 2021, Dannii was a judge on The Masked Singer Australia. She left the show in 2022 because she was busy filming a new show in the UK.

Other Activities

Theatre Performances

In 1999, Dannii acted in Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Two years later, she played Esmeralda in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris in London.

Fashion and Endorsements

In the late 1980s, Dannii had her own fashion line sold in Target Australia. Since joining The X Factor in 2007, she became a style icon. She has been praised by many fashion designers. She also launched her own fashion label called Project D with Tabitha Somerset-Webb. In 2013, she ended her work with Project D.

In 2011, Dannii was an ambassador for the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. In 2014, she launched her own online fashion store. She also released her own clothing line for petite sizes through Target Australia.

Dannii has worked with several brands. She was a global ambassador for Etihad Airways since 2008. She was also one of the faces of Marks and Spencer. In 2015, she became the Style Ambassador for Westfield Australia. In 2017, she was announced as an Ambassador for L'Oréal Australia.

Writing Books

In 2010, Dannii released her autobiography, My Story. The next year, she released a fashion book called My Style.

Personal Life

Relationships and Family

In 1994, Dannii married actor Julian McMahon. They met on the TV show Home and Away. They were married for less than two years and divorced in 1995.

In 1999, Dannii got engaged to Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. Their relationship ended in 2001.

In 2002, she dated music producer Craig Logan. They ended their relationship in December 2002.

In 2008, Dannii started dating English model Kris Smith. They met in Ibiza. On 9 January 2010, it was announced that Dannii was pregnant. She gave birth to a boy on 5 July 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. In April 2012, Dannii announced that she and Kris Smith had separated.

In May 2024, Dannii clarified that she is straight after some reports suggested she had come out as queer.

Public Image and Support

Throughout her career, Dannii has often been compared to her sister, Kylie. Dannii has said it is hard to be compared all the time.

Like her sister, Dannii has many gay fans. She has performed many times at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. She believes that gay culture has always been a part of her music. Dannii supports gay rights and believes in same-sex marriages.

Dannii is an ambassador for the Terrence Higgins Trust. This group helps raise awareness about AIDS. In 2004, she promoted World AIDS Day. She also supports breast cancer research. In 2008, she became an ambassador for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal.

Discography

• Dannii / Love and Kisses (1991)
• Get into You (1993)
• Girl (1997)
• Neon Nights (2003)
• Club Disco (2007)

Filmography

Television

Film

DVDs

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Dannii Minogue para niños