Key Points
- Australian singer Kylie Minogue was presented with the global icon award at the Brits.
- She celebrated by doing a 'shoey', an Australian tradition of drinking a beer out of a shoe.
- Minogue began her career in the 1980s, has sold more than 80 million records, and had seven UK number-one singles
Kylie Minogue has been honoured at the 2024 Brits with the global icon award, and celebrated by doing a classic Australian 'shoey'.
The 55-year-old was recognised for her achievements throughout her career, during which she has sold more than 80 million records worldwide and become the first female artist to score a number-one album in five consecutive decades in the United Kingdom.
Presenter Roman Kemp approached her during the ceremony's live broadcast and asked if she would partake in the tradition.
"It would be amiss of me to not go with an Aussie tradition of a shoey, so will Kylie Minogue do a shoey with me at the Brits?" Kemp asked.
The singer initially appeared uncertain.
"Do I do this?" she asked the crowd.
Kemp then poured beer into each of Kylie's stilettos, and the pair toasted before each drinking out of a shoe.
What is a 'shoey'?
A 'shoey' is an Australian term that means — quite simply — to have a drink (usually alcohol) from a shoe.
The hygienically dubious cultural phenomenon has become somewhat common at concerts and music festivals in Australia, with crowds cheering for international artists to partake in the practice.
In 2023, UK singer Harry Styles started an Australian tour by doing a 'shoey' during a show in Perth.
Other artists have not been so willing. American country singer Kacey Musgraves flat-out refused to do a 'shoey' during a show in Sydney in 2019, calling it "disgusting".
Who is Kylie Minogue?
Minogue first made a name for herself on Neighbours, where she played Charlene Mitchell.
She later turned her hand to the world of music, releasing her debut studio album, titled Kylie, in 1988.
It peaked at number one in the UK charts and its catchy pop track I Should Be So Lucky also landed in the top spot of the singles chart.
Kylie Minogue performed a medley of her hits at the 2024 BRIT Awards ceremony. Source: AAP / Tolga Akmen / EPA
In 2005, the singer had to pull out of a Glastonbury headline slot following a breast cancer diagnosis.
She finally dazzled on the festival's main Pyramid Stage in 2019, where she sang a host of hits from her back catalogue.
Last July, Minogue announced her first Las Vegas residency, following in the footsteps of fellow female music titans like Adele and Celine Dion.
The Australian star proved she still had more to offer fans last year when she released her 16th studio album, the electro-dance-infused Tension.
Led by the earworm that was Padam Padam, which went viral on TikTok, the album became her ninth number-one record.
Padam Padam won best pop dance recording at the 2024 Grammy Awards, more than 20 years on from when Minogue picked up the best dance record gong for Come Into My World, which featured on her 2001 album Fever.
After Madonna and, Minogue is the female solo artist with the third-highest amount of UK chart-topping records.
