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''Kiss Me Once'' is the twelfth studio album by Australian singer
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
, released on 14 March 2014 by
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
. It is her first studio release since 2010's ''
Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
'', and marks Minogue's first and only album with
Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...
, handled by American rapper and businessman
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
. They both enlisted several songwriters and producers such as
Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
,
Cutfather Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for hi ...
,
Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...
, Pharrell Williams, and
MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and has received the ASCAP Vangua ...
. Musically, it was recognised by
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
as Minogue's return to contemporary
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
, incorporating musical elements of
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
,
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, electropop, and R&B. Lyrically, the songs focus on themes such as romance, sex, self-empowerment, and having fun. Upon its release, ''Kiss Me Once'' received generally favorable reviews from most music critics. The majority of them complimented Minogue's charm and vocal delivery, alongside her return to contemporary pop music. However, critics were polarised towards the content and production; some felt the material was fun, but majority dismissed its memorability and felt it lacked innovation on Minogue's behalf. Commercially, the album performed moderately worldwide, reaching the top 10 in regions such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and France. It is her fourth highest-charting album on the US ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at number 31. However, the overall lack of success for ''Kiss Me Once'' prompted Minogue to leave Parlophone, citing artistic differences. " Into the Blue" and " I Was Gonna Cancel" were released as the album's main singles; the former experienced moderate success on several countries, while the latter failed to generate a similar success. The album tracks: "Million Miles", "
Sexercize "Sexercize" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her twelfth studio album ''Kiss Me Once'' (2014). The song was written by Sia, Marcus Lomax, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Clarence Coffee and Nella Tahrini, whilst production was ha ...
", "Sexy Love", and "
Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
" were promoted as radio tracks in different worldwide regions. To further promote the album, Minogue commenced her
Kiss Me Once Tour The Kiss Me Once Tour was the fourteenth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her twelfth studio album, '' Kiss Me Once'' (2014) and visited Europe, Australia and Middle East. Rumours of plans to tour ...
in September 2014, and finished in March 2015; by April 2015, the concert tour amassed $21 million ticket sales and released an accompanying live album and concert DVD in Glasgow, Scotland.


Background

In 2012, Minogue began a year-long celebration for her 25 years in the music industry, which was often known as "K25". The anniversary started on 3 March with her 20-minute medley performance at the
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...
in front of 15,000 people. Two weeks later, Minogue embarked the
Anti Tour The Anti Tour was the thirteenth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, as part of the "K25" project. The tour began on 18 March 2012 in Melbourne, Australia at the Palace Theatre and concluded on 3 April 2012 in London ...
in Australia and the UK, featured
B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
,
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and rarities from her music catalogue. She released the single " Timebomb" in May, before releasing the
greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' The Best of Kylie Minogue'' in June. Minogue announced two releases in October: the compilation album '' The Abbey Road Sessions'' that features reworked and orchestral versions of her previous songs which were recorded at London's
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
; and the '' K25 Time Capsule'' box set that contained 25 mini-CDs. Following the release of Minogue's orchestral compilation album ''The Abbey Road Sessions'' (2012), she parted ways with her long-term manager Terry Blamey and his team, and announced a musical hiatus. Then, in February 2013, she announced via
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and
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that she signed a management contract with American rapper and businessman
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
's imprint
Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...
. Following the announcement that same month, British publications reported about Minogue's 12th studio album and commented that she had been collaborating with Australian musician
Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
, which Minogue confirmed. In May 2013, Minogue commented to American magazine ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' that the album was "bringing out something different... which is cool". She also recognised that she had to "do something different", but added that the album "will maintain the DNA of what a Kylie track is, because I'm on it. I like to try and move the goalpost and experiment with different sounds."


