For five years she said no — then she handed Netflix a box of home movies

On 20 May 2026 Netflix released the three-part documentary series ‘Kylie’ — and the same day Kylie Minogue put out ‘Light up’, a song written for it.

The series was directed by the Irish filmmaker Michael Harte, who previously made ‘Beckham’ (2023) for Netflix. The production company is John Battsek’s Ventureland. The project’s official page is run by Netflix Tudum.

The material is assembled not from concert footage but from the singer’s personal archive: home movies, photographs and new interviews. Beside Minogue herself, the cast includes her sister Dannii Minogue, Jason Donovan, the producer Pete Waterman and Nick Cave.

The project began in 2020, when Battsek first proposed making a film about her. She hesitated. The three of them — singer, producer and director — settled the details at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles; it was there that Harte reworked the idea from a standalone film into a short series.

In June 2024 news broke of a Netflix deal covering nearly forty years of her music and acting career. Apple TV and Disney+ had also been bidding for the project.

‘Light up’ runs 3 minutes 18 seconds and was released as its own single on premiere day. The rights sit with her own company Darenote Limited, and the track is issued under exclusive licence to Netflix Music.

Critics were unanimous: the series holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from twelve reviews. The Guardian’s Chitra Ramaswamy gave it four stars out of five and wrote that it is a portrait which escapes the usual tone of the celebrity memoir.

And a week later, on 27 May, Netflix promises to show the concert film of the Tension Tour as well.

Minogue explained her yes simply: she felt she had met the person who could bring it to life, and that she had reached a point in her life where such a leap of faith was possible.