After years of feeling pressure to prove herself, the Australian pop superstar says at last she is happy performing live.

It's hard to imagine she has ever been anything but comfortable in her new show, Aphrodite: Les Folies 2011.

Fearless, magnetic and self-assured are just a few words to describe Kylie's commanding presence on stage.

"This is who I am. The voice that comes out of my mouth is my voice. Don't expect to come and hear Etta James because it is not going to happen," Kylie, who celebrated her 43rd birthday yesterday, says.

"I used to be so, so stressed about that, especially being given such a hard time over and over and over and over and over and then over again. Somehow I am just over that - say what you want to say.

"It's good to feel comfortable after so many years of that being one of the negative focuses.

"I don't want to go on that much about it, but can you imagine, if that's your job and you go out and try and do a good live show, a (real) live show, homecoming 2011 which is not that common in the pop world as we know."

Kylie is perched on a crisp white sofa, backstage in her dressing room at London's O2 Arena.

The room offers a rare insight into the performer - it's small and modest, separated into two areas.

On one side is her make-up vanity, the old-school type with a mirror and lights around it, and a table filled with all types of beauty products.

Her elaborate costumes are draped on hangers on a rack.

On the other side are the sofas - Kylie's relaxation area. About a dozen photographs of Kylie's family, printed on A4 paper, adorn the walls, girls dresses put up with sticky-tape.

A sweet, strong smell emanates from the numerous candles provided by Kylie's close friend, florist and homewares decorator Jeff Leatham.

She's wearing a summer dress summer dress . Her hair is hanging loose, brushing her shoulders and she is wearing little, if any, make-up. But still, Kylie is glowing, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's the love, that's what really gets me about this tour," she smiles.

"I keep saying, ball dresses ball dresses it is about the emotion. You can sense, see, feel the richness that is in there and it is all goodness to give to the audience.

"My understanding of me as a performer is, right now it feels like I've turned a corner, this is my corner, my fresh road and I guess it's a mixture of many things.

"It's the time of my life, the people I'm working with. It just feels good."

Kylie has long understood the importance of putting on a spectacular show. And the Aphrodite tour could not be described as anything less - it kicked off in Denmark in February and has been received rapturously across the globe.

After a scaled down version in the US - a still elusive market - her homeland finally gets its turn, when the tour hits Brisbane on Friday.

She worked again with long-time creative collaborator William Baker on the show, which was inspired by ancient Greece.

The stage alone - which shoots water into the crowd and around Kylie as she performs - cost more than $10 million to create.

"Let's put it this way, I will not be doing a big tour (again) any time soon," she says.

"I really think we have something so beautiful, so generous, appropriate, wedding gowns for france wedding gowns for france memorable. So I will need to kind of step away from it for a bit because it can't just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

"How do you top that at this stage? I wouldn't even like to know how to top it because at the moment I am really content wedding evening gowns , really proud of this show that we have."

But fans should not worry - Kylie is not retiring. Her next show will just be different, more intimate perhaps.

"This was always just the next tour, but now that it has left people feeling so good and emotional and pleased, flower girl dresses flower girl dresses who knows?" she says.

"I've been talking about an anti-tour, which I think is a really cool idea. It would be very rewarding for me to do.

"It would be a very small thing. It would only be people who want to hear those songs and want that kind of show, so it's less about being judged and trying to impress people who are ready not to be impressed. It is just a little something that has been on the cards for a while."

There's a microphone stand to the left of the couch, little girl dresses prompting the question of whether Kylie has been working on any new music.

"Loosely, yeah, not the next pop album though," she says.

"Not only because of what that takes from me and all of the people who work on it, but from the public's point of view I am not going to rush in and in six months' time have another pop album. That wouldn't feel right."

Designers Dolce & Gabbana created each of Kylie's beautiful costumes. Up close cheap formal dresses cheap formal dresses, the outfits are even more spectacular.

"There they are," she points to the rack of clothes with a proud smile. "Dolce & Gabbana. It's a must, people, it's got to be something fabulous. I think Dolce have excelled themselves. Feel the weight."

On stage, Kylie glides effortlessly in a silver holographic futuristic dress. But, holding the gown, you need two hands to carry the weight.

"Balancing in heels, that is like the hardest outfit to wear.

"And then the other one. Have a go at that one. It's crazy wedding dress , hey? It's meant to look graceful and light and all of that, but we're all paddling underwater crazily."

Kylie's strength is striking throughout the show, not just physically, but emotionally.

In March, she celebrated a health milestone, marking five years free of breast cancer.

"I get a bit puffed at some points, but it's fun. I love it, wedding gowns " she says. "I make mistakes and if I do the wrong move or if I get distracted, things like that happen in a show for everyone involved.

"Maybe the planets are aligned - everything has come together, not without tears and trials and all the things that normally you hope you'll avoid every tour, but it's impossible to avoid."

  Kylie Minogue, Rod Laver Arena, June 14-16. Book it: 132 849.