Nearly 45 years after introducting us to "Kids in America," Kim Wilde returns with the fresh and fearless Closer, joined by Midge Ure and her niece, Scarlett Wilde.
Kim Wilde has never been one to fade into the background. It's been almost 45 years since “Kids in America” made her a household name, and now she’s back after seven years with Closer, an album that embraces both nostalgia and reinvention. It’s a much-welcomed return for the pop icon, one that fuses the infectious hooks and anthemic energy of her ‘80s heyday with a fresh, contemporary edge.
Leading the charge was frist single, “Trail Of Destruction,” a synth-driven powerhouse that pulses with the same high-voltage charisma that made Wilde a star. But Closer isn't rehashing what made her famous, it is a rich, varied collection that dips into balladry, dance beats, and rock-infused storytelling, reflecting Wilde’s continued evolution as an artist.
“It really is a sister album to Close in many, many ways,” Wilde recently told RETROPOP, referencing her acclaimed 1988 release. “It has the same diversity, the same sort of eclectic storytelling... There’s dance on it. There’s rock on it. We really used that as a blueprint.”
Helping her plant her flag in the 2020s, Closer features guest appearances from Midge Ure and Wilde’s niece, Scarlett Wilde, adding new layers to the album’s dynamic mix. But at its core, Closer feels like a love letter to both her past and the future, effortlessly balancing the classic and the contemporary.
“I wanted to make an album that felt like it belonged to both then and now,” Wilde explained. And with Closer, she does just that, honoring the sound that made her a pop icon while pushing her music into bold new territory.