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Kylie and Dannii Minogue: Danni’s musical career never quite hit the same high notes that her sister’s did. Photograph: David Fisher/DFS
Another example is one of my favourite under/over achieving sibling combos, the Minogue sisters. It has taken years for Danni to reach this level of superstardom, even though she started off in show business way before Kylie did. Personally, I'm a fan of tracks such as 2003's Who Do You Love Now? and the 2004 sleeper hit Put The Needle On It, but it's safe to say that Danni's musical career never quite hit the same high notes that her sister's did. And again, if it wasn't for Simon Cowell's X Factor-shaped wand, Dannii would have been destined to be "Kylie's younger sister for the rest of her life".
The pair have publicly refuted any bad blood, and in 2010 Dannii told the Guardian, "All those years of articles, of reading, 'She's in her sister's shadow,' or whatever – of course, I see that stuff, but it was never how things really were. My sister and I are really close, and we always have been." Kylie's 2008 documentary White Diamond tells a different story. In it, Kylie's stylist and gay "husband", William Baker, makes a tearful comment about how her recovery from cancer has brought Dannii and her sister closer together. Although that line of conversation is shut down quickly by Kylie's withering stare, it is clear that there is more to their relationship that meets the eye.
It's not uncommon for friends or family to feel this way when watching friends succeed from afar. Research by Tesser states an unfortunate aspect of human nature: jealousy is more intense when someone close to us does well in a domain in which we want to do well. In Spike Jonze's excellent Adaptation, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman suffers from a painful case of writer's block only to watch his twin brother Donald's first attempt at scriptwriting sell for six figures. It's hard not to feel the burn of that, but we must let ourself feel the burn, it's all right. Jealousy is a bitter fruit but it can also be the strongest motivation.
I remember in 2004 when my band Bloc Party were preparing to put out our first record, Silent Alarm, we were touring, meeting lots of bands who were slated to release albums in 2005. I remember really getting on with the Kaiser Chiefs, they were funny and charming. They reminded me of a Parklife-era Blur meets Super Furry Animals and, although the music wasn't my thing, we became friends. They ascended into pop superstardom with their million-selling Employment album and a volley of truly remarkable singles. While we couldn't get a single on the radio, these guys seemed to be all over it. I couldn't help but feel envious but I let those feelings motivate me. We wrote Two More Years, a song about longing in the face of frustration. It went on to become our biggest radio hit and it opened many doors.
As the words of the Danish proverb go: "Envy is its own torturer." So don't cry, Kelly. There is always going to be someone more successful than you, richer than you are. Stay in your lane and keep doing you. Dirty Laundry has been praised for its candour and your buttery smooth vocal. Let Beyoncé carry on her Tina Turner meets MJ thing and take a leaf out of Solange's, Beyonce's sister's, book. Remember you are in this for the long run, you must keep on. And remember, you might not be Beyoncé, but it could be a lot worse, you could be Michelle.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/jun/06/kelly-rowland-jealous-beyonce
