By Luke Voogt
Kylie impersonator Lucy Holmes has sung backup for the best in business, but nothing beats Spinning Around as the Princess of Pop.
The singer behind100 per cent Kylie has performed with artists like James Morrison, Delta Goodrem and Westlife.
“Getting to back some those artists is a dream for a singer, but its super fun to don all the feathers and be the centre of attention,” she said.
And after 15 years playing Kylie Minogue the Clever Girl reckoned she had mastered the art of balancing feathers on her head while rocking six-inch stilettos.
“You just learn how to move in it all,” she said.
Donning Kylie’s more outlandish outfits from across three decades was Holmes’ favourite part of the show.
“They’re exact replicas of everything she’s worn on tour,” the 37-year-old said.
But she was tight-lipped about which costumes she would be wearing at her next Geelong performance.
“You’d have to come along and see if the gold hot pants make an appearance,” she told The Indy.
Holmes grew up to Kylie’s early hits, but it was the superstar’s later singles like Just Can’t Get You Out of My Head that blew her away.
She began her career with a degree in musical theatre, but 15 years ago she and producer Derek Bailey got the brainwave of inpersonating Kylie.
“I heard that I looked a lot like her and that I can mimic her voice,” she said.
Holmes would go on to do the Locomotion in “four corners of the globe” performing in nearly 20 countries as Kylie.
“We were just pinching ourselves for the first few trips,” she said. “It went nuts!”
“I don’t think we knew what we were creating when we started.”
Minogue herself even rated the show the best Kylie tribute act in the world, Holmes said.
“She sent a crew to film the show a couple of years ago and she loved it.”
For Holmes performing as Kylie is easy despite the Pop Princess’ distinct voice.
“It’s actually is a lot of fun singing in her voice and even speaking in her voice – it’s a pseudo British-Australian accent,” she said.
“I was born in England, so that was pretty easy for me to do.”
At the moment her favourite song is All The Lovers but every song is “a joy to sing”.
With Minogue abroad, Holmes said Geelong could Come Into (Kylie’s) World through her show.
“Every once in a blue moon she gets out and about. We like to give people the big Kylie shows now that she’s over in London.”
“The wonderful thing about this show is when you stand on stage and look at the audience it’s so multigenerational.”
Holmes will perform at Geelong Performing Arts Centre for the first time on 21 April in a two-hour show.
To book tickets visit www.gpac.org.au.
