Kylie Minogue declares she and Madonna are showbiz survivors

Kylie Minogue says she and Madonna have “both survived the ups and downs of being a woman” in showbusiness.

The ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ singer, 56, duetted with the Queen of Pop, 65, in March to mark International Women’s Day when she made a surprise guest appearance at her fellow entertainment veteran’s performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles – with the pair singing an acoustic version of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’ and Kylie’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’.

Kylie has now told the new issue of Grazia about the poignancy of their joint performance: “Singing with her felt weirdly natural. There’s an unspoken bond between artists that I hold very dear.

“I respect how she has forged her own path and continues to do things her way.

“She wanted us to cover ‘I Will Survive’ for various reasons… she lost her mother to breast cancer and she knows of my history with it.

“And we have both survived the ups and downs of being a woman in the industry.

“There was much that didn’t need to be said or explained to the audience, but it was understood.”

Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 before being declared cancer-free the following year.

She also told Grazia she compares her longevity in the entertainment business to treating it like surfing.

The Australian native added: “A long time ago I was in Costa Rica on a longboard – which makes me sound like I can surf, which I can’t – but I clearly remember paddling out, missing, paddling out, missing, paddling out, missing.

“And then when I finally got up on a wave, I felt weightless and euphoric.

“That is kind of the motto of my life. If you don’t keep paddling, you’re never going to catch a wave. So I just keep paddling.”