The song’s memeability,which has kept many TikTokers busy over the past month,has even spurred conversation within Minogue’s circle of inserting “padam” into the dictionary.
“A friend said,‘do you think it’s going to make it into the dictionary’,which is a wild thought. I said,‘well,what would it mean?’” she told Capital Radio presenters in avideo posted to Instagram,adding that it could become a new form of saying hello and goodbye over the phone,or remain the sound of a heartbeat.
But it’s official meaning? According to Minogue,it’s “whatever you want,babe”.
Since her career has spanned multiple decades,Minogue has the rare opportunity to see how the social media machine alters the way tracks gain traction. In an appearance onEntertainment Tonight Canada at the beginning of this month,she said she wasn’t quite sure how to define the “Kylie era” we’re entering,but she’s loving the humour and active online engagement it’s eliciting.
“I don’t know if this has ever happened to me,” she said. “People are so funny and so clever,and I think it’s only just begun ... It’s a different state of mind for me.”
Locally,Minogue joinedThe Projecton Monday,saying the last time she could recall one of her songs gaining popularity so quickly wasCan’t Get You Out Of My Headin 2001.
“I think this only happens,you know,once in a lifetime. That it’s happening again is just wild to me,” she said,clearly still in disbelief despite her previous success in the charts.
Her 16th studio album,Tension, is due for release on September 22. Shortly before that,Minogue will co-headline the BBC’s Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester alongside 80s icons Tears for Fears. Following this announcement,she told the Radio 2 Breakfast hostPadam Padam had taken on a life of its own.
“I can’t even,full stop! I mean,it’s really taken us all by surprise. We loved it as a team,but the way that it’s taken off is way beyond me ...[Padam has] become a noun,a verb,an adjective,” she said.
“You know,friends leaving going,‘Padam’ – like they’ve turned into minions or something.”
Minogue may still be surprised,but her legions of fans aren’t. From the moment they all began dancing toLocomotion,they could sense this was a talent that would stand the test of time.
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