"Kylie idolised Dannii and no matter how big she became, she always thought Dannii would be bigger."
It was the '80s and two young Melbourne girls were on the path to stardom. The first was
Young Talent Time regular Dannii Minogue, and the other, her sister Kylie. Though it's almost impossible to imagine, this was an age where Kylie was not as famous as her sister. It was also an age where big shoulder pads and even bigger hair was fashionable, so it's safe to say things weren't as they should have been in the '80s.
Come the late '80s and the scales were beginning to tip, with Kylie landing a role in
Neighbours and instantly acquiring about 100 million adoring fans in the UK. It was then music gurus Stock, Aiken and Waterman's turn to transform 'Dannii's sister' into an overnight pop sensation. From there Kylie astutely achieved longevity by reinventing herself on numerous occasions to become the pop icon she is today.
Family feud
While Danni may have fired the first shot in the great Minogue fame challenge of the '80s and '90s, it was Kylie who well and truly won the war in the early to mid '90s. As Dannii's career floundered, Kylie's soared. The odd thing about their relationship is that in the early days Kylie thought Dannii would be the famous one. Eighties music producer Pete Waterman admitted they didn't sign both sisters to the Stock, Aitken and Waterman label as "it would have dented Kylie's confidence". He explained that "Kylie idolised Dannii and no matter how big she became, she always thought Dannii would be bigger."
Despite the reversal of fortune Dannii has stated she doesn't feel there is rivalry between the pair and their shared experiences outweigh any difficulties they may have. "We were raised in a family of love and support," said Dannii, "and that has not changed."
Of course the sisters' relationship hasn't been without the odd conflict, if you count a 1999 interview for
Esquire magazine in which the pair recalled a fight they had as teenagers, when Dannii dared to borrow one of Kylie's dresses without asking.
When it comes down to it, the important issue is not that one sister has become more famous than the other, but that at least one of them is popular in the UK. Thanks to the relaxed British definition of the term celebrity, both of them will reap the rewards when only one is in the public eye.
Fame hog
Kylie. No questions. Both sisters at some point have been involved in music, acting and had their own fashion label. Kylie's forays into these fields have always been better received.
Compared to her sister, Dannii just seems to be unable to catch a break. Her songs, while performing well in their dance chart niche, in no way threatened her sister's dominance. She even married Julian McMahon at the wrong time, way back in the '90s when he wasn't famous and no one really cared that much about him. By any objective standard she isn't doing too badly for herself and unlike other ex-pat exports to the UK — um, Peter Andre — Dannii does actually possess some talent. It's just that her sister is really, really famous.
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