Kim Wilde

This article is about the singer. For her debut album, see Kim Wilde (album). For the fictional character, see Getting On (UK TV series).

Kim Wilde
Wilde in 2021
Wilde in 2021
Background information
Birth nameKim Smith
Born (1960-11-18) 18 November 1960 (age 64)
Chiswick, Middlesex, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • television presenter
  • DJ
Years active1981–present
Labels
Websitekimwilde.com
FatherMarty Wilde
RelativesRicky Wilde (brother)

Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960)[3] is an English pop singer. She first gained success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo artist.[4] In 1986, she had a UK No. 2 hit with a reworked version of the Supremes' song "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Between 1981 and 1996, she had 25 singles that charted within the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Her other hits include "Chequered Love" (1981), "You Came" (1988), and "Never Trust a Stranger" (1988). In 2003, she collaborated with Nena on the song "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", which topped the Dutch and Austrian charts.

She holds the record for being the most-charted British female solo act of the 1980s, with seventeen UK Top 40 hit singles. Starting in 1998, while still active in music, she has branched into an alternative career as a landscape gardener, which has included presenting gardening shows on the BBC and Channel 4. In 2005, she won a Gold award for her courtyard garden at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show.

  1. ^ a b "Kim Wilde | Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  2. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Kim Wilde – Teases & Dares". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Kim Wilde biography". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  4. ^ BRITs Profile: Kim Wilde Archived 1 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2012