Kylie Minogue is “producing vocals better than us”, say her producers
The singer started learning Logic Pro in 2020. She’s now set to release her 16th studio album, Tension, in September
Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Is there anything Kylie Minogue can’t do? In a recent interview, the singer-songwriter’s producers have said she is “producing vocals better than them”, hailing her as “the queen of the remote vocals”.
As revealed in an interview for Billboard in 2020, Minogue delved into the world of music production during the Covid-19 Pandemic-induced lockdown while making her album, Disco.
Starting with a simple GarageBand setup, later transitioning to Apple Logic Pro and setting up a Brauner VMX microphone, this shift empowered the singer to record remotely and collaborate globally, solidifying her self-sufficiency in vocal production. At the time, she said, “if 11-year-olds can do this in their bedroom, I can figure this out. I got really into [Logic Pro], and I’m annoyed with myself it took this long for me to get a handle on it. It’s good to add new skills to your set.”
Now, ahead of the release of her next album, Tension, regular writer and producer for Minogue, Biff Stannard has said: “Kylie won’t mind me saying this, but when she started it was during [2020 album] Disco it was the most basic GarageBand setup and we had to talk her through it. Next thing we know, she’s mastered it and is producing high-quality vocals! She’s better than me now at producing her vocals. At the end of the day, no-one knows her voice better than she does.”
Another collaborator, Duck Blackwell chips in: “She’s the queen of the remote vocals! A lot of her vocals were recorded in hotel rooms. Because she’s traveling so much it’s been really easy to make changes from wherever she is in the world. I’ll get messages saying, ‘Oh, I think we need a backing vocal in that middle eight’ or ‘I think the second take was better on that line’ or in some cases [she’ll] even rewrite a verse and ping it over and we can just drop it in. Five years ago, she’d have had to travel back, get into a studio or whatever and re-record it. This is such an exciting and easier way of working.”
Kylie Minogue’s new album, Tension, will be available on 22 September. Pre-order via kylie.com.
