An Add-Shot of Pop: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso”
And while this hook and most of the lyrical content, for that matter, are far from grammatically correct (“Walked in and dream came trued it for ya”; “One touch and I brand newed it for ya”), certain liberties are allowed when crafting a smart, sugary pop song, the kind of sonic addiction that gets into a listener’s veins and brain, and won’t let go. Is it that sweet? I know so.
Heart Beats: The Summer of Kylie Minogue and “Padam Padam"
Just ten days later, Kylie celebrated her 55th birthday, and took to her social media to thank her followers for the messages, “the ‘Padam’ reaction and the love; it’s been an incredible week,” Kylie said. Incredible indeed, the song went viral on Instagram, and on Tik Tok, #padampadam would eventually garner 10 million hits in early June. This is the first of two significant moments, for it confirmed the speedy reach, and the immense impact, of “Padam Padam” in a relatively short amount of time.
The video montage, designed to heighten the hype, met its goal; when Kylie’s name was announced and she ascended on the stage-lift, the audience erupted in excitement, easily heard in the following video:
For those not entirely familiar with Kylie, easily one of the most successful singers of the last 40 years, “Padam Padam” hopefully serves as the gateway single to discovering her previous, now-legendary, work in pop (the essential-to-own Light Years and Fever albums), dance (the dazzling 2020 album, Disco, which helped sustain many through a dark pandemic), indie-pop (1997’s experimental Impossible Princess), even torch/jazz (“Stay This Way”; “If You Don’t Love Me”; “Try Your Wings”; 2012’s The Abbey Road Sessions album), and that’s just scratching the