Kylie Minogue has become the newest member of the O2 Arena’s exclusive ’21 Club’ in London, and the first woman ever to achieve this recognition.
According to Rolling Stone Australia, the club includes artists who have completed 21 or more sold-out performances at the venue. Minogue reached this milestone after adding four concerts there as part of her Tension Tour, bringing her total to 24.
The club was established in 2007 in honor of Prince, who held a groundbreaking 21-show run at the venue. Only seven others have since joined: Michael Bublé, Take That, One Direction, Drake, Young Voices, Micky Flanagan, and Michael McIntyre.
Michael Jackson was set to join the club with his planned 50-date This Is It residency, but the concerts were cancelled due to his sudden death in June 2009.
Minogue first graced the O2 Arena stage in July 2008, a little more than a year after the venue opened. As part of her induction, she will be given a personalized “key to the venue.”
“The ‘O2 21 Club.’ London …. you know how much I love you already but THISSSS was special,” Minogue posted on social media. “To be the first female headliner to make the club and join PRINCE!!! Wowwwwwww. THANK YOU.”
Emma Bownes, Senior Vice President of Venue Programming at AEG Europe, added: “It’s a huge achievement to join the exclusive 21 Club at The O2, and we couldn’t be happier that Kylie is the first female to do so.” She continued: “She is a phenomenon, a true music icon, and we’re beyond grateful she’s brought so many of her incredible tours here. We hope there are plenty more to come.”
This milestone comes shortly after another recent honor in February, when Minogue received a commemorative star at Melbourne Park in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia.
The award coincided with the third of three back-to-back performances at the 14,820-capacity Rod Laver Arena, the same venue where she first performed in February 1990 when it was called the National Tennis Centre.
Since that debut, Minogue has held 30 shows at Melbourne Park and sold more than 350,000 tickets. Her recent appearances increased those numbers to 33 concerts and 36,000 additional tickets sold, making her one of the most accomplished performers at the venue.
Minogue’s Tension Tour continues across Europe through June and July, with South America scheduled as the final leg in August.
