My 80s Playlist: Jason Donovan opens up about his 'ironic' first meeting with Kylie Minogue

Virgin Radio

24 Jan 2024, 17:46

Jason Donovan joined Steve Denyer to reminisce about his 80s memories for Virgin Radio’s My 80s Playlist.

While sharing his favourite tracks from the iconic era in his career, the Australian actor and singer reminisced about his first meeting with fellow Aussie superstar Kylie Minogue.

As it turns out, the pair - who dated in the 80s - met several years prior to when they began starring alongside each other in the hit sitcom Neighbours in 1986.

As Donovan recalled while discussing one of his playlist choices, Joy Division’s 1980’s track ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, he first met Kylie at around the same time the track was released.

Watch Jason Donovan’s full My 80s Playlist interview here:

“[We were] in a TV series called Skyways, where we played brother and sister,” he revealed. “And ironically, six years later, she turned up on Neighbours - cause I started before her.”

Jason continued: “[She] said in the wardrobe bus ‘Do you remember me?’ and I said ‘No, I can’t’ and she said ‘We played brother and sister on Skyways!’. Then subsequently, that incestuous relationship turned to go on to other areas and different things,” he joked, adding: “Which is sort of, yeah, interesting! But all good. Very good.”

Turning his attention to his own 80s music, Jason discussed his single ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ with Steve, naming it as a notable track from his career for how it acted as a “gamechanger” for him. “It put me down as a solo act,” he said.

But it was his duet with Kylie - ‘Especially For You’ - which Jason says “changed the whole landscape” for him “as a music artist” in 1989. “I’m very grateful that she said yes to that at the time, cause the power was really with her,” he said. 

“But more to the point, the power was with the people, because the demand for that song and then a solo song was huge,” Donovan added. Speaking about ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ again, he added: “It was unusual for Stock Aitken Waterman, but I think they got the balance between pop and being a bit edgier [right]. It was where I wanted to be at.”

You can listen to Virgin Radio 80 Plus HERE. You can also listen on DAB+ in London and Central Scotland and on smart speakers across the UK, as well as via the Virgin Radio UK app.