Impossible Princess is the sixth album by Kylie Minogue, released on October 22, 1997 by Deconstruction Records. (The album was briefly renamed Kylie Minogue in Europe, as its release fell shortly after the death of Princess Diana.)
The album is a considerable departure from Minogue's previous releasesnote , containing a darker and more experimental sound as well as a lyrical focus on self-discovery following a series of worldwide trips she took. Minogue took a great deal of creative control over the album's recording process, which was new for her. She was inspired by musicians from around the world, and sought to incorporate many different music styles into the album. Generally, the album is heavily influenced by Electronic Music, and features elements of Trip Hop, Drum and Bass, Indie Pop, Glitch, and much more.
Upon release, the album was met with a mixed critical and public response, and although it hit the top 10 in various countries, it sold dramatically less than her other albums. As a result, Minogue was dropped from the Deconstruction label, and the heavy criticism she received from the media made her consider quitting music to focus on her acting, seeing the backlash from her artistic ambition as a failure. While she would make a triumphant return to form with her next album, 2000's Light Years (which contained a more traditional dance-pop sound with elements of disco), she has stated that the performance of this album was one of the most disappointing moments of her career and that she would never revisit this album's sound or level of vulnerability.
A few months after the album's release, Madonna released Ray of Light, another example of an established female pop artist exploring Electronic Music for the first time. Ironically, Minogue was the one accused of copying Madonna despite the fact that Impossible Princess came first.
Since its release, Impossible Princess has been slowly reevaluated as a classic that was ahead of its time, seeing as pop would only get more electronic in the decades to come. Nowadays, it isn't uncommon to see the album described as Minogue's most misunderstood work, one of her best albums (if not her single best, with only 2001's Fever being seen as a contender), and one of the most underrated pop albums of all time. Further boosting the album's reputation was its release on vinyl for the first time in 2022 to celebrate its 25th anniversary, which led to it reentering charts at new peaks.
Tracklist:
- "Too Far"
- "Cowboy Style"
- "Some Kind of Bliss"
- "Did It Again"
- "Breathe"
- "Say Hey"
- "Drunk"
- "I Don't Need Anyone"
- "Jump"
- "Limbo"
- "Through The Years"
- "Dreams"
Impossible Princess provides examples of the following tropes:
- Album Title Drop: From "Dreams": "These are the dreams of an impossible princess."
- Anxiety Dreams: "Too Far" and "Limbo" are about dreams Kylie had regarding anxiety.
- Darker and Edgier: It is definitely one of her darker albums. Even though she kept her music in the realms of Electronic Music, most of her material after this stayed bright a cheery.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Many of the songs on the album are about soul-searching and maturing.
- Electronic Music: A good chunk of the album can easily fit under this genre.
- Face on the Cover: Kylie appears on the cover of the album, lit in neon.
- Genre Roulette: On this album, you have dramatic Drum and Bass ("Too Far"), glitchy country-influenced dance ("Cowboy Style"), dreamy Trip Hop ("Breathe"), Indie Pop ("Some Kind of Bliss"), dreamy Jangle Pop ("I Don't Need Anyone"), and many more.
- Intercourse with You: "Say Hey" is about her calling up her lover for this reason.
- New Sound Album: Was drastically musically different from her other output.
- One-Word Title: This album is full of them. "Breathe", "Drunk", "Jump", "Limbo", and "Dreams".
- Trip Hop: "Through the Years" could easily pass as a Massive Attack song.
- World Music: It's all over the place on this album, but it's most strongly featured in "Cowboy Style".
