'WE'RE IN A TIME WHERE IT'S NOT COOL TO BE AGEIST. PEOPLE ARE OVER IT'

MUSIC LEGEND KYLIE MINOGUE IS BEING HAILED THE 'QUEEN OF REINVENTION' AND IT'S CLEAR TO SEE WHY IN HER LATEST SHOOT

- RHIANNA BENSON

During a musical reign spanning five decades, Kylie Minogue has earned herself the reputation as a mistress of reinvention. From soap star to disco diva via indie chick, since her 1980s breakthrough on Neighbours, her appearance has changed with nearly every new album release.

But the image of Kylie gracing the cover of music bible Rolling Stone’s latest issue is one of her most fiery yet.

Championed by the magazine as “the beating heart of pop”, the vision of Kylie with flame-coloured hair is reminiscent of her red-headed Where The Wild Roses Grow look circa 1995. Only this time around she oozes the sassy confidence of a 55-year-old woman who lives – and loves – with fierce passion and no regrets.

Kylie’s style switch-up is a welcome surprise after a signature look that in more recent years has veered on the predictable side – satin/sequin cocktail dresses, minimal make-up and accessories and blonde locks loose on her shoulders.

Having ended her five-year relationship with former GQ creative director Paul Solomons earlier this year, some might suggest it bears all the hallmarks of a dramatic break-up transformation. But as an international superstar who has sold out stadiums, racked up a staggering 51 Top 40 hits and flogged more than 80 million records, there’s more to it than that.

Evoking the same sense of fun in which she rebelled against her girl next door image in the 1991 music video for Word Is Out, her fresh aesthetic not only accompanies the release of her latest album Tension, but signals a new era for the pop chameleon on the global stage.