Production

Minogue began initial sessions for the album in January 2012 in London and Los Angeles. Throughout March–July, Minogue announced collaborations with Norwegian team Stargate, American producer
Darkchild Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
, American rapper Brooke Candy,
MNDR Amanda Lucille Warner (born September 12, 1982), known professionally as MNDR, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence after being featured on Mark Ronson, Mark Ronson & The Business Intl's 2010 single "Bang ...
, and
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
via Twitter. On 27 May, one day before Minogue's 45th birthday, she teased information about an "interesting" collaboration, later revealed as a duet with Spanish singer
Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...
. In February 2014, Minogue confirmed
Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
as the album's executive co-producer. Minogue stated in an interview with American website
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
that "I got on with her so well... I asked her if she would executive-produce. I was hoping she would say yes. I didn't know if it was something she had done or was interested in, or if maybe she just preferred writing and doing her own music." That same month, she commented to American '' Billboard'' magazine; "I felt like I needed a new landscape, and once you've got your feet on the ground you're raring to go. ..So far the support has been great, and it's just another part of this amalgamation of 'new' that I had wished for and was struck by." Minogue enlisted several songwriters and producers to create the album, including Sia,
Cutfather Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for hi ...
,
Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...
, Pharrell Williams, and
MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and has received the ASCAP Vangua ...
amongst others. Minogue recorded majority of the album in Los Angeles and New York City, with additional recording and mixing handled in London. In an interview with ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', Minogue revealed that she and Furler had recorded several tracks that did not appear on the final cut in comparison to her previous album ''
Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
'' (2010). Minogue recalled that the number of tracks that did not appear collated into "three albums" in "three genres": a "pure pop" album, a "dancy-urban" album, and an "indie" album. She also said both she and Furler selected tracks from each they felt represented ''Kiss Me Once'' at the time. Regarding the recording process, she revealed to Colleen Quill at Radio.com, "Compared to the early days for me, I'm really comfortable in the studio. I record really fast, my leads, my backing vocals and the harmonies. I'm kind of like a machine doing that."


Music and lyrics

Musically ''Kiss Me Once'' has been described by critics from publications such as Timeout.com, ''The Guardian'', and ''Clash Magazine'' as Minogue's return to contemporary
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
. According to Quill, she stated that the album was a form of return to "pure pop" that also incorporated elements of
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
. Tim Sendra, writing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, categorised the album as "an intoxicating blend of uptempo dance tracks, funky club cuts, sexy midtempo jams, and the occasional ballad." ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
s Ben Cardew noted elements of
contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...
and
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
in some of the tracks, including "
Sexercize "Sexercize" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her twelfth studio album ''Kiss Me Once'' (2014). The song was written by Sia, Marcus Lomax, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Clarence Coffee and Nella Tahrini, whilst production was ha ...
" and "If Only". Similarly, Kitty Empire from ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' felt the album was "rooted" with R&B music and incorporated elements of funk, disco, and electronic dance music (EDM).


