Australian singer Kylie Minogue capped her comeback from breast cancer on Monday with a new single and the launch of a cellphone social-networking site that its designers say is a first for a major pop act.
Her spokesperson also confirmed she has discussed the possibility of a world tour in 2008, when she will be 40, but added that no decision has been made. Some British media reported a tour had to be cancelled due to concerns over her health.
Minogue, one of the most successful female artists in Britain with hits from I Should Be So Lucky to Can’t Get You Out of My Head, released her new single, 2 Hearts, digitally on Monday. It will be in shops a week later.
Her album X appears on November 26.
2 Hearts has already been branded a ”surefire number one” by the Sun tabloid, reflecting Minogue’s popularity in Britain. Her worldwide album sales are estimated at about 40-million.
Having transformed herself from a 1980s soap star into an international fashion icon and top-selling pop star, her appeal was further enhanced by her battle with breast cancer.
”If Kylie won admiration for her pop success, her courage and dignity in the face of her 2005 battle against breast cancer earned the public’s enduring respect,” Hello magazine said in a profile.
Minogue was forced to suspend her Showgirl tour when she underwent surgery in Melbourne, followed by chemotherapy in Paris where her then boyfriend had a home.
”When you are stripped of everything and you have to grow your eyelashes back, grow your hair back, it’s astonishing,” Minogue told Glamour magazine in a recent interview. ”It’s hard to express what I’ve learnt from that, but a deep psychological and emotional shift has obviously taken place.”
During her recovery, Minogue penned a children’s book and made occasional public appearances before returning to the stage in Sydney a year ago to resume her tour.
To coincide with the new single, Minogue has launched her own social-networking website, allowing fans to register on their cellphones, blog, communicate with other users and upload images and video.
Its designers, New Visions Mobile, believe it is a more mobile and flexible model than social-networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, already important marketing tools for pop stars.
”The whole thing is set up so that Kylie can update her blog and have a closer connection with fans,” said Julia McNally, business-development director at New Visions Mobile. — Reuters