This summer’s viral TikTok sensation has introduced Kylie Minogue to a fresh demographic of fans, many of whom are so young that they’ve never been exposed to the chart-topping hits that catapulted her to stardom.
“Padam Padam,” the inaugural track from her upcoming album “Tension,” set to release this Friday, has firmly reestablished Minogue on dance floors worldwide, more than three and a half decades after her initial breakthrough. It has also prompted young people from across the globe to recreate the dance routine from the music video on TikTok, an entirely new experience for the Australian icon.
During a visit to Paris, the 55-year-old artist shared her thoughts with AFP, stating, “To have this new generation embrace my music, especially considering their open-mindedness and acceptance of someone my age, energizes me. It’s amusing because I encounter people who have discovered me through ‘Padam’ and are completely unfamiliar with ‘Locomotion’ or ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head.’ This is both startling and exhilarating.”
Minogue was only 19 years old when she released “Locomotion” in 1987, transitioning from a daytime soap actress on the Australian show ‘Neighbours’ to an international pop sensation. Her status was further solidified with the success of her subsequent single, “I Should Be So Lucky,” which propelled her debut album “Kylie” to over five million in sales.
But that was just the beginning. Her record label claims she has sold more than 80 million records and garnered more than five billion streams throughout her career.
The title “Padam Padam” led many in France to speculate whether Kylie was covering Edith Piaf’s famous song of the same name. However, she confessed that the similarities start and end with the title. “Many extraordinary things have happened in my life, and this is yet another one—being mentioned in the same breath as Edith Piaf,” she remarked with a laugh. “I did wonder if the French would approve,” she added.
Minogue was able to gauge the enthusiastic response in France during a listening party for the album at a Paris club last week. Fortunate attendees were surprised when she descended from the stage to join the audience, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and perched on high heels that she discarded to move more freely.
Having another pop hit in her mid-fifties was an unexpected surprise, according to the singer. “I was completely taken aback… Every time I release a new song, I experience a mix of nervousness and excitement, but I can genuinely say that I did not see this coming.”
As has been the case throughout her career, “Padam Padam” has been particularly well-received in LGBT clubs. Her LGBTQ+ fan base has been with her from the very beginning, with Minogue reminiscing about the first time she heard about a “Kylie Night” at a club on Sydney’s Oxford Street. “Since then, I’ve attended drag shows, and I’m the least ‘Kylie’ person there. There are these supersonic versions of me. I couldn’t possibly compete!” she exclaimed.
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