Song analysis

The album opens with " Into the Blue", which Minogue describes lyrically as an "escape" and "free". The track was described by Matt Bagwell from ''The Huffington Post'' as a "euphoric" and "melancholy" track, and was labelled "age-appropriate
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
". "Million Miles" was compared to the work of
Dragonette Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also in Th ...
, where it was commented by
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
critic Ryan Lathan that it featured real instrumentation including electric guitars and keyboards; he later concluded it as an electropop song. According to Minogue, the idea of the third track, " I Was Gonna Cancel", came about when she attended a recording session with American producer Pharrell Williams and "burst into tears"; then onwards, Williams composed the track inspired by Minogue's moment. She was booked with Williams for only one day throughout the entire process of the album, leading to only two tracks finished by him. Bagwell compared the "electro funk" sound to her 2003 album ''
Body Language Body language is a type of communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Th ...
''. "Sexy Love" was one of the first of three tracks on the album that represented "sex", a recurring theme on the album; according to Lathan, it is a "disco-pop" anthem. Paul Keevers from SameSame felt it was the "offspring" to Minogue's 2008 single " Wow". "
Sexercize "Sexercize" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her twelfth studio album ''Kiss Me Once'' (2014). The song was written by Sia, Marcus Lomax, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Clarence Coffee and Nella Tahrini, whilst production was ha ...
", the second of "sex" songs, was criticized by several critics for its "dated"
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
/
brostep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken b ...
production and lyrical content. The sixth track, "Feels So Good", is a
cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
that was adapted from the demo track "Indiana" written and recorded by Tom Aspaul; Bagwell labelled it a "mid-tempo electro" recording. According to Lathan, the first R&B entry, "If Only", "begins with a brief synth chordal progression before giving way to the steady sound of stadium-size handclaps, which form the basis of the song's marching rhythm." The final track that represents the "sex" theme is "Les Sex", which Minogue described her favourite out of the trio set. Joe Muggs from ''
Fact Magazine A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...
'' felt the lyrical content was slightly
campy Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting ae ...
and described it as an "electro" song. The title track, "Kiss Me Once", was appreciated by music critics as a return to Minogue's "romantic" lyrical content instead of sex. Described as a mid-tempo pop song that resembled her
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releases, Levine from
Attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...
compared the quality and production style to the title track from her previous studio album. The album's only pop ballad and duet, "
Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
", was heavily criticized for its overuse of
Auto-tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
and
vocoder A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''voice'' and ''encoder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation. The vocoder was ...
techniques, but commended for its lyrical hook during the chorus. Minogue revealed that she did not meet Iglesias to record the track, as she was in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
at the time. The album's standard edition closer was "Fine", the only co-written track by Minogue. An empowerment anthem that utilizes musical elements of electro and
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
, it was heavily commended by critics as an "accomplishment" to Minogue's back catalogue. The album's bonus tracks: "Mr. President" and "Sleeping With the Enemy" were noted by critics as electro entries; the former was described by Bradley Stern from MuuMuse as "silly fun", and using samples of
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
's "
Happy Birthday, Mr. President "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" is a song sung by actress and singer Marilyn Monroe on May 19, 1962, for President John F. Kennedy at a gala held at Madison Square Garden for his 45th birthday, 10 days before the actual date (May 29). The even ...
" speech, and the latter was noted as "dreamy" and "lush."


Packaging and release

English fashion stylist William Baker shot the artwork for ''Kiss Me Once''. After a week of teasing on social media, Minogue revealed the album title and cover artwork on 24 January 2014. The artwork shows Minogue closing her eyes and pursing her red lips for a kiss. The close-up shot of Minogue was taken behind a sheet of wet glass. The piece gave Carolyn Menyes of ''Music Times'' a sense of drama and desire, while Robbie Daw of ''
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
'' described it as "warm, colorful and perfectly pop". From the same publication, Mike Wass opined that the flirtatious cover leaves a strong visual impression and indicates Minogue has "really brought her inner-
sex kitten A sex kitten is a woman who exhibits a sexually provocative lifestyle or an abundant sexual aggression. The term originated around 1956 in articles in the British and American press and was originally used to describe French actress Brigitte Bardot ...
" for the album. Seamus Duff of ''
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'' viewed the artwork as a "silent plea to America to open the window and let her in". A week before its release in the UK, ''Kiss Me Once'' was made available for streaming in full on the official website of ''The Guardian'' on 10 March. The album was first released in Australia and Germany by
Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
on 14 March. Three days later, the album was made available in European countries and the UK in two versions: a 11-track standard version, and a deluxe version featured two bonus tracks "Mr. President" and "Sleeping With the Enemy". ''Kiss Me Once'' was released in North America on 18 March, and distributed a day later in Japan; the latter region featured two bonus tracks: "Sparks" and a remix of "Into the Blue" by Japanese musician
Yasutaka Nakata is a Japanese DJ and music producer. He formed the band Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer and record producer when both were 17. The band debuted in 2001 with the song "Sakura". He is known for being the ...
. In Europe, a special double- 12-inch vinyl was issued on 17 May and featured a bonus digital download code for the bonus tracks. Minogue's website distributed a limited edition
box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...
that restricted physical units to 3,500 worldwide. On 8 December 2014, Parlophone and Warner Music Group re-released the album on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
; it included several live performances at the iTunes Festival. On the censored version of the album in South Africa, "Sexy Love" is titled "Love", "Sexercize" is titled "Exercize" and "Les Sex" is retitled "We Could Call It".


