Pop
Interview: Kim Wilde on her Singles Tour, secret to looking youthful, and what lessons she learnt from Michael Jackson
Pop icon Kim Wilde spoke to Contact Music about her upcoming tour and the hits from her illustrious career that have spanned over four decades.
Over four decades after Kim Wilde burst onto the scene with Kids in America in 1981, she remains as passionate about pop music as ever.
With the release of her 15th studio album, Closer, last year, recording a new record for 2026, and delighting audiences worldwide with her energetic and colourful live performances, the chart-topper has no plans to slow down.
Kim is once again gearing up to rock 13 venues across England and Scotland with her smash-hits, including You Came, You Keep Me Hangin' On, Never Trust a Stranger, as well as more recent tracks, for The Singles Tour.
And the Brit Award winner is thrilled that fellow '80s pop star Tiffany is coming along for the ride as her support.
Contact Music's Ethan Aaron Banks spoke with Kim about writing hit after hit with her brother, Ricky Wilde, the enduring appeal of the '80s, the lessons she learnt from touring with Michael Jackson, and the secret to looking youthful.
Contact Music: The exciting news is that you're doing your Singles Tour in March next year. You must be really excited about that, right?
Kim: I really am, actually. I'm doing 13 shows starting in Bristol, which is actually really weird because Bristol was the place where I did my first UK gig ever back in 1983 or whenever it was.
Anyway, I'm excited. Of course I am. When you're 65 and, well, I'll be 66 then, and still singing the songs, singing songs that people still love so much and get so much joy from. I see that all the time because I'm doing festivals, ‘80s festivals as well as my own concerts. So they go hand in hand.
So I'm either promoting my more recent stuff, or I rock up and sing the old hits, and everyone has a great time. So I love that I do both.
I love that I'm still writing and recording new music alongside celebrating such a fantastic decade.
How do you keep it so fresh, singing the hits after all these years?
Kim: I think it's because we are still making new music.
At the moment, my brother Ricky and I are in the studio, actually with Scarlett, my niece, who's my backing singer. We're in the studio at the moment, writing next year's album. So I think that's why, the fact that it's not just all about the past for us.
Kim Wilde and her brother Ricky Wilde performing at 80s Rewind in August 2018
Obviously, on the Singles Tour, we'll be doing the latest singles. We've both got A-listed, actually, on Radio Two. So yeah, it's a lot of ‘80s, of course, but it's not just the '80s for the Singles Tour. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it's going to come together.
Ricky and I haven't sat down and gone through exactly how the set will work. I should imagine, because there are so many singles, we'll probably do segways with some of the songs. We obviously can't do all of them because I think I've had over 50 singles or something.
Why do you think the ‘80s are still so popular after all these years?
Kim: I think it was a hell of a lot to do with the diversity. So the many different styles. For instance, you had disco, you had Imagination and Wham!, and then you had ska. You had New Wave, Depeche Mode, New Order, you had synthpop, Human League, OMD, you had prog, of course, with Genesis. And you had rock and roll with Queen and U2.
So I think a lot of the success of the ‘80s was the diversity. And also because, let's not forget, we still had Top of the Pops then. I think that brought music together in a really powerful way.
Wham!'s George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley visiting the Great Wall Of China in 1985
And magazines like Smash Hits and stuff. So there was one focus. This was a time before mobile phones, unbelievably, and the internet.
It's just unimaginable now to think of a world without all of that.
Do you think it was a much better time back then as a musician compared to now?
Kim: I think there are amazing things that can happen now. Someone can just pick up a phone, put themselves on Instagram, and before you know it, they're Jessie J or Raye.
So I don't have an issue with how things change and see it as a problem.
What really mystifies me still and enchants me is that the power of a three-minute song is as strong as it's ever been.
It's been the same since music was released back in the late ‘50s, when pop music started, I guess, and it's always been about a three-minute song, and it still is.
With all the change that we've had and all the different formats and different ways of listening and accessing music, the fact is that everyone is in love with a three-minute song.
And I love that. It's always made a lot of sense to me for whatever reason. I'm sure I'll find out one day in the great scheme of things. But in my life, it's made more sense than most other things.
And the fact that I've had my brother holding my hand right the way through it, Ricky Wilde, with his incredible talent and his passion for pop music.
He's constantly got his earplugs in, as I have, listening to new music, listening to what's going on now. So we're both huge music fans, especially pop music.
How do you navigate creative differences?
Kim: We both were brought up in the same decade, the ‘60s, listening to Beatles songs and listening to that incredible decade.
(T-B) The Beatles' John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, Goerge Harrison, and Sir Ringo Starr
So our ears are primed to listen and appreciate very similar things. On the whole, we're on the same page. Every now and again, we're not quite on the same page, but that's fine. We're different people.
But when it comes to what we do in the studio, we operate as one brain, I believe. There's very little verbal communication. It's mostly a kind of telepathic thing that's happening now, which is really exciting.
The other day, unusually for Rick, because he's really up to speed with lots of new music, he hadn't been listening to Turnstile. So I put some Turnstile on for him, and the next minute he's raving, and we're writing a song inspired by Turnstile.
Then he'll play me some new music that he's really getting into, and the same thing happens back.
And that is the beauty of music. Each song strikes a chord with someone, doesn't it? It caters to all audiences.
