Minogue "disappointed" by chart performance

Thursday, March 3 2011, 14:56 GMT

By Robert Copsey, Music Reporter

Kylie MinogueMusicKylie Minogue has admitted that she is "disappointed" by the chart performance of her recent singles.

 

The singer, who is currently on her 'Aphrodite - Les Foiles' world tour, said that she felt "let down" by her label after her most recent efforts, 'Get Outta My Way' and 'Better Than Today', charted poorly across the globe.

 

"It's confusing. I felt a little let down with my releases from Aphrodite," she told Perth Now . "I was caught out like a lot of artists were, with record companies figuring out how to do single releases these days.

 

"I remember doing a promo for one of the last singles and it just felt really old-fashioned. I'm pretty computer-savvy, something didn't feel right, but no one said anything to me."

 

Minogue also revealed that she is a supporter of the 'on air, on sale' plan to release singles as soon as they receive their radio premiere.

 

She continued: "You get Britney releasing 'Hold It Against Me' and GaGa's 'Born This Way' available on iTunes the day you hear it first. That's how it should be. And there's me waiting for a mid-week chart figure like it's 1989.

 

"I was a bit disappointed by that. I didn't know how to gauge the success of the singles. How do you measure it now?"

 

The star also confirmed that no further singles will be released from Aphrodite.

 

I can see where she is coming from in some ways but better than today UK wise was promoted well it just didnt seem to click with the mass audience. I think the confirming no more singles from aphrodite also tells us there will be no aphrodite re release.

 

Its disapointing as aphrodite had so so much potential and the campaign started so well but after all the lovers and the album going number 1 it faded fast. Aphrodite is now among her worst selling albums as i think only km 94 and impossible princess sold less and possibly lets get to it.

I thought the Better Than Today promo was awful. It had a crap video to start with, so that didn't help, and while she did some high profile TV performances they were scattered all over the place with no real effect. What the hell were they thinking booking her to perform on X Factor weeks before the single release? She should've been on the day before it came out.

 

And tbh I'm not surprised the album didn't take off as well as people thought it would. It was a good album but pretty run of the mill and uninspired. She needs to come back with something really fresh next time like she did with the Light Years and Fever albums a decade ago.

All The Lovers 850,000 [Official sales]

Get Outta My Way 200,000 [Estimation]

Better Than Today 100,000 [Estimation]

 

Aphrodite 750,000[Official sales]

I thought the Better Than Today promo was awful. It had a crap video to start with, so that didn't help, and while she did some high profile TV performances they were scattered all over the place with no real effect. What the hell were they thinking booking her to perform on X Factor weeks before the single release? She should've been on the day before it came out.

 

And tbh I'm not surprised the album didn't take off as well as people thought it would. It was a good album but pretty run of the mill and uninspired. She needs to come back with something really fresh next time like she did with the Light Years and Fever albums a decade ago.

 

 

I agree that the promo for better than today was scattered and for a #32 single it sold reasonably well, had the promo been for coherent it may have worked better. I love aphrodite and prefer it to x but x did contain more stand out songs for singles where aphrodite is good when listening to as a whole but lacks killer single apart from all the lovers.

It's interesting to read some honest quotes from a popstar about this sort of stuff. All too often no one comments on how they're promoted or marketed so it's refreshing to see, especially as Kylie's been in the business so long. Nice to see she's drawing parellels between the music industry in 1989 and in 2011 and is noting where her record label and management are lacking (like her fans have been doing since the download era emerged...)

i dont think kylies fans have been lacking since the download era, her fans are still buying downloads and also kylie is one of the few still releasing physisical singles where the fans more than buy. But i agree its good to see her speaking out about how she is promoted, i guess in a way kylie hasnt been happy with her last 2 album x and aphrodite as she has said she was disapointed by the quality of x when she looked back on reflection, may it will be third time lucky for kylie herself in all aspects on the next album.

Edited March 4, 201114 yr by Aphrodite

I meant her fans realised that she's not being properly marketed in the download era years ago...