Promotion

On 13 February 2014, Minogue gave a surprise live performance of "Into the Blue" and "Les Sex" at the Old Blue Last Pub in Shoreditch. Four days later, she released an album-sampler video of 11 standard tracks on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, featuring 50-second snippets of each song. In March, she performed "Into the Blue" in several television programs in the UK, including the semi-final episode of ''
The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...
'' and the fundraising event ''
Sport Relief 2014 Sport Relief 2014 is a fundraising event organised by Sport Relief. A number of run-up events took place and the main event consisted of a live telethon broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of Friday 21 March 2014 to early the follow ...
''. Two intimate concert shows were held in London (18 March) and Melbourne (25 April), where Minogue performed several tracks from ''Kiss Me Once''. She went on to perform "I Was Gonna Cancel" at the 2014 Logie Awards, her first appearance at the award show in 25 years. Minogue was accused of lip-syncing to the performance, which she later denied a day later. In August, Minogue performed a seven-song set at the 2014 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, among them were "Into the Blue" and "Beautiful". The ceremony was watched by an average of 6.8 million viewers. Streaming platform
Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights ...
reported a 669% sales increase for ''Kiss Me Once'' within 24 hours after the show. She embarked the
Kiss Me Once Tour The Kiss Me Once Tour was the fourteenth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her twelfth studio album, '' Kiss Me Once'' (2014) and visited Europe, Australia and Middle East. Rumours of plans to tour ...
in Liverpool in September 2014. The concert tour traveled through the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. The staging of the tour was inspired by detailed
geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
and
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
aesthetics. The concert tour achieved $17 million throughout ticket sales in Europe, and an additional $4 million throughout Australia.Australian boxscore data * * * An accompanying live album and concert DVD was released on 23 March 2015, which was shot in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2014. Minogue's performance on 27 September, as a part of 2014 iTunes Festival, was streamed live and made available on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
for a limited time.


Singles and additional releases

Two official singles were spawned from ''Kiss Me Once''. "Into the Blue" was released as the lead single on 27 January 2014. Its digital and vinyl releases in March included the dance-pop
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
track "Sparks".; The single's artwork shows Minogue wearing a see-through crochet dress. The music video for "Into the Blue" was directed by
Dawn Shadforth Dawn Shadforth is a British director of music videos, TV, and film and a visual artist. She was originally a fine artist making work with objects, light, video and sound. She won the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Award for the installation "Swe ...
, featuring French actor
Clément Sibony Clément Sibony (born 30 November 1976) is a French actor and film director. He has appeared in more than 60 films and television shows since 1991. He won the award for Best Actor at the 22nd Moscow International Film Festival for his role in '' ...
as Minogue's love interest. The single peaked at number 46 in her native Australia, and number twelve in the UK. In the United States, "Into the Blue" peaked at the top of the '' Billboard''
Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart. The second single, "I Was Gonna Cancel", was issued on 22 April as a digital remix bundle and a seven-inch vinyl. Directed by Dimitri Basil, an accompanying music video was filmed at
Docklands Studios Melbourne Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major film and television production complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped Docklands precinct. The site is approximately from Melbourne’s Central Business District. The complex opened in 2004 and its ...
, Minogue's first video to be filmed in Melbourne since "
Better the Devil You Know "Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album '' Rhythm of Love'' (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. The song was released as the album's ...
" (1990). The video, which shows Minogue stands among a bustling crowd, sparked controversy as several dancers stated they were unpaid for the 11-hour shoot; Minogue and Basil later denied these claims. The single peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart and number 59 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. A year prior to the album release, on 28 May 2013, Minogue posted the
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
track "Skirt" on
SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
. "Skirt" served as a
buzz single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
for ''Kiss Me Once''; it did not appear on the album, but was re-released as a digital EP on the iTunes Store in June. That month, an accompanying lyric video was published on
Nowness Nowness (stylized NOWNESS) is a digital video channel that was launched in 2010 by its founder Jefferson Hack as a brand of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.
, featuring more than 1,000 still photos shot of Minogue posing in a hotel room. "Crystallize", another track did not make into the final tracklist, was released as a
charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-made ...
for the fundraising campaign One Note For Cancer on 26 May 2014. Originally intended to be included on the Japanese edition of ''Kiss Me Once'', "Golden Boy" was released exclusively on 7" vinyl on 19 April 2014 for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
. An official music video for "Sexercize" was released on 19 March, in which Minogue doing gymnasium exercises in erotic positions. Minogue further promoted "Sexercize" by launching the sexercize.tv website, where she showcased several visual interpretations of "Sexercize". "Sexy Love" served as a promotional single in Australia in June, before "Million Miles" was sent to Spanish radio in July. "Beautiful" was sent to the radio in the UK on 15 February 2014, before its digital release in Australia on 14 March.


