KIKI Dee is on her way Down Under this winter.
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Best known for her 1974 hit I've Got the Music in Me and Don't Go Breaking My Heart, her 1976 duet with Elton John, Dee said she hadn't toured here for more than four decades.
"I played some dates in Sydney in the 1970s," she said.
"But this new Australian tour came about out of the blue."
Dee and guitarist Carmelo Luggeri will bring their unique acoustic-based show to Australia over winter, having toured Britain and Europe for the past 20 years.
The late Steve Brown (the man who discovered Elton) was the first to tell Luggeri: "There's something special happening when you play acoustically with Kiki ... you should team up." Brown became their mentor for an act that continues today.
Dee said it had been an enduring partnership.
"I'm a fan of his playing and he's a fan of my voice; we're quite like-minded," she said.
"We have built up a fan base in the UK and Europe."
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Dee, 72, said there had been many phases in her musical career.
She began singing with a band in Bradford during the 1960s while her recording career began as a session singer.
"I sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield in the 1960s," she said.
"I'd been a professional singer for 10 years before I met Elton; he got me into songwriting."
Her biggest hit came when she replaced an ailing Dusty Springfield for the recording of a duet with Elton, Don't Go Breaking My Heart.
The single reached No. 1 in both the UK and US, remaining at the top for six weeks in Britain.
In 1993 Dee performed another duet with Elton John for his Duets album, a cover version of Cole Porter's True Love, which reached No. 2 in Britain.
Luggeri produced some bonus tracks for The Very Best of Kiki Dee album, and, having hit it off musically, they took on a new musical direction together, playing acoustic concerts, starting with an appearance at The Royal Albert Hall for World AIDS Day in 1994.
Growing up in the north of England, Dee said she was the youngest of three siblings.
"I was the youngest and most extroverted child," she said.
"I got a lot of attention for my singing at home. I discovered that I could sing in tune; I was precocious in the best sense of the word."
Dee has released 39 singles, three EPs and 12 albums in her career.
THE LOWDOWN
WHAT: An Intimate Evening with Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri, The Commercial Club, Albury
WHEN: Sunday, August 25, 4pm
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