{"id":8122,"date":"2025-12-16T13:38:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T13:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/frosty-scrooge-or-santa-kylie-minogue-plays-f-m-k\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T13:38:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T13:38:07","slug":"frosty-scrooge-or-santa-kylie-minogue-plays-f-m-k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/frosty-scrooge-or-santa-kylie-minogue-plays-f-m-k\/","title":{"rendered":"Frosty, Scrooge or Santa? Kylie Minogue Plays F-M-K."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.papermag.com\/media-library\/image.jpg?id=62503597&#038;width=1245&#038;height=700&#038;coordinates=0%2C437%2C0%2C438\"><\/p>\n<p>A lot has happened in the world in the 10 years since <em>Kylie Christmas<\/em> was first released. If reading that floods you with jarring flashbacks of the multiple lives you\u2019ve lived since then, you\u2019re not alone. Kylie, too \u2014 with the sequential releases of <em>Golden<\/em>, <em>Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection<\/em>, <em>Tension<\/em>, and <em>Tension II <\/em> \u2014 has had quite an eventful decade. Almost as if she knew the world was in need of some lighthearted magic again, Kylie is back, shimmying down the chimney once more to revisit her now-classic holiday album. With <em>Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped)<\/em>, the pop princess returns to her festive throne with a deluxe anniversary edition featuring four new tracks, including the Amazon Music Original, \u201cXMAS.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Yes, that\u2019s pronounced X-M-A-S. And yes, I already know the dance.<\/p>\n<p>The new tracks play out almost like a holiday itinerary, a freewheeling sleigh ride through genre and occasion for the festively inclined: Last night in the club: \u201cHot in December.\u201d Last work Friday of the year: \u201cOffice Party.\u201d Road-tripping back home: \u201cXMAS.\u201d Snuggling up on the couch before the rom-coms drop: \u201cThis Time of Year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The anniversary edition is available to pre-order now and will be released in various festive formats, from limited edition candy-cane vinyl to transparent red and pink-and-white marble colorways. (I\u2019ll take the candy cane, for those asking.) <\/p>\n<p>We caught up with Kylie to revisit her Christmas (album) past, chat holiday traditions, and hear more about the stories behind the new tracks.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"7f203b47b4a7f29f97fa89037d494d82\" style=\"display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"auto\" lazy-loadable=\"true\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nXAg9YbtR9s?rel=0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve had quite a year with a global tour, 66 shows, then launching the deluxe <em>Kylie Christmas<\/em> <em>(Fully Wrapped)<\/em> album, and all the performances that come with it. I can imagine\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My quote for that is: don\u2019t even.<\/p>\n<p>Like, it\u2019s been a gigantic year. I mean, in the best way, my head just went and rested in my hand. It\u2019s been a \u2014 you know, I wouldn\u2019t say a mountain to climb, but now that I\u2019ve done it, it was a mountain to do. And I\u2019m really, really proud of this year and, I guess, the last three years since <em>Tension<\/em> and \u201cPadam\u201d kickstarting everything for me.<\/p>\n<p>So getting the 10th anniversary of the Christmas album in, sneaking that in at the end of the year, wraps up a really incredible year for me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We saw the <em>Tension<\/em> tour here when you came to the city and it was incredible.<br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Were you at MSG?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oh yes, we were.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t believe it. Two sold-out nights. It\u2019s just incredible. And I want to come back. That\u2019s all I\u2019m gonna say.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Well, we want you back. The energy there was insane. Do you actually get a holiday break? Does Kylie Minogue get to unwind for the holidays?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kylie Minogue is planning to do such a wild and crazy thing as have a holiday. Yeah, I think I need to treat it like work. I really have done so much this year that I just probably need to take stock. I\u2019m wildly grateful, but, yeah, just take stock and try to comprehend what 2025 has been. I\u2019ll have a break with my family in Australia and, yeah, see how we roll into 2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a Minogue Christmas like? Are you a big tree decorator? Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?<br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We try to keep it laidback each year. My nephews are teenagers now, so it\u2019s not like there are little kids around. I would say we just repeat ourselves every year. Like, \u201cOkay, we\u2019ll try to keep it simple this year,\u201d and, yeah, no one wants to make too much of a fuss. We don\u2019t want my mom going crazy and going OTT. But also: Mom, you can, because it\u2019s your rules and you can do whatever you like.