Kylie Minogue on ‘Padam Padam’ memes: ‘People are just awesome’
The pop icon speaks in her Rolling Stone UK cover shoot.
By Nick Reilly
Kylie Minogue has opened up on how ‘Padam Padam’ became a huge hit for her earlier this year, spawning a huge slew of memes in the process.
The track, which is the lead single off Kylie’s latest album Tension, reached number eight on the UK chart, making it her first top ten hit since ‘All the Lovers’ in 2010.
In the process, it has also created a whole host of memes from fans who have embraced the track’s irreverent chorus – with the concept of ‘Padam’ taking on a whole host of different meanings for different people.
“All the Padam memes, everything! People are just awesome, really,” said Minogue in the behind-the-scenes-video of her Rolling Stone UK cover shoot.
“It just struck me that it’s the first time this happened to me that one of my songs has become a viral sensation and I’ve got to tell you – I’ve loved it! A lot of people have taken ownership of it and I think that’s incredible.
“The minute a song’s released it’s like it doesn’t belong to me anyway, it only becomes a complete thing when it’s out in the world with a reaction and with it becoming hopefully a part of their lives. But to sense that immediately was outrageously good.”
Opening up on the specific memes she enjoyed, Minogue said: “Initially, one of my favourites was Hobby Craft. It just cracked me up. Hobby Craft in Wimbledon, went for it. I thought it must have been a slow day! I hope their boss was happy with that. The Lego recreation of the video is incredible. The attention to detail, like having the car come behind the window and in frame, he built a set. It was an entire set. I would love people to know that really, it’s touched me so much, that they’ve given their time and effort and love to making their own Padam.”
As for the album itself, Minogue described it as a “great trip”.
“Sonically I’ve reached another phase for me where there’s sounds that are reminiscent, obviously, of the early 2000s and the period where I started getting more into dance music. Tension for me feels rich. It feels layered, textured, super fun, plenty of abandon and then enough heart. Enough of that melancholy high that I seem to have discovered is one of my happy places.”
You can read our whole cover interview with Kylie Minogue here.