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Kylie Minogue will close the Dubai World Cup on March 28 Image Credit: Courtesy: Meydan

She’s back! Two years after she rocked the UAE, Australia’s biggest international pop export Kylie Minogue is returning to the country to perform at the closing of this year’s Dubai World Cup.

Minogue will take the stage at the world’s richest horse race on March 28 at Meydan, as part of her ongoing world tour to support her 12th studio album Kiss Me Once, which was released last year.

“Growing up in Melbourne, horse racing is a major and exciting part of our annual calendar. So to be able to bring my show to the Dubai World Cup is something I’m very much looking forward to. It will certainly be an unforgettable experience,” the 46 year old said in a statement.

Minogue’s 90-minute performance is expected to begin at 10pm, following a 15-minute presentation after the race, which will see a total of $30 million (Dh110 million) being given away as prize money.

The tour she’s bringing has already taken her across Europe and Australia, and has received positive reviews, traversing some of her biggest hits from a career now spanning three decades.

The singer is no stranger to the Emirates. She last performed at the Abu Dhabi after-race concert in 2012 and in 2008 in Dubai when she brought her KylieX2008 tour.

One of the most recognised names in music today, with record sales of more than 70 million, Minogue is undoubtedly one of the most successful recording artists. She’s also known for her live performances, and made massive successes of her tours.

Distinctions include the first artist on the US Billboard chart to claim two songs in the top three simultaneously, the recipient of both Brit and Grammy Awards, and she has also been appointed as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres — one of France’s highest cultural awards — and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She also has a Guinness World Records citation for most consecutive decades with top five album rankings.

Not bad for someone who started acting at 11 — with her younger pop star sister Dannii — on Australian television. Of course, before she became a pop star, the world knew her for her role in the hit series Neighbours, which was syndicated around the world.

But it was the 1988 release of Kylie, with singles including The Loco-Motion and I Could Be So Lucky that brought Minogue true international fame, and a certified pop star status.

She’s since released 12 studio albums and, at 46, is still actively touring.

In 2012 VH1 ranked her at number 47 on their Greatest Women in Music and number 49 on the 50 Greatest Women of the Video Era.

Minogue is also a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed at age 36 in 2005, which led to the cancellation of her Showgirl — The Greatest Hits Tour. She’s since been an outspoken campaigner for cancer awareness, and launched One Note Against Cancer, a charity organisation to help cancer research, last year.

“I’ve always been compassionate, but to have compassion and a first-hand experience of something like that ... it makes you a very different person,” she recently told British magazine the New Statesman about her struggle with cancer. “I just wish you could jump-cut to that without the experience.”

 

Don’t miss it

Admission to the post-race concert is exclusive to Dubai World Cup day ticket holders. Public gates open at 12pm and hospitality gates open at 2pm. The first race starts at 4.30pm. For tickets and hospitality packages, go to dubaiworldcup.com.