More than four decades after becoming one of the defining voices of 1980s pop, Kim Wilde says the pursuit of the perfect three minute pop song continues to drive her creative life, with new music already underway as she prepares to return to Australia this November.
by Paul Cashmere
Kim Wilde has no interest in becoming a heritage act living solely on past success. While audiences continue to embrace classics including Kids In America, Cambodia, Chequered Love and You Came, Wilde says her motivation remains exactly where it was at the beginning of her career. She is still trying to write the perfect pop song.
That philosophy sits at the heart of Closer, her latest studio album, and it is already shaping its follow-up. Speaking to Noise11 ahead of her Australian tour, Kim Wilde said writing new material remains as important as celebrating the catalogue that established her as one of Britain’s biggest international pop stars.
“We’re still chasing the holy grail of the perfect three minute pop tune,” Kim said. “It still feels like a great idea to us. It still inspires us.”
Rather than trying to recreate the sound that made her famous in the early 1980s, Kim said every new song is written with the live stage in mind.
“We do a lot of live work, so when we write, we write for what we think will work live with our band,” she said. “It’s not about looking back. It’s not about trying to recreate Kids In America or Cambodia. It’s about writing songs that we feel belong on stage next to those songs.”
That approach has allowed recent material to sit naturally alongside the hits in concert. Kim Wilde said there are no creative rules placed on the songwriting process.
“We don’t put any restraints on what we’re writing. We just go with what we love. We love pop music.”
Her current creative partnership continues a family tradition that stretches back to the beginning of her recording career. Wilde first worked alongside her father, British rock and roll pioneer Marty Wilde, who co-wrote many of her breakthrough recordings with her brother Ricky Wilde. Today that collaboration has expanded to include Ricky’s daughter, Scarlet Wilde.
“When I started making records I was working with my dad, who was only about 40 at the time,” Kim Wilde said. “Now I’m working with Scarlet, who’s 20 years younger than me. We exchange ideas, write songs together and inspire each other.”
She credits that multi-generational partnership with helping shape Closer and revealed another album is already being written.
“We’re writing again today. The next album comes out next year. We’re still inspired to write new stuff, but we haven’t forgotten how to celebrate the past.”
That balance between past and present has become central to Wilde’s concerts. While audiences expect to hear favourites such as Kids In America, she believes they also want to experience an artist who continues to evolve.
She said her voice is actually stronger now than when she first entered the studio in the early 1980s, although performing the classic songs sometimes requires her to recreate the lighter vocal style of her younger self.
“My voice is a lot stronger now,” she said. “Sometimes I have to remind myself to soften it because people want to hear those songs the way they remember them.”
Technology has also transformed the live experience. Wilde believes advances including in-ear monitoring now allow audiences to hear performances much closer to the original recordings than was possible during her early touring years with artists including Michael Jackson and David Bowie.
For Wilde, however, technology remains a tool rather than the motivation. The real incentive is still songwriting.
“I can’t see that changing any time soon,” she said.
That creative outlook also explains why retirement has never entered her thinking. Inspired by her father Marty Wilde, who continues recording and touring into his late 80s, Kim Wilde believes making music remains something to be embraced for as long as possible.
“I can’t imagine ever wanting to stop,” she said. “The only thing that would stop me would be ill health. I’m doing everything I can to stay as healthy and as strong as I can.”
Kim Wilde returns to Australia in November for a national tour.
Tour Dates
18 November 2026, Perth, Astor Theatre
20 November 2026, Brisbane, The Tivoli
21 November 2026, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
22 November 2026, Geelong, Costa Hall
24 November 2026, Adelaide, The Gov
27 November 2026, Newcastle, Civic Theatre
28 November 2026, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
29 November 2026, Canberra, Canberra Theatre
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first-Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
