FEATURE:
Every Second Counts
PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Muller
Why Artists Like Kylie Minogue Are Finding Success Through TikTok
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EVEN if…
PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels
I have written about Kylie Minogue a bit over the past few weeks or so, I wanted to return to her now. Her new single, Padam Padam, is a top ten smash in the U.K. This is her highest-charting song in years. It has a modern sound and relatability that has resonated with younger listeners, in addition to many of Minogue’s established fanbase. Not that Padam Padam was a calculated attempt to make a song that was perfect for a younger audience. Instead, it is Kylie Minogue working with the right producers and writers. Having an instinct when it comes to her music. Always evolving and staying fresh, it may be a red herring in terms of what her forthcoming album, TENSION, offers. She has been performing the song live. Currently in the U.K. (I Minogue is now based in Australia), it was a chance for fans here to show their appreciation to a music legend. Minogue made a surprise appearance at the incredible Capital Summertime Ball yesterday. I suspect that, when the next single comes out, it is going to be do well in the charts too. I think one of the reasons Padam Padam succeeded was because it has a sound that is both modern and chart-ready; it also nods back to Kylie Minogue’s sound on two of her most successful albums, Light Years and Fever. The song has this enormous success and legacy now. I think that it will eventually leave the charts, but it is definitely here for many years to come. Padam Padam is a track that has succeeded in spite of a relatively lack of radio attention.
Kylie Minogue has reached a stage in her career where stations such as BBC Radio 1 are not playing her. They are a massive station that could have got Padam Padam even higher up the charts. I have written about this before, but the ageism at the station is baffling and insulting. It impacts and relates to female artists more, but their seeming policy of not featuring an artist when they reach a certain age is insulting! If the songs were quite slow and not the right sound for the station then one could understand. As I have said before, Padam Padam seems designed so that it would be played by BBC Radio 1. Instead, it has not featured on their playlists. People have highlighted this and struck out against the station – and quite rightly too! It is not down to any station to decide what their audience would like to hear. In the case of BBC Radio 1, the listeners would have loved Padam Padam! It needs to be a teachable moment for them and other stations regarding the question of age an artist’s worth. Why is an artist in their teens, twenties or thirties deemed cooler, more contemporary and worthy than an older artist? If the song fits into the station and what they are looking for, how come age is this unnecessary barrier?! Regardless, Kylie Minogue’s chart triumph is a compelling middle finger to any station that has not put Padam Padam on their playlist.
Another reason why Padam Padam has been a success is because of social media. Twitter has helped a lot, because the song has been shared countless times. With every bit of news regarding its chart positions, that news complex people to listen to the song. It is being featured on the news, so there are all these factors that have contributed to the success Padam Padam has enjoyed. As we speak (11th June), the track is in the top ten of the U.K. chart. It may go even higher in the coming days! Kylie Minogue is a major artist, so there was always a chance that the single would do well. That said, look at her chart positions previous to that. The three singles from DISCO, Say Something, Magic, and Real Groove, all placed low on the official U.K. chart. Look back, and 2014’s Into the Blue was the highest-charting single before Padam Padam. That reached twelve in the U.K. Other singles since have either not charted or not done well. It is a sign that some of the most influential radio stations are neglecting artists of a certain age! Many of the songs Minogue has released since 2014 deserved to chart high. It calls into question the validity and influence of radio stations now. They are still important when it comes to championing new artists, but this idea of having set demographics and some artists being too old or irrelevant. This is something that needs tackling. It is bad enough that there is still gender imbalance across most major stations. Throw into the mix clear ageism, and you have this real and concerning problem! It is as well we have a platform like TikTok. This is a social media platform where users can post short videos. It is a case of every second counts. I guess, given the name of the site, that makes sense!
