Listen to Kylie Minogue on Batanga

Big was born May 28, 1968, in Melbourne, Australia. The sister of Danni Minogue (of Young Talent Time fame), a ten-year-old Kylie went with her sister to audition for The Sullivans, and landed the role of Carla.

The actress-turned-singer's big break came along when she was cast as car mechanic Charlene on the popular Australian soap opera, Neighbours, which also spawned the career of fellow Australian Natalie Imbruglia.

During her two and a half years on Neighbours, Kylie recorded her debut single, a remake of the pop track, "The Locomotion", introducing her to the pop music scene. While the soap was being aired in Britain, music producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman were impressed by the Australian beauty, and decided to transform her into her first of many career stages -- Pop Kylie -- just as her Neighbours days drew to a close.

Her string of successful hit singles took off with the release of "I Should Be So Lucky", and was followed by the chart-topping infectious tunes "Got To Be Certain", "Je Ne Sais Pas Pour Qui", "Hand On Your Heart", "Wouldn't Change A Thing", and "Never Too Late", off of her self-titled debut album and sophomore effort, Enjoy Yourself (1988 and 1989).

Kylie's success grew even more after several duets with her Neighbours co-star, Jason Donovan.

After her film role in The Delinquents and with the turn of the '90s, Kylie morphed from wholesome pop princess to sexy superstar. This new flirtatious image was underscored by her new steamy romance with the Inxslead singer, the now late Michael Hutchence (whom she met while on tour in Hong Kong).

The newly transformed Minogue was now gaining more media coverage than ever, and was signed to a new record deal, with DeConstruction Records. She even jumped on the Madonna erotic literature bandwagon, by writing a similar sex book, although it was never actually released.

Since the mid '90s, Kylie has entered a new phase in her life, Indie Kylie. In 1994, she released a second album entitled Big (grungier than her first album by the same name), and appeared in Van Damme's Street Fighter.

The newest phase for the former pop star is that of a grownup Kylie, as seen in her musical style. In 1996, she worked with the Manic Street Preachers, and released an album the following year entitled Impossible Princess (which presented a conflict as its release fell on the same year as Princess Diana's death).

Although her later albums did not see the same commercial success as her more poppy tunes, Kylie is still one of Australia's greatest exports (along with "The Body" Elle MacPherson and fellow singer "Tiny" Tina Arena). She was last seen performing "Dancing Queen" and "On A Night Like This" at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.