Critical reception

''Kiss Me Once'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
weighted mean The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
rating out of 100 to reviews by music critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Writing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Tim Sendra commended ''Kiss Me Once'' as a "glittering, fun, and surprisingly powerful album that's classic Kylie through and through." Sal Cinquemani from ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' believed that ''Kiss Me Once'' is better than a typical Minogue album, even though the material did not have enough commercial appeal like her previous efforts. Ben Cardew of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' said the album proved that "after 26 years in the business, Kylie can still pull off a very modern pop album." Ryan Lathan from
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
examined that ''Kiss Me Once'' was one of Minogue's album's that did not showcase any re-inventions or was not a "game-changing album", but "it should churn out enough hits to secure her place on the pop culture radar until her next offering." '' Spin'' magazine editor Brittany Spanos noted the album's lacked "cohesion", but stated "Therein lies the strength of ''Kiss Me Once'': Minogue's ability to turn any contrived situation into something positive, magical, and utterly her own." Marc Hirsh from ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' criticized the track "Sexercize", but ultimately said about the album; "It's the album's only genuine misstep, but it's still perplexing, hearing a Minogue that can do wrong." Joe Muggs from '' Fact'' magazine awarded it 3.5 points out of 5. Muggs felt majority of the album contained too many fillers and exemplified the songs "Les Sex", "I Was Gonna Cancel", and "Sexercize", but commended the overall production, Minogue's vocal deliveries in most tracks, and the quality. Similarly, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' writer Adam Markovitz graded it B− and criticized the "sex" tracks. However, he complimented Minogue's "plucky" charm and felt it was more a treat to her fanbase. Kitty Empire from ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' said "Polished but kittenish, Kiss Me Once remains true to the effervescent dance-pop for which Kylie is known. But the scenery around this album has altered profoundly." Neil McCormick from ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' awarded it three stars, and complimented her "charm", the album's hooks, and the overall electronic sound, but criticized her lack of innovation through the production and songwriting field. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
s Alexis Petridis also awarded the album three stars and listed it as his album of the week of 13 March 2014. He commented that the overall release was "glossy and depthless", and concluded "Her voice isn't the strongest, the lyrics are woeful and filler abounds – but Kylie hasn't lost her knack for producing a superior brand of pop...". However, the album attracted criticism for the production and certain material, alongside Minogue's lack of innovation. Chris Bosnan from
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
graded it C+, and exclaimed that the overall package represented "chameleonic" qualities and ended "This eclecticism yields a booming, fun pop record that is refreshing by not attempting to be anything other, though that same inessentialism keeps the record from reaching transcendence." However, he criticized the second half for its "boisterous" production and felt it "lost momentum", apart from the track "Fine". Annie Zalenski from ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' was less enthusiastic, who gave it C−. She felt the material "drain d Minogue's original pop sound, and said "''Kiss Me Once'' is a disappointing record that tries too hard to mold Minogue into something she's not." Lydia Jenkins from ''
New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'' awarded the record three stars, and felt majority of the content was unoriginal but highlighted "Into the Blue" as "half-decent", "Million Miles" and "Fine" as "club fillers", and "Sexy Love" as a rip-off from the song "
California Gurls "California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, '' Teenage Dream'' (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg. The artists co-wrote the song with Bonni ...
" by American singer
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
. Kevin Ritchie from ''
Now Toronto ''Now'' (styled as ''NOW''), also known as ''NOW Magazine'' is an online publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Throughout most of its existence, ''Now'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper. Physical publication of ''Now'' was suspen ...
'' gave it two marks out of five, and labelled it "bad". He criticized the second half of the album, and felt majority of the songs like "Sexercize" were "dated" yet "overproduced" and the sound was "murky". Philip Matusavage from
MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
gave it two stars, and wrote scathingly "It's crushingly disappointing, then, to find that Kiss Me Once is perhaps her most anonymous offering to date." Matusavage also criticized the material, feeling it would have been "rejections" from an album by Barbados recording artist
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
. Based on the average shares and reactions on Metacritic, ''Kiss Me Once'' was ranked as the 47th most discussed album of 2014. Similarly, it appeared at number 6 on American website
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
's Best Album of 2014 reader's poll. According to the editor Eduardo Lima, he said "Kylie. Kiss Me Once. The best pop album. I just can´t get enough of it."


