A viral hit and a 'new' word we can't stop saying: Kylie Minogue's career renaissance.

We are living through a Kylie Minogue renaissance and it's not a moment too soon.

For a lot of us, Kylie never left. She is undoubtedly an icon, whose career has spanned decades and given us some of the (in my humble opinion!) greatest pop songs of all time.

I mean, 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'? 12/10.

But something has shifted in the past few weeks: Gen Z, and TikTok, has discovered Kylie in a whole new way and suddenly, she's everywhere.

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A post shared by Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue)

On May 18, Minogue released her new single 'Padam Padam', the first off her new album coming in September.

In just a month, the song has become a sleeper hit and her highest charting song in a decade.

Initially ignored by major radio stations, especially in the UK, the song quickly took off on TikTok. Initially spurred by Kylie's loyal LGBTQIA+ fans, the sound found its way into the social feeds (and minds - because ear worm!) of the wider populace.

Here, it — and she — was introduced to a brand new audience.

Oh, and those radio stations now have it in heavy rotation.

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It has gone so viral that Minogue turned up for a very last minute, surprise performance at Capital's Summertime Ball in London.

Now, we're in a Padam-ic (sorry).

'Padam Padam', if you're yet to hear it in the wild, is classic Kylie: an electro-pop banger with a thumping beat that is reminiscent of a heartbeat. Makes sense, because the word is onomatopoeia for just that. Plus, tt's about being horny in the club, which is about as universal an experience as you can get, right?

The title comes from an Édith Piaf song, but it's now very much Minogue's signature word.

It's made its way into the lexicon of normal people everywhere, as well as the unofficial and silly Urban Dictionary, but fans have also been petitioning hard for Oxford University Press — the publisher of the English dictionary — to add 'Padam' to its pages.

Plus, of course, there are memes.

And viral videos.

And one of the biggest markers of pop culture success: politicians making silly references in speeches.

#PadamPadam now officially in Hansard

Happy Pride month to all @kylieminogue pic.twitter.com/gNFwjWBMab

— Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP🌹🏳️‍🌈 (@lloyd_rm) June 15, 2023

The impact of 'Padam Padam', which has entered the top 10 in the UK, means Minogue joins other legends Cher, Diana Ross and Lulu as the fourth female solo artist to score a Top 10 hit in five consecutive decades (the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s and now, the 20s).

In an interview with the UK's Hits Radio, Minogue said it felt like the biggest moment for her since 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'.

"'Padam Padam' has really taken us all by surprise and I couldn't be happier about it," she said.

"It's taken on a life of its own and I think this only happens, you know, once in a lifetime! That it's happening again, is just wild to me."

Also wild? The CONTENT.

Before Padam After Padam https://t.co/bq8g0C71TX pic.twitter.com/YfA6kX6K3S

— zorralia 🏳️‍🌈 (@cosm1co) June 3, 2023

https://t.co/ryvWUXdMHW pic.twitter.com/8xonM2YoOm

— Strewth 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 (@StrewthQueen) June 14, 2023

Okay I finally listened and I get it. pic.twitter.com/KHtofQBJLk

— Adam James (@adamj_griff) May 22, 2023

Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue pic.twitter.com/nMEkHeeT7M

— Azealia Banks dancing to… (@azealiadancing) June 16, 2023

PADAM PADAM I KNOW YOU WANNA TAKE ME HOME PADAM AND GET TO KNOW ME CLOSE pic.twitter.com/ZxlvY5Szhw

— andreas (@MrDrewy) May 18, 2023

padam padam pic.twitter.com/nv8ANikNFc

— 🐰 (@heIIobritney) May 20, 2023

pic.twitter.com/tkdL0tDiYP

— Daniel Zennon (@dzennon) May 22, 2023

So, in the immortal words of Kylie Minogue: Padam, padam.

Feature image: Getty/Kylie Minogue/Mamamia.

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