@loreenofficial Padam Padam at Attitude Magazine✨ #padampadam #kylieminogue #transition #fashiontok #behindthescenes ♬ Padam Padam - Kylie Minogue
TikTok is especially useful when it comes to music. Many artists use TikTok to promote their music. Kylie Minogue is on TikTok. She is able to get her music across that way. So many fans have used clips of Padam Padam in their videos. This is a brief and effective way of getting a song into someone’s head. Minogue’s latest single is really catchy, so it is not a surprise that people have latched onto it. TikTok is particularly influential when it comes to new artists. So many young and aspiring artists are using TikTok to get their music noticed. There are so-called ‘TikTok artists’ who seem to have been discovered via the site. Their music has this similar Pop sound. I think the term implies these artists are perfect for the platform when it comes to their sound. Whereas most artists are discovered and made popular through gigs and radio play, TikTok artists use this platform and have a distinct sound and feel. Kylie Minogue cannot be lumped in this category. She is a decades-running success who has found new life and fans on TikTok. It is a big thanks to that site and those who have shared clips of Padam Padam that it has charted to high. There have been some recent articles relating to TikTok and how important it has been for Kylie Minogue. Unfortunately paywalled, The Telegraph wrote why artists are bypassing broadcasters and radio stations and heading to TikTok. Whether that is because they feel radio stations are limited and will pass them by - though it might be because TikTok has this wide user base and can blow up a song instantly. Whatever it is, it should cause concern for radio stations!
@kylieminogue When you’re about to ❤️ PADAM PADAM ❤️ at WEMBLEY STAAAAADIUUUM! What a treat to surprise you all at @Capital ‘s Summertime Ball! 😘😘😘 #CapitalSTB ♬ Padam Padam
I am going to finish by quoting from the Sydney Morning Herald. They wrote about Kylie Minogue and the success of Padam Padam. A whole new generation are discovering her music through the site. It means, with every future release she has this willing and growing fanbase that can ensure her music charts. I do hope that radio stations like BBC Radio 1 do change their ways and ridiculous age-related policies:
“All too often, Australia’s most extraordinary and enduring cultural exports only receive the kudos they so richly deserve when they’re no longer around to hear or see it for themselves.
With a showbiz career spanning some 45 years (her first acting gig was a small role in The Sullivans as a 10-year-old), Kylie Minogue certainly fits the criteria among our pantheon of Australia’s greatest global entertainment exports, up there with AC/DC, Olivia Newton-John and Dame Edna, but her story is far from over.
Last Sunday, Minogue pulled off the seemingly impossible, landing a No.6 spot in the UK’s official charts with her latest song Padam Padam. Combining physical sales, downloads and streams, the result is Minogue’s highest chart peak in the UK since All The Lovers hit No. 3 in 2010. She is also the oldest person on the chart by a couple of decades.
This is no mean feat. She has survived vinyl, music videos, cassettes, CDs and now digital streams.
Even her old mate Nicole Kidman posted on Instagram about her love of the song, which appears to be in high rotation inside the household she shares in Nashville with country crooner Keith Urban and their two daughters. On Monday Kidman shared the track with her 9.4 million followers on the platform, revealing: “on repeat all weekend”
@kylieminogue ❤️Padam Padam❤️ is Number One on The Big Top 40 for a second week in a row! 😝 Thank you lovers, THANK YOU!!! #kylieminogue #newmusic #padampadam #pride ♬ Padam Padam - Kylie Minogue
Minogue’s latest success has been largely attributed to the TikTok generation, many of whom are old enough to be Minogue’s grandchildren. Countless memes have been created on the social media platform using the electro-pop ditty.
Even when her music career appeared to be taking a back seat, she sold us her own range of perfumes, homewares and wine. Now Minogue is back in the spotlight and has gone viral, which in the digital download era of modern pop music is what counts.
At last count, the hashtag #padampadam has been used more than ten million times on TikTok.
In America, a market that has not been her strongest, she topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Music sales chart. She also performed the song last month on the finale of American Idol to an audience of 5.7 million television viewers.
In Australia, where Minogue has based herself for the past year, her new song has also done well, making a debut at number 39 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was Minogue’s first top-40 hit in Australia since Timebomb in 2012.
In September, she will release her 16th studio album titled Tension. According to her music label BMG she has sold over 80 million records worldwide. Her biggest selling album was 2001’s Fever, which racked up 6 million sales”.
It is interesting talking about TikTok and how influential it is. Radio stations will never lose their influence regarding new music. When it comes to artists like Kylie Minogue, they have this opportunity and ear on TikTok. It means they will remains relevant and popular! They will also reach new generations. Padam Padam is a success story that will give encouragement, heart and strength to ‘older’ artists (though that word seems so insulting and wrong!). I mean legends and popular artists who are still making incredible music. Kylie Minogue’s fanbase, a.k.a. ‘Lovers’, have stood by their queen and given Padam Padam a lot of love and support. It proves that the radio stations that disregarded this amazing song and artist are compelled to…
DO better next time!