In 1995, Minogue had initially begun work on the follow-up album to "Get Into You". However, during recording sessions, Mushroom Records terminated their contract with Minogue. Following a divorce from Julian McMahon and a cover-shoot for Australian Playboy magazine, Minogue was approached by Warner Brothers Records to record a new album.
Recording
Sessions began in early 1997 with Ian Masterson and Brian Higgins.
Title and artwork
The album's name is a direct reference to the refrain, 'I may not be the innocent girl", in the album's lead single, 'All I Wanna Do'. The album artwork was shot by Steve Shaw and designed by Gerard Saint. In 2007, the re-issue featured slightly different artwork with Minogue's head tilted to the front and additional booklet design featuring images from the album's respective music video shoots, also shot by Steve Shaw.
Composition
Music and lyrics
Girl was distinctively more dance-orientated than Minogue's previous work and stands as a dance, electronica and techno-pop album. The album opens with the lead single "All I Wanna Do", which contained a more emphasized dance sound in contrast to the pop style. This would be felt on the rest of the album. The other tracks on Girl ranged from mature pop songs to the more techno oriented. The album also included notable styles of dance music as well as ambient infused sounds, all of which were considered cutting edge for the time. Several of the tracks also embodied strong undertones of electronica music.
Promotion
To promote the album, Minogue appeared on a variety of television shows for interviews and performances, in the United Kingdom and Australia, including "Top of the Pops" and "TFI Friday". In 1998, Minogue also embarked on the "Unleased '98" tour consisting of 23 dates around the United Kingdom. Minogue was also part of the line-up for the Mushroom 25 Live concert held in Melbourne in 1998.
Singles
, was released as the first single from the album on 18 August 1997. It peaked at number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and number 1 in the UK Dance Club Chart, in Australia, it peaked at number 11 in the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold. Everything I Wanted was released as the second single on 20 October 1997. It peaked at number 15 in the UK Singles Chart and become her second single number 1 in the UK Dance Club Chart, in Australia it peaked at number 44 in the ARIA Singles Chart. Disremembrance was released on 16 March 1998 as the third single, was remixed by Flexifinger for release. It peaked at number 21 in the UK Singles Chart and become her third single number 1 in the UK Dance Club Chart, in Australia, it peaked at number 53 in the ARIA Singles Chart. Coconut was released on 16 November 1998 as the fourth single in Australia only. It peaked at number 62 in the ARIA Singles Chart. The single featured the b-side, "Someone New". Other songs
Several remixes were commissioned of "Heaven Can Wait", some of which were on included on promotional releases of "Everything I Wanted" and released on the "Coconut" single. Previously unreleased mixes of "Movin' Up'" and "Someone New" were also released on the Deluxe Edition of the album in 2007.
Critical reception
Despite commercial disappointment, Girl received a generally positive reception from music critics. John Lucas from AllMusic complimented the album saying "The music is no longer so concerned with aping American trends; it was clearly influenced by the British dance club sounds of the mid-'90s. In short, Dannii was finally carving an identity for herself." He gave the album four out of five stars.
Commercial performance
Girl charted at number 57 in the United Kingdom on the Official Album Charts and number 69 in Australia on the ARIA Album Chart.
