After blowing up on TikTok, Kylie Minogue’s Padam Padam became one of the songs of the summer, helping to introduce the star to a whole new generation of fans. However, Kylie has admitted that, when she first heard the track, she thought that it wasn’t quite finished.
“When Padam came in as a demo, I assumed the rest of the song was going to be built out,” she explains to Music Week (Paywall). “But [BMG Records’ SVP Jamie Nelson] said, ‘No, it doesn’t need to go to a middle eight and come back for another chorus.’ That was an adjustment for me to go, ‘Okay, that works.’”
Kylie goes on to suggest that the success of the song has reassured her that releasing short records - Padam Padam has a running time of just 2:46 - can be beneficial. “I can understand it now I’ve seen the amazing impact it’s had with Padam,” she acknowledges.
Minogue has had more hits than most, of course, but having a song ‘land’ on TikTok was a new experience even for her, and one that she was happy to embrace.
“It’s wild that I can say that this is a first for me to have a viral moment,” says Kylie. “The song’s catchy, hypnotic, modern, a bit kooky and a really good fit for me. Then the video managed to amplify all of that with its otherworldliness and overload of Padam red. I had hoped at some point to connect more on TikTok but I didn’t know now would be the time!
“I’ve been so touched and amazed at people’s ingenuity, passion and humour. We all had high hopes for the song, but I don’t think any of us expected it to take off the way it did as a viral hit. So I’m going along with the ride and we’ve had to pivot as well – because it was unexpected.”
Now well versed in Logic Pro - “I can’t tell you what a game-changer it is,” Kylie tells Music Week - the star has also, according to her producer Biff Stannard, “mastered” the art of vocal production.
Kylie’s chops will be on display for all to hear when her new album, Tension, is released on 22 September.