Commercial performance

''Kiss Me Once'' debuted atop of the
Australian Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
with 8,166 copies sold. It was Minogue's first number-one album since '' X'' (2007) and her fourth overall, tying with country musician
Kasey Chambers Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country singer-songwriter and musician born in Mount Gambier. She is the daughter of fellow musicians, Diane and Bill Chambers, and the younger sister of musician and producer, Nash Chambers. ...
for the most number-one albums achieved by a female Australian artist. The album slipped to number six the following week with 2,261 units sold, bringing the two week total to 10,247 copies. After falling for five weeks, the album rose to number 27 in its sixth and final charting week, Minogue's shortest run for a studio album since ''
Let's Get to It ''Let's Get to It'' is the fourth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was the final studio album with Pete Waterman Limited (PWL), being released by the record label in the United Kingdom on 14 October 1991. Mus ...
'' (1991). The album sold approximately 15,000 copies in Australia by May 2014. In New Zealand, the album spent a sole week at number 13, marking Minogue's sixth top 20 entry on the
New Zealand Albums Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
. In the UK, the album faced competition against
George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...
's live album '' Symphonica'' for the top position. On the chart published on 23 March, ''Kiss Me Once'' opened at number two on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
with 29,251 copies sold, marking Minogue's eleventh top five entry. The album slipped to number eight the following week, before falling out of the top 10 in the third week. ''Kiss Me Once'' spent a total of 12 weeks inside the top 100 chart, and placed at number 93 on the UK album year-end chart in 2014. It was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI) on 23 May 2014 for sales exceeding 60,000 units. The album had shifted 90,884 units in the UK by October 2020. ''Kiss Me Once'' also peaked on two other regional music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company, the Scottish Albums Chart and the Irish Albums Chart, at number three and number four, respectively. In the United States, the album opened modestly at number 31 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 12,000 copies. That week, ''Kiss Me Once'' also debuted at number three on the US Dance/Electronic Albums and at number 26 on the Tastemaker Albums chart. The album peaked at number 15 on the Canadian Albums Chart, Minogue's third album to chart in the territory. In Japan, the album debuted at number 40 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 3,088 units in its first week and marking her eighth top 40 entry. The album stayed on the chart for a total of 8 weeks. In South Korea, the album peaked at number 96 on the Gaon Album Chart, and on the International Albums Chart at number 24. ''Kiss Me Once'' debuted at the top of the Hungarian Albums Chart and stayed there for three weeks. It later became the 36th best-selling album in Hungary of 2016. In France, the album peaked at number 10 on the albums chart, Minogue's last top-ten entry in the 2010s, and sold 15,000 copies as of July 2014. The album also peaked within the top 10 in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Spain. In Belgium, the album appeared on both regional charts: it peaked at number 10 on the Ultratop Flanders chart, and number 13 on the Wallonia chart. In Italy, Denmark, Austria, and Finland, the album peaked inside the top 20. By early June 2014, ''Kiss Me Once'' had sold roughly 200,000 units worldwide.


