Elgin and Huntly gigs for Kiki Dee
One of Britain’s standout singers from the last 60 years will be performing two gigs in the North East later this month.
“It’s been a way of life I’ve had since I was 16,” says Kiki Dee when asked about why she still likes to play live. “I can’t do more than two consecutive nights these days, but I’ve looked after my voice so, hopefully, I’m still good for a little while longer.”
Kiki says she’s only ever had a “proper job” for six weeks in her entire life – a brief stint working at Boots the chemists in Bradford.
It was 1963 when, aged just 16, she was spotted by a talent scout. An invitation to an audition down in London followed as did a deal with Fontana Records.
However, while contemporaries such as Lulu, Dusty, Sandie and Cilla found early fame, it took longer for Kiki, even after she became the first British female artist to sign for the legendary label Tamala Motown.
Instead, she had to wait a full decade until finally scoring a hit with ‘Amoureuse’, her 15th single. Kiki describes performing the song on Top of the Pops as one of the highlights of her career.
Another big hit followed the year after with ‘I’ve Got the Music in Me’.
Then came the tune for which she’s still best known. Elton John originally intended to sing ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ by himself, but as the recording session progressed it became clear it should be a duet.
The song went onto to top the charts for six weeks and sell more than a million copies in the UK alone.
Elton and Kiki were already friends before their massive hit together and they have remained so ever since.
The pair famously sang together at Live Aid in 1985.
Added to that, as recently as 2022, she performed in front of 55,000 people at the LA Dodgers stadium during the American leg of Elton’s farewell tour.
Kiki said: “I did one of those newspaper Q&A things a few years back and one of the questions was ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart … a milestone or a millstone?’
“I prefer to stay positive so I answered milestone. It’s helped to bring financial comfort.
“A while ago I was doing some work with Robert Plant, who I love because he’s so forward looking. He commented that the song was like Stairway to Heaven was for him and Led Zeppelin.”
Kiki continued: “People who come your show understandably expect you to play it, so we do.
“It’s a question of mixing and matching. We play the hits but also some newer songs which reflect more who I am these days.”
The ‘we’ she refers to are Kiki plus Carmelo Luggeri, her musical partner since 1995, a multi-instrumentalist who had previously worked with names such as Bill Wyman and Julian Lennon.
Kiki, who’s also a veteran of London’s West End, having completed more than a thousand performances in Blood Brothers, will be in this region later this month.
She will be appearing at the Ex-Servicemen’s Club in Elgin on Thursday, October 24, from 7pm.
Kiki will also be playing at the Huntly FC ground on Friday, October 25, from 7pm.
Tickets for both events at brownpapertickets.com
Kiki, who once performed in front of 150,000 people in London’s Hyde Park while opening for Queen, says: “I’ve played to sizes and types of audiences. Even after all these years I still get nervous beforehand but I still love it.
“We played a small gig in Southend recently and we were wondering if the audience were enjoying themselves because they were so quiet.
“But it soon became obvious they were just really listening. By the end of the night, they were up on their feet and it turned into one of the best gigs ever.”
