Dannii Minogue's Real Name: Danielle Minogue

Quick answer: She is known as Dannii Minogue. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) says Danielle Minogue is "now known as Dannii," and a Library of Congress record citing a published reference gives her birth name as Danielle Jane Minogue. AllMusic and the Library of Congress say she was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1971. She is the younger sister of Kylie Minogue.

Real name and early life

AllMusic's biography by Neil Z. Yeung says she was born in Melbourne in 1971 and took singing and dancing lessons from an early age. By about seven she had a part on the Australian TV series Skyways.

The NFSA says she first appeared on the teen variety show Young Talent Time as a talent contestant in 1979, on her eighth birthday, singing "On the Good Ship Lollipop." She did not win her heat, but a judge predicted that "with proper coaching and tuition she will have a very fine future." She joined the show's regular cast in 1982 and stayed until 1988. The NFSA notes that her mother, Carol, and her sister Kylie, already a star on Neighbours, watched her final episode.

Career highlights

After Young Talent Time, the NFSA says she joined the casts of All the Way (1988) and Home and Away (1989–90). AllMusic says she signed with Mushroom Records while working on Home and Away. Her debut single, "Love & Kisses" (1990), reached the Top Ten in Australia and the U.K., and the album Love and Kisses went gold before she turned 21.

Through the 1990s she released dance-pop records, including Get into You (1993) and Girl (1997), hosted TV shows such as Top of the Pops and The Big Breakfast, and acted in film and theater. AllMusic says 2003's Neon Nights produced "Put the Needle on It" and "I Begin to Wonder," and that she broke the U.K. record for consecutive number-one dance singles by a female artist. In 2015 she released "100 Degrees," a duet with Kylie.

The NFSA says she has sold more than 7 million records. Since 2007 she has judged talent shows, including Australia's Got Talent, The X Factor UK, and The Masked Singer Australia. AllMusic also notes her DANNII clothing line.

Name notes for searchers

Dannii is a nickname-style spelling of Danielle. The NFSA calls her "Danielle Minogue, now known as Dannii," and the Library of Congress lists the variant Minogue, Danielle Jane. Only that record gives the middle name. Searches for Danielle Minogue, Danielle Jane Minogue, or Dannii point to the same performer.