It is nice to hear her honesty about how she feels on how the singles have done, a lot of times when singles under-perform artists just put on a smile and pretend like it never happened when asked about it regardless of how they feel, but kylie has been pretty honest with a lot of stuff this era, she also admitted she wasn't happy with Body Language and X as albums on the whole either this era. But It must be upsetting for an artist to see something they've worked hard on and thought for sure would be a hit, flop. I never thought Get Outta My Way would miss the top 10 but it did. Hopefully though this means for her next album they'll really push hard to make sure the singles are hits, personally i think she should have 2 singles out before the album, the first single should be a solid track to get everyone pumped then one or two weeks before the album drops put out the obvious smash hit that will generate the hype for album sales. The result would hopefully be two top 10 singles before the album drops. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Edited March 4, 201114 yr by Propilot87

The full article from the Herald Sun is here:

 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/exclusive...t-1226015014630

 

Exclusive: Kylie's wet n wild tour

KYLIE Minogue is promising her best tour ever, but fans have to be prepared to get wet.

Everyone's a critic.

 

Kylie Minogue launched her super-sized world tour Aphrodite Les Folies in Denmark late last month and will bring it this way for a home run in June.

 

She's hoping her latest nephew Ethan will attend his first Aunty Kylie concert when it hits Melbourne.

 

"I might have to customise a little tour T-shirt for him," Minogue says of sister Dannii's son.

 

"I would love it if he came just so historically he knew he came to my show."

 

Her brother Brendan's sons James and Charlie are also champing at the bit to see their aunty on stage again.

 

"Although Charlie did say to me, 'Don't make the show too long, I don't like it when it's too long'," Minogue says. "Hilarious."

 

Minogue is also fielding fan feedback via Twitter. As soon as the tour's setlist was revealed, the tweet bleats began.

 

"People were tweeting saying, 'You should put this song in'," Minogue sighs, with a slightly defeated air.

 

"If I said to those fans, 'You write the setlist', I'd love to see the comments they get. I'm never going to please everyone, but it's an Aphrodite tour. I love having that many Aphrodite songs in it."

 

However, the bleating hasn't put her off Twitter.

 

"Most people are nice," she says. "A few are mildly psychotic, but it's OK, I don't meet them."

 

The main bone of contention so far is the absence of her first two hits - Locomotion and I Should Be So Lucky; songs released 24 and 23 years ago, respectively.

 

"I've done those songs for the last few tours," she says. "I'm more concerned for the loyal fans who've been to those tours and giving them a new experience. Even Can't Get You Out Of My Head is 10 years old now ... "

 

Aphrodite Les Folies is Minogue's biggest show to date, a state-of-the-art, big-budget pop concert.

 

The idea was spawned on Minogue's first US tour in 2009. The singer was working on her Aphrodite album; the title track provided a ready-built tour concept - the goddess of love who arose from the sea.

 

"Initially we all thought 'What? Water? Can we do this?' " she recalls.

 

Indeed, the water - which is sprayed on the audience and dancers from the $25 million stage - posed a fairly basic problem ... water and electronics don't mix.

 

"There's been a lot of research done," tour production director Steve Dixon says. "I would say we had 700 hours of electrical engineering on this tour. Trust me, it's safe. I don't think there's anything this technical outside of Vegas."

 

Dixon has helped bring to life pop spectacles for everyone from Britney Spears to Justin Timberlake. He got Tait Towers, the team who built U2's "Claw", as well as stages for Madonna and the Rolling Stones, to construct Minogue's Aphrodite stage.

 

"They're the best of the best, but we stumped them with this tour," Dixon says.

 

The water must be kept at a certain temperature to ensure Minogue and her dancers don't catch colds.

 

The stage is made from recycled tyres to stop it being slippery, with holes throughout to let the water drain.

 

And the amount of recycled water used is less than required to flush the toilets in most venues on show day.

 

Minogue is thrilled with the entire production.

 

"I'm a techie at heart," she says. "I love all that stuff. I am in love with my stage. I could actually kiss it. It's so fine-tuned, it's like stepping into a solid house. And I've never had such a big quick-change area. I'm like 'Who do you think I am? Janet Jackson?' "

 

For the first time, Minogue is selling VIP "splash zone" tickets that allow fans to get close, personal ... and quite wet.

 

"We give them a backpack with a towel and a poncho," she says. "They want to get wet. Go figure."

 

The singer is aware that her biggest tour arrives at a time when many tours are struggling. So far Aphrodite Les Follies is on track to sell out most shows.

