Kylie Minogue is renowned as one of Australia’s most iconic figures. However, this pop legend has deep Welsh roots and can even speak a few phrases in the Welsh language.
Minogue’s family hails from Maesteg in Bridgend County, having emigrated to Australia in the 1950s. Throughout her career, Minogue has expressed pride in her Welsh heritage, stating that performing in Cardiff feels exceptionally special to her.
Her mother, Carol Jones, was only 10 years old when she and her mother, Millie Jones, made the move to Australia. Reflecting on this significant transition during an interview with Rylan on BBC Radio 2, Kylie shared:
“I just think of my grandparents going from like the valleys of Wales to… North Queensland, where there’s mangos falling off trees and a snake in the letterbox. What a change.”
Kylie affectionately refers to her grandparents as “nain” and “taid,” which are the Welsh terms for grandmother and grandfather.
In a 1994 interview, Kylie’s grandmother, Millie, who is set to turn 104 this December, expressed her pride in Kylie and her sister Dannii during a visit to Wales. Speaking in Welsh, she remarked:
“I’m really glad that they did so well and went so far.”
During this trip back to Gwynedd, Millie fondly noted:
“It’s lovely to come back to Blaenau Ffestiniog to listen to the language. I don’t get much chance in Australia. No-one speaks Welsh.”
In a 2021 conversation with Carol Vorderman on BBC Radio Wales, Kylie described her nain as a strong influence in her life:
“I like to think that part of me… will always have something to say… I think that comes from my nain.”
She fondly remembers learning skills such as sewing from her grandmother at the age of 14.
Kylie Minogue has shared that she knows only a few Welsh phrases, describing herself as “half Welsh.” In 2020, she told Jonathan Ross:
“I literally know diolch yn fawr (thank you very much). The one word we used to hear as kids is ‘ych a fi’, which means ‘yuck.'”
Her connection to Wales remains strong; notably, her previous partner Paul Solomons impressed her nain by conversing with her in Welsh.
This year will see Kylie’s tour begin in Australia before making its way through Asia and the UK.
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