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019ve said it again this year: Let\u2019s try not to get too much food. Let\u2019s keep it low-key. We\u2019ll see how successful we are. Because, you know, you reach fever pitch right before Christmas and it\u2019s all systems go. But it\u2019s summer, so the days are long. Someone\u2019s on the barbecue, someone\u2019s in the pool. That\u2019s what I\u2019m looking forward to.<\/p>\n<p>And for all of us as a family, it\u2019s been a big year. My family helped me so much with the tour. They came to a lot of the shows. My sister was at MSG both nights. I\u2019ve had a lot of family support.<\/p>\n<p>So yeah, let\u2019s hope we manage to slightly underplay it \u2014 which is probably weird coming from me, talking about a Christmas album.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"47b4446311727e4bd1e090c05b3fb682\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"4c1d2\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.papermag.com\/media-library\/image.png?id=62504022&#038;width=2000&#038;height=943&#038;quality=70&#038;coordinates=0%2C529%2C0%2C528\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Congrats again on the re-release. Ten years \u2014 it\u2019s an obvious classic now. And I must say, \u201cSanta Baby\u201d plays on repeat all season in my household. I\u2019m curious: What initially inspired the Queen of Club to record a Christmas album to begin with?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know, I was just asked that and I don\u2019t know the answer. I honestly don\u2019t. I couldn\u2019t even tell you why I recorded \u201cSanta Baby.\u201d I\u2019d have to ask my producer. People have different memories of events.<\/p>\n<p>I covered \u201cSanta Baby\u201d in 2001 and it was a B-side on a single. So I feel like it might have been \u2014 this is a bit of a guess \u2014 something like a Christmas special, some kind of show in the UK, and I must have gravitated toward \u201cSanta Baby\u201d as a performance. Did it. It kind of suited me. So it was put on as a B-side.<\/p>\n<p>At that point, I didn\u2019t think about doing a Christmas album. Then if we cut to 2015 when I did the first <em>Kylie Christmas<\/em> album, I think I\u2019d done <em>X<\/em>, <em>Aphrodite<\/em>, <em>Kiss Me Once<\/em> and I probably thought: Now\u2019s the time. This is a terrible answer, but I don\u2019t know. I just don\u2019t know. But we did it.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it was a more accessible thing to do than trying to come up with what\u2019s next. I don\u2019t think we were calling them eras back then, but what\u2019s the next thing? But I loved being in the studio and making music. And yeah, we really went for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>One of my personal faves is the duet with Frank [Sinatra]. And I\u2019m curious, since there are so many legends tied to the sound of Christmas, are there any icons of the past you wish you could collab with on another Christmas classic?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I haven\u2019t thought about this in a Christmas sense, but just in general: Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Prince \u2014 those would be no-brainers. I just fantasize about what it would have been like to sing and perform with them.<\/p>\n<p>But to work with Frank Sinatra\u2019s vocals was almost like a small lesson. First off, the estate gave us permission, which was huge. We were punching the air with excitement about that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Seriously.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Seriously. And then to get the master recording of his vocals \u2014 which you can even hear some of the band in it, because that\u2019s just how they did it then. It was all done..<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yeah, it was all done as one performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Exactly. When we record now, usually, 99% of the time it\u2019s to a click track, so you\u2019re already in time. So to try and imagine what my interaction with him would have been, or what it was to be in the recording of that song, was wild. He\u2019s known for his singular timing and phrasing, so hearing his voice and dancing with that while we recorded\u2026 it was pretty incredible.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"5021860f60e1a976e7075f04de968241\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"957a2\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.papermag.com\/media-library\/image.png?id=62503845&#038;width=2000&#038;height=951&#038;quality=70&#038;coordinates=0%2C529%2C0%2C520\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Very special moment, I\u2019m sure. But also, I love the new songs, especially \u201cOffice Party\u201d \u2014 I\u2019m already so obsessed with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have to say, it\u2019s hilarious.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I love that you say that. It almost feels like a playful nod to those golden age greats who leaned into the kitschy, theatrical elements of the holidays. I think one of my favorite songs is \u201cI Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oh, that makes \u201cOffice Party\u201d seem less hilarious. &#8220;I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,&#8221; I don\u2019t know that song.