Kate Ceberano reveals the sweet nickname INXS star Michael Hutchence had for her: 'He could have called me anything'

Daily Mail​

24-05-2025

Kate Ceberano has revealed the sweet nickname that late INXS star Michael Hutchence called her.
The veteran singer, 58, appeared on Channel Ten 's The Project on Friday night and was presented with a throwback 1985 interview from Hutchence in which he called her by the pet name.
'Under "Best Female Singer", he wrote "Katie Ceberano",' co-host Rove McManus said, as Kate explained the precious story behind the name.
'There's very few people I allow to me "Katie",' she began.
'My brother... and Michael Hutchence! I would have let him call me anything, to be perfectly honest.'
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
Kate and Michael formed a close friendship as they performed at the Australian Made festival in the late 80s and remained friends up until his tragic death in 1997.
It comes after Hutchence's band INXS hit a new peak in the music charts, more than a decade after the iconic Australian band broke up, and 40 years after the initial release of their breakthrough album, Listen Like Thieves.
Originally released in October 1985, the Sydney outfit's fifth album was the first to make its mark on a global scale.
Listen Like Thieves boasted a number of successful singles, including the title track, as well as Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain), This Time, and What You Need – which peaked at No.2 in Australia and No.5 on Billboard's Hot 100.
But this week, INXS has stormed the charts in the United Kingdom thanks to the 40th Anniversary re-release of the album.
Listen Like Thieves is topping four separate rankings in the UK, most of which did not exist when the record was originally released.
It has immediately become INXS' highest-ever peak on the Official Album Sales chart, debuting at No.16.
The band had been together for 35 years when drummer Jon Farriss made the announcement that INXS would no longer be touring together at a November 2012 concert at Perth Arena.
It comes after Hutchence's band INXS hit a new peak in the music charts, more than a decade after the iconic Australian band broke up, and 40 years after the initial release of their breakthrough album, Listen Like Thieves
'We've done the album like a live show and what is there is there,' frontman Michael Hutchence told Rolling Stone in 1985.
'We want to present this record as a band – the idea of six people playing together and using traditional sounds.'
Never-before-heard INXS demos, featuring vocals from late frontman were released to mark the milestone 40th anniversary.
The extra tracks were released on May 9 as part of the reissue of the the rockers' 1985 album, which reached number one in Australia.
Among the unreleased songs is a candid studio moment where Hutchence's charismatic voice echoes through early takes of their '80s hit track This Time.
The rockers continued to perform with Hutchence until his tragic death in Sydney in 1997, where he committed suicide in a hotel room.
The Australian group were one of the world's most successful rock bands in the late '80s.
Following their formation in 1977, they stormed the charts with songs including Need You Tonight, Good Times, New Sensation and Kick.
They are one of Australia's highest-selling bands of all time, with over 50 million albums sold worldwide.
Their 2011 greatest hits album has spent a record 626 weeks on the ARIA top 100 albums chart.