Aftermath

After the album's release, several publications deemed the commercial value of the album as a flop. In retrospect, Minogue commented; "Maybe it didn't do as well because it wasn't good enough or it didn't deserve more, who knows?". She further exclaimed, "Even in retrospect it's hard to say why something works or it doesn't. It's dependent on what else is out there, the way it's promoted... The tour has been the most successful part of that album campaign for me. The album did give me some freedom." In June 2015, publications reported Minogue's departure from Parlophone due to the performance of ''Kiss Me Once'', which she first denied. However, she later confirmed she had parted with the label in December 2015 and would stay permanently with Warner Music Australia; she announced her album ''Kylie Christmas'' that same month, which would be her final overall release with Parlophone.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a vocal producer * signifies a co-producer * signifies a vocal co-producer * signifies a remixer * "Feels So Good" is a cover of "Indiana" written and recorded by Tom Aspaul. * On censored versions of the album, "Sexy Love" is titled "Love", "Sexercize" is titled "Exercize" and "Les Sex" is retitled "We Could Call It".


Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the special edition of ''Kiss Me Once''.


Recording locations

* Westlake Recording Studios, Westlake, Santa Monica, California * Cutfather, Copenhagen * Metropolis Studios, Metropolis, London * Glenwood, Burbank, California * Pulse, Los Angeles * Serenity West Recording, Los Angeles * Conway Recording Studios, Conway, Los Angeles * Heavy Duty, Los Angeles * Rinse, London * Metrophonic, London * South Point, Miami * Subcoustic, London * The Chocolate Factory, London * Echo, Los Angeles


Musicians

*
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
– lead vocals * Mike Del Rio – programming * Kelly Sheehan, Kelly "Madame Buttons" Sheehan – backing vocals * Marco Lisboa – additional programming * Daniel Heløy Davidsen, Daniel Davidsen – guitars ; bass * Chelcee Grimes – backing vocals * Cutfather, Mich Hansen – percussion * Peter Wallevik – all other instruments * Wayne Hector – backing vocals * Autumn Rowe – backing vocals * Eliel Lazo – percussion * Johny Sårde – percussion * Oliver McEwan – additional bass * Tom Aspaul – backing vocals *
MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and has received the ASCAP Vangua ...
– drums * Tommy King – additional keys * Jamie Muhoberac – additional keys * Jesse Shatkin – bass, guitars, keyboards, piano, programming * Erick Serna – guitars *
Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...
– vocals * Andy Wallace – piano * Alex Smith – keyboards, programming * Mark Taylor (record producer), Mark Taylor – keyboards, programming * Preston (singer), Sam Preston – guitar * Karen Poole – backing vocals *
Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...
– bass, keyboards, piano, programming


Technical

* Mike Del Rio – production * Kelly "Madame Buttons" Sheehan – vocal production * Peter Wallevik – production * Daniel Davidsen – production *
Cutfather Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for hi ...
– production * Joe Kearns – vocal engineering ; vocal co-production, additional engineering * Pharrell Williams – production * The Monsters and the Strangerz, The Monsters & the Strangerz – production * Wayne Wilkins – vocal production * MNEK – vocal production * Ariel Rechtshaid – production * J.D. Walker – production * GoodWill & MGI – production * Jesse Shatkin – production * Rob Kleiner – engineering * Mark Taylor – production * Alex Smith – co-production * Ren Swan – mixing, recording * Carlos Paucar – vocal recording * Chris Loco – production, recording * Tommy Trash, Thomas Olsen – production * Greg Kurstin – production, vocal production * Alex Pasco – additional engineering * Aaron Ahmad – additional engineering assistance * Kylie Minogue – executive production *
Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
– executive production * Phil Tan – mixing * Daniela Rivera – mixing assistance * Geoff Pesche – mastering * Tom Coyne – mastering * Aya Merrill – mastering


Artwork

* Adjective Noun – design * William Baker – photography


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certification and sales


Release history


See also

* List of number-one albums of 2014 (Australia) * List of UK top-ten albums in 2014


References


Footnotes


Media notes

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Print sources

* *


External links

*
''Kiss Me Once''
at Kylie.com (archived from 2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiss Me Once 2014 albums Albums produced by Ariel Rechtshaid Albums produced by Cutfather Albums produced by Greg Kurstin Albums produced by Pharrell Williams Albums produced by Mark Taylor (music producer) Albums produced by MNEK Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios Kylie Minogue albums Parlophone albums Warner Records albums