Kim Wilde

Kim Wilde spent much of the early 1980s as one of the prominent British pop voices of her era, and her catalogue rewards a closer look. Born Kim Smith in Chiswick in 1960, she grew up in a household steeped in rock and roll, and in the early 1980s her father Marty Wilde and brother Ricky wrote most of her material. Marty's songwriting leaned on classic pop craft, while Ricky drew on synth-pop and punk, giving her records a crisp, modern edge. Alongside her music, she later built a second career as a landscape gardener, a path she has pursued since 1998.

Her debut single, "Kids in America", reached No. 2 in the UK in 1981, and its follow-up "Chequered Love" also made the UK top five. Her 1986 reworking of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" went to No. 2 at home and became a US No. 1 in 1987, making her the fifth British female solo artist to top the Hot 100. In 2003 she teamed up with Nena on "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", which topped the Dutch and Austrian charts. In 2005 she won a Gold award at the Chelsea Flower Show for a courtyard garden.