'Padam Padam' Was Almost A Rita Ora Hit

Kylie Minogue’s viral hit, Padam Padam, written by Norwegian songwriter Ina Wroldsen and producer Lostboy, could have gone to Rita Ora, a member of Kylie’s team revealed in a new interview.

Padam Padam, the first single from Minogue’s latest album Tension, brought the beloved Australian singer back to synth-pop and generated an entire new audience, with TikTok users picking up on the track and starting trends Minogue got to be a part of.

After winning the award for Best Pop Release at the 2023 ARIA Awards and receiving a nomination at this year’s Grammy Awards (for Best Pop Dance Recording), it’s difficult to imagine anyone else singing the song. But, it almost happened, as there were doubts about Padam Padam working for Kylie Minogue.

“We wrote Padam in February 2022, and there were maybe four or five months of us sitting on it, then I sent it to their label, and someone suggested to me, ‘Kylie would kill this,’” the song’s producer, Lostboy, said in an interview in The Sun’s Bizarre column (per Music News).

On the uncertainty regarding Kylie tackling Padam Padam, Lostboy continued, “They were unsure, and there was a moment when Rita was going to cut it, and it was worming around a few artists on that label. They were trying to make it work, but they didn’t think it was for Kylie.”

Describing his delight at Kylie putting her own spin on the track and owning it, the producer added, “I was surprised at how confident she was that she could make it, that it would fit for her, but I think of her as someone who is so good at reinventing.

“It feels modern, but it also feels like Kylie.”

In September, Tension debuted at #1 in Australia, dominating the ARIA Albums Chart, the Australian Albums Chart, and the Vinyl Albums Chart.

In the UK, the Can’t Get You Out Of My Head singer locked in her ninth #1 album, outselling the rest of the top five albums in the UK combined for the top spot.

“Baby, can’t you feel that my heart is beating… TENSION is NUMBER ONE in the UK and AUSTRALIA,” Minogue wrote on Twitter. “THANK YOU to everyone who bought it, streamed it and made it YOURS … I am in awe of the love and support you’ve shown me. I will hold on to this moment forever!!”

In The Music’s 4.5 star review of Tension, reviewer Bryget Chrisfield wrote, “Tension is a chic collection of songs to help us pull in da club, soundtrack all-night raves and make our hearts sing/go Padam Padam.”