'I have learnt a lot after my divorce

Eighties icon Kim Wilde chats about why she's finding life so fantastic and returning to her pop roots

- TONY COWELL

Kim Wilde is one of the most famous singers of the 80s. In 1981, her pop debut, Kids In America, was a global hit and she went on to sell more than 30 million records. Overnight, she became the poster on every teen’s bedroom wall – the voice of a generation of rebellious youth.

Fresh from her performance alongside Sting at Radio 2 In The Park in September, Kim, 63, says, “I’m still in shock that Radio 2 actually wanted me to do it. I remember being on stage and suddenly there was Sting walking towards me, and he hugs me and says, ‘I’m going to watch you perform now.’ I thought, ‘Oh my God, today just keeps getting better.’

“It was an amazing day because I had heard my new single had gone on to the BBC Radio 2 A list – so I was over the moon.”

Kim first started her career as a teenager as backing singer for her dad, Marty Wilde. So, was she inspired by her dad’s success?

“Yes, but I was happy just being a backing singer – I never thought I’d ever take centre stage,” she says. “I loved doing harmonies because I was brought up listening to The Beach Boys and The Beatles. The turning point came when my dad wrote the song Kids In America for me [which was released in 1981] – the rest is history.”

Following the worldwide success of that single, Kim went on to tour with Michael Jackson in 1988, which, she says, was a life-changing experience.