Kim: I think it's interesting what inspires a song to start in the first place.
I was looking at Instagram the other day and listening to an interview with Paul McCartney, and he was talking about how he starts a song. He said, ‘I'll go for a wacky chord.’ He played this really weird-sounding chord, but then he placed a chord beautifully next to it that sounded like magic.
So for him, it was an unusual chord that was the catalyst for a new song.
But it can be listening to something by Raye, listening to something by Turnstile or listening to Tame Impala or just really listening to what's around you.
You just don't know where inspiration for a song will come from, do you?
Kim: And that's why it's magical. That's why people still love it because there's a mystery to where it comes from, even to those people who are creating it.
It's kind of an alchemy.
You'll have Tiffany as support for the Singles Tour, which is very exciting. Have you guys ever worked together before?
Kim: We absolutely have. She's a darling, darling girl, and I can't wait to spend a few weeks with her next March. I can't wait. She's incredibly talented, and she's still got that fantastic voice of hers, but she's also got a huge personality.
I’m really excited. I think we're a perfect match.
Tiffany at the Super Bowl Party in 1989
What do you love most about touring after all these years?
Kim: I love the fact that you work as a team. There's about 12 or 13 of us in my team. That includes people behind the scenes, the crew, and obviously the people on stage. There's something really special about working as a team.
A lot of our lives have gravitated to being more solitary. So for me, it's wonderful to be around, especially very creative people.
And then of course there's the audience. Going to actually eyeball the people who love what you do and get excited about your songs. It's very emotional. It's a win-win.
There are exhausting aspects of it physically, but I do keep myself as fit as I can to deal with that. A tour is something I always really look forward to.
How do you stay healthy to go on tour? What kind of things do you do to prepare?
Kim: It's a year-round thing. I've taken lots of action to have a healthier lifestyle. I train with a personal trainer a few times a week. I don't drink alcohol, which I used to do a lot.
I'm very mindful and informed about eating well and the kind of stuff I put in my mouth.
So I'm a healthier 65-year-old probably than I was a 45-year-old.
Does that make you feel better about yourself?
Kim: Oh yeah. Obviously, as you get older, you have to throw everything you can at it to keep yourself strong in order to survive it. Like Bette Davis said, ‘Growing old ain't for sissies.’
Have you seen the Michael Jackson biopic?
Kim: No, I haven't. That's something I really would like to see.
You supported him on the 1988 Bad Tour. That must’ve been a fantastic experience.
Kim: It was just incredible. He was at the top of his game at the time, and I did about 33 shows with him all over Europe and the UK. We did seven nights at Wembley on the trot.
It completely raised my own personal game as a performer. To watch him at that stage when he was really at his peak was incredibly inspiring.
Kim Wilde and Michael Jackson at the Brit Awards in 1983
People always ask if I got to meet him, and I didn't really. We did a photograph together, and he was charming, but that was really it.
At the same time, anyone of that calibre of fame, whether it was Madonna or Beyonce or anyone like that, would also have a very isolated existence on tour. It's not like they would come down at the end of the night and have a beer.
I didn't think it was that unusual for him to be as elusive as he was.
And I guess you probably learned a lot just from seeing him perform?
Kim: Absolutely. The way he owned the stage and owned his own presence and was 1,000 per cent who he was in any moment on that stage.
I've learned a lot from many performers in my life, not least of all my own father, Marty Wilde. I watch every performer, and I learn something from every performer.
Marty Wilde and Kim Wilde
But yes, I certainly learned a huge amount from watching Michael Jackson, especially since I got to stand side stage often with his manager, Frank DiLeo at the time, and had a really close-up performer's experience of what was going on.
Looking back on your illustrious career, what would you say you're most proud of?
Kim: I suppose in the long term, I'm really proud of the fact that I'm still making new music and still excited about pop music the same way I was when I released Kids in America.
I haven't grown tired of the whole phenomenon. I'm still enchanted by a three minute something pop song.
So the thing I'm most proud of is that I have retained my passion for music and my passion for pop. It wasn't a misplaced loyalty, as I've discovered after all these years.
And it's so lovely that the children who grew up with your music are taking their children to the concerts now.
Kim: It's wonderful. We have very young audiences. I know they're all much younger than me. I can tell.
It really touches my heart. Young people right at the front, gazing at you. It's heartbreaking sometimes. It's so beautiful. It brings a tear to my eye when I see it.
There's so much magic in my life and so much magic about live performance.
I've got such an amazing band. Let's not forget the band. My brother is the MD of the band. My niece Scarlett Wilde’s in the band, and we've been writing together for several years now. A lot of inspiration there.
The other musicians have been with me for over 20 years now. When you come and see us, it's a good team, a real team spirit that I think is really infectious.
Kim Wilde singles Tour March 2027 - tickets here.
Tour dates
March 2027:
12th - Bristol Beacon
13th - Liverpool Philharmonic
14th - Gateshead Glasshouse
16th - Edinburgh Usher Hall
17th - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
19th - Manchester Bridgewater Hall
20th - Birmingham Symphony Hall
21st - London Palladium
23rd - Brighton Dome
24th - Bournemouth Pavillion
26th - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
27th - Sheffield City Hall
28th - York Barbican