 

"There's always one difficulty or another in this business. Currently it's selling tickets," she says.

 

"For the first time my prices are higher, which I went into Terry (Blamey, manager) and asked him to explain, and apparently we're still very fair compared to what's going on."

 

Another difficulty in 2011 is selling albums. Sales of singles from Aphrodite did not match their quality, punished with some of her lowest chart positions in the UK and Australia in years. There will be no more singles from the album.

 

"It's confusing," she says. "I felt a little let down with my releases from Aphrodite. I was caught out like a lot of artists were, with record companies figuring out how to do single releases these days.

 

"I remember doing a promo for one of the last singles and it just felt really old-fashioned. I'm pretty computer-savvy, something didn't feel right, but no one said anything to me.

 

"Then you get Britney (Spears) releasing Hold It Against Me and Gaga's Born This Way available on iTunes the day you hear it first. That's how it should be. And there's me waiting for a mid-week chart figure like it's 1989. I was a bit disappointed by that. I didn't know how to gauge the success of the singles. How do you measure it now?"

 

This tour also marks an important personal milestone for Minogue.

 

The breast-cancer survivor has just passed her five-year all-clear mark.

 

For her previous two tours, Minogue's health has required a concert interval as well as no more than two consecutive shows. Now the interval is gone and she's back to working up to three days in a row.

 

The singer marked the first show, in Denmark, quietly. "We had some pink champagne and it was really chilled afterward. It's back to normal, but like everything it's the new normal," she says.

 

"With all that experience I've gone through, personally and professionally, it feels like the right time to do it. I'm back with all guns blazing."

 

Minogue's boyfriend Andres Velencoso will join her every night on tour - the Spanish model appears on screen during Cupid Boy, wearing gold underwear.

 

"We tried to get him in a fig leaf, but he wasn't having it," Minogue laughs. "Bless him. We gathered up the courage to ask if he wouldn't mind being my cupid boy."

 

More than at any time in the past, she's comfortable talking about her love life.

 

"Andres will come out on tour when he can. He makes himself at home and that makes me at ease," she says.

 

Dixon knows the Aphrodite tour is a gamble - "This is either the most brilliant thing I've ever created or we're all stupid!" he says.

 

Minogue is more confident.

 

"It just feels like a euphoric show. I still can't believe we pulled it off."

Minogue's boyfriend Andres Velencoso will join her every night on tour - the Spanish model appears on screen during Cupid Boy, wearing gold underwear.

 

Woo, roll on March 30th :kink:

Tweet from Kylie: PS - have not 'Fallen out' with record company!!! On the contrary, i *HEART* @Parlophone and we have some surprises coming up for you!

Re-release?

Although no more singles from Aphrodite... :thinking: Unless its a new song?

Re-release?

Although no more singles from Aphrodite... :thinking: Unless its a new song?

Yeah Re-release Would be good with more songs :dance:

I am hoping this surprise is "Fierce Aphrodite" or "Mighty Aphrodite". And as they have said no more singles from Aphrodite it could mean new singles!!!!

Aphrodite: The Olympus Edition!

Aphrodite: The heavens Edition

Queen Aphrodite

Aphrodite Gold

Aphrodite Power Edition

The Aphrodite Monster :heehee:

I just want a aphrodite re release, no more single may mean no more singles from aphrodite as it is but that it isnt to say no singles from a a deluxe edition, i still feel if they add a few songs to aphrodite and have one killer single to promote it the album will sell again. Its in kylie and the team around her to come up with a belter, come on kylie give us a good aphrodite tour edition release that will have plenty to keep fans happy and drum up sales for the album.

I still can't believe that "Better than today" and "The One" are her worst performing singles in terms of chart position in the UK. She has certainly released other songs which deserved to do badly but both are credible songs which deserved to do much better. I think music has changed and the market is currently swamped by urban music and Kylie's style of music doesnt perhaps appeal to the general public but she will continue to have a core fan base of supporters.

I still hope we get a re-release of Aphrodite including some new tracks and unreleased remixes but I suspect this may have been abandoned. She didnt release deluxe editions of the last few Parlophone albums, so far only Light Years and Fever got the deluxe treatment in the UK although X was re-released in two different formats in Asia.