Intending to create a different musical experience, Minogue and her agency enlisted a variety of producers and collaborators, including musicians Sia, MNEK, Pharrell Williams, and Tom Aspaul.

Retrospectively, Kiss Me Once was seen as a misstep in Minogue's career by publications and critics, due to its lack of commercial success and appeal to audiences.

[1][2] Two weeks later, Minogue embarked on the Anti Tour in Australia and the United Kingdom, which featured B-sides, demos, and rarities from her discography.

[5] Following the conclusion of her K25 celebrations, Minogue parted ways with her long-term manager Terry Blamey and his team, announcing a musical hiatus shortly after.

[6][7] She then announced on Instagram and Twitter in February 2013 that she had signed a management contract with American rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z's imprint Roc Nation.

"[18] Minogue further collaborated with a number of songwriters and producers, including Sia, Cutfather, Greg Kurstin, Pharrell Williams, and MNEK.

[19] In an interview with The Huffington Post, Minogue revealed that she and Furler had recorded several tracks for her previous album Aphrodite that did not make the final cut.

[22][23][21] Tim Sendra, writing for AllMusic, categorised the album as "an intoxicating blend of uptempo dance tracks, funky club cuts, sexy midtempo jams, and the occasional ballad.

[29] The eighth song, "Les Sex", was described as a campy electro track that Minogue named her personal favourite from the album.

[28][34] The tenth song on the album is "Beautiful", a duet with Enrique Iglesias; it was recorded in Paris without Minogue having met Inglesias.

[37] Minogue closes her eyes and purses her red lips for a kiss in the artwork, and was photographed close-up behind a sheet of wet glass.

[38][39][40] Robbie Daw of Idolator described it as "warm, colourful, and perfectly pop, while Mike Was off the same publication felt it leaves a strong visual impression and indicates Minogue has "really brought her inner-sex kitten" for the album.

[47][48] Kiss Me Once was released in North America on 18 March, and in Japan a day later, with two bonus tracks: "Sparks" and a remix of "Into the Blue" by Japanese musician Yasutaka Nakata.

[60][61] Two intimate concert shows were held in London (18 March) and Melbourne (25 April), where Minogue performed several tracks from Kiss Me Once.

[79][80][81] The song received positive reviews from critics who praised the track's production standards and songwriting but were split on whether it was the best choice for a single release.

[84] Dawn Shadforth directed the "Into the Blue" music video, which starred French actor Clément Sibony as Minogue's love interest.

[87] It received positive feedback for its unique sound upon release, but critics felt it lacked Minogue's personality and criticised the songwriting.

[91] The single's music video, which featured Minogue in a gymnasium performing the song, also received mixed commentary for its sexual nature.

[100][101] "Crystallize", another track did not make into the final tracklist, was released as a charity single for the fundraising campaign One Note For Cancer on 26 May 2014.

[102][103] Originally intended to be included on the Japanese edition of Kiss Me Once, "Golden Boy" was released exclusively on 7" vinyl on 19 April 2014 for Record Store Day.

[114] Joe Sweeney of Slant Magazine called it "ruthlessly addictive dance music", while Ryan Latham of PopMatters said, "Kiss Me Once isn't a game-changing album, but it should churn out enough hits to keep her on the pop culture radar until her next offering.

"[35][29] Tim Sendra wrote for AllMusic that Kiss Me Once is a "glittering, fun, and surprisingly powerful album that's classic Kylie through and through".

Club editor Annie Zalenski criticised its sound as "unfortunate", and felt it "drained" Minogue's personality and vocals.

"[108] The Financial Times Ludovic Hunter-Tilney concluded, "It's solid and unspectacular, a necessary pretext for a new world tour, where the real action lies for Minogue now.

"[115] Spin magazine editor Brittany Spanos noted the album's lacked cohesion, but stated "Therein lies the strength of Kiss Me Once: Minogue's ability to turn any contrived situation into something positive, magical, and utterly her own.

Fact magazine's Joe Muggs felt the majority of the album contained too many fillers, citing the songs "Les Sex", "I Was Gonna Cancel", and "Sexercize", but praised the record's production standards.

[116] Lydia Jenkins of the New Zealand Herald felt majority of the content as unoriginal, highlighting "Into the Blue" as "half-decent", "Million Miles" and "Fine" as "club fillers", and "Sexy Love" as a rip-off from the song "California Gurls" by American singer Katy Perry.

[117] Neil McCormick from The Telegraph complimented Minogue's charm and overall sound, but criticized her lack of innovation through the production and songwriting field.

[118] MusicOMH's Philip Matusavage gave it a negative review, saying "It's crushingly disappointing, then, to find that Kiss Me Once is perhaps her most anonymous offering to date.

However, she later confirmed she had parted with the label in December 2015 and would stay permanently with Warner Music Australia; she announced her album Kylie Christmas that same month, which would be her final overall release with Parlophone.