Kylie Garibay

Background and development

In March 2014, Minogue released her twelfth studio album, Kiss Me Once. Achieving positive reviews and experiencing moderate commercial success, she subsequently commenced her Kiss Me Once Tour through Europe and Australia, between September that year to March 2015. During the first leg of her tour, the singer featured a short film titled Sleepwalker, which was presented before the 80's medley. Produced by American producer Fernando Garibay, the tracks from the short film were distributed on Minogue's SoundCloud channel on 26 September 2014; the "experimental" recordings are "Glow", "Wait", "Break This Heartbreak", and "Chasing Ghosts". In January 2015, Italian disc jockey Giorgio Moroder confirmed a new musical project with Minogue and Garibay, revealing to American website Idolator: "She is doing another EP with our friend Fernando who did most of Lady Gaga's Born This Way." He described the approach as "very sexy and uncommercial".

However, a year after Kiss Me Once's release, Minogue's contract with Parlophone ended. Alongside this, she announced her departure from Roc Nation as she planned "to take more control over her career." As a result, her musical releases would stay permanently with Warner Music Australia and Warner Bros. Records. In an interview with Billboard, Minogue commented about her working with Garibay: "It was a beautiful thing, because we did it in our own time... Whenever I was in L.A., I would drop by [Garibay's] home studio—which is a lovely place to be anyway—and really there was no pressure. It was just about expression and kind of mashing things up...". Jamaican artist Shaggy was first suggested by Garibay's manager, Martin Kierszenbaum, who felt it would have been a workable duet as both Shaggy and Minogue had known each other prior to this project.

Composition

Kylie + Garibay was developed and recorded between February—August 2015. Originally, Minogue wanted to feature four recordings but narrowed it down to three for unknown reasons. Each track features guest vocalists; "Black and White" features vocals during the bridge and ending section by Shaggy, "If I Can't Have You" includes vocals by Australian singer Sam Sparro, and the final track, "Your Body", includes spoken word and production by Giorgio Moroder. Apart from the second track, "Black and White" and "Your Body" were co-written and co-composed by Minogue. Likewise, Garibay produced the entire project with the help of Moroder on the latter song. Musically, Kylie + Garibay is influenced by electronic music whilst its lyrical content delves onto love, enjoyment, and sex; according to Bradley Stern, writing for MuuMuse, he noted that "The 3-track set is another forward-thinking, shape-shifting offering, each with a different feature and feel." Likewise, Idolator's Mike Wass commented that "he tone is very different this time", labelling it more "accessible" in comparison to Minogue's and Garibay's "experimental" elements on tracks "Walk" and "Chasing Ghosts".

"Black and White" was described by Stern as a "beautiful and bizarre pop hybrid", and noted it "set the tone" of the EP. With this statement, he compared the composition to American DJ and producer, Kaskade. Robbie Daw from Idolator found that the sound was reminsisent of Minogue's previous work, whilst Digital Spy writer, Lewis Corner, labelled the sound as "warm". Lyrically, the song delves into a broken relationship, where Minogue explains her sadness of looking at photographs of a previous boyfriend. The next track, "If I Can't Have You", is a house composition that incorporates elements of tropical music. Sparro's vocals are "breathy falsetto", in comparison to his previous work. The final track, "Your Body", was noted by critics for Moroder's Italian introduction, where he stated: "she [Minogue] asked me if I could do a little talk in Italian on her music. She wanted it really sexy, like a Latin lover – heavy breathing." Christina Lee from Idolator, who reviewed the song from a live performance, said the song "is just as the electronic music trailblazer described: sexy, seductive and more ambient...". Pitchfork Media writer, Zoe Camp, compared the sound of the track to the work of Swedish musician, Robyn.

Release and promotion

Despite her contractual end with Parlophone in March 2015, Kylie + Garibay was released on 11 September that same year by the label, alongside Warner Bros. Records, with no prior announcement. It was distributed on iTunes Store, and Spotify by Parlophone, featuring the three tracks. On her website, the singer commented: "I’m so happy to finally be able to share these songs with fans. And to have each track featuring such amazing and different artists – Shaggy, Giorgio Moroder and Sam Sparro – is a real thrill. Fernando really lives and breathes for music, and we had a lot of fun plotting to surprise fans with these songs." The EP was her final original project whilst with Parlophone, despite having been released months before and promoting her Christmas album, Kylie Christmas, three months later.

Prior to its release, Minogue, Garibay, and Moroder appeared at a musical gig in February 2015 that had Moroder as the headlining act in Los Angeles, California; they collectively performed a live version of "Your Body". Subsequently, Minogue released the music video to "Black and White" on YouTube, which was directed by English artist and Minogue's long-term friend, Katerina Jebb, in order to promote the EP. The visual was inspired by old footage film, where the singer wanted to place herself in a vintage-oriented set-up; in order to achieve this, video editor Benjamin Ricart created "old grainy" and "damaged" overlaps. Noted by critics for its stripped down appeal and lack of "polished" looks, Jordan Miller from Breatheheavy.com compared the video to the visual work to American musician Lana Del Rey, whom was also noted for her use of vintage footage and editing.

Reception

Kylie + Garibay received positive reviews from most music critics. Bradley Stern from MuuMuse gave positive prospects towards "mid-transition". Stern further noted the EP's musical and production similarities to the singer's work on her 1997 album Impossible Princess; he concluded "As it turns out, IndieKylie is alive and well. This is a very good thing." Zoe Camp, writing for Pitchfork Media, highlighted "Your Body" as the best entry on the EP. She complimented Moroder's vocal inclusion, and commended the 80's music influences in the track. Billboard editor, Keith Caulfield, opened his article with "When a megastar like Kylie Minogue drops new music out of the sky without warning, it’s a pop emergency of the best kind." He reflected on the EP's release, commending the production and inclusion's of Shaggy, Giorgio Moroder, and Minogue's vocals. Commercially, Kylie + Garibay only reached number 100 on the Australian Singles Chart, Minogue's lowest entry in that region to date. Alongside this, each track reached the top 50 in Spain and the top 200 in France. Additionally, "Black and White" reached number 72 on the Scottish Singles Chart, whilst peaking inside two component charts in the United Kingdom.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).