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You have to look it up. Gayla Peevey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m going to write it down. I must have heard it before, I must have heard it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s so pure. But are there any obscure Christmas songs you love?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not until now, not until I listen to that one. I must have heard it at some point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I can\u2019t wait for you to hear it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But with \u201cOffice Party,\u201d we \u2014 myself and three other guys writing and recording in the studio \u2014 had a very funny alt album title list that goes no further than the studio \u2014 so I can\u2019t share it \u2014 but there were a lot of LOLs. \u201cOffice Party\u201d came from a couple of places. Obviously, the TV show <em>The Office<\/em>, which we all know and love. But also on tour, our whole team had to get visas done, and when visas are done \u2014 everyone&#8217;s in suits. They just add your head and neck to a suit. And I went, \u201cOh my god, look at us &#8212; that&#8217;s not us.\u201d And I said, that\u2019s got to be our Christmas office party \u2014 everyone shows up in a grey suit.<\/p>\n<p>So that was in my mind, plus the show, and especially in the UK, where Christmas is such a huge thing. And it is about the office party and Christmas sweaters, and <em>Bridget Jones<\/em> and <em>Love Actually<\/em> \u2014 and all of that.<\/p>\n<p>Just for laughs in the studio, we added a photocopier sound at the end. I thought, \u201cI\u2019m going to get an email about this.\u201d Like, \u201cWe love it, but not sure about the sound effect.\u201d But we love it. It\u2019s a great little button on the song. That\u2019s the playfulness. Sonically, it\u2019s leaning into that \u201cSanta Baby\u201d world \u2014 a little sassy.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"c7b77ec6fa98ecb90ded935fe4a7b5db\" style=\"display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"auto\" lazy-loadable=\"true\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3B5Zcou91yA?rel=0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>And it totally lands that way. I also love \u201cXMAS.\u201d I can already hear it in the club. How did that one come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I can tell you exactly, because <em>that one<\/em> I do know the genesis of. After we recorded the first Christmas album, we did a performance somewhere in Berlin. After the show, we were all on the terrace bar at Soho House for my choreographer\u2019s birthday. My guitarist, Luke Fitton who I adore, and I, we must have just had Christmas in our minds because we had just finished making the album. And&#8230;possibly had a glass or two of wine. And the two of us just started singing \u201cXMAS\u201d over whatever was playing at the bar and shaping the letters out with our arms. Just as a joke.<\/p>\n<p>But then we thought, wait, this is catchy. And I\u2019ve had it in my head for 10 years. And this year, being the 10th anniversary, I was like, &#8220;I&#8217;ve gotta get it out of my head. It can&#8217;t live in my head and in my voice notes and in my notes &#8212; any longer. I need to see this through.&#8221; So now that I have people doing the \u201cXMAS\u201d dance with me and for me. It\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n<p>And then &#8220;Hot in December,&#8221; which is a total bop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We need more December bops. The <em>world<\/em> needs more December bops.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Absolutely. I&#8217;m here for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Last one \u2014 totally off the cuff. Fuck, Marry, Kill: Santa, Scrooge, or Frosty?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hang on, I\u2019ve got to write this down. **pen clicks**<\/p>\n<p>FMK: Santa, Scrooge, Frosty? Ahhh. You\u2019re hitting me with the hard questions here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m literally giving journalism.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is cutting-edge. Oh my gosh. There\u2019s no right answer, is there?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Maybe <em>that<\/em> is the answer. There <em>is<\/em> no answer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve written it down, the shorthand \u2014 FMK: Santa, Scrooge, Frosty. Just imagine, it&#8217;s very: Russell Crowe in <em>A Beautiful Mind<\/em>. That\u2019s the calculation happening right now.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"610b6b9bdd32c8e32791c422a61bdca4\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"d551d\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.papermag.com\/media-library\/image.jpg?id=62504027&#038;width=980\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><em>Interview edited for clarity and length.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Photos courtesy of the artist.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/br><\/br><\/br><\/br><\/br><\/br><\/br><\/br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lot has happened in the world in the 10 years since Kylie Christmas was first released. If reading that floods you with jarring flashbacks of the multiple lives you\u2019ve lived since then, you\u2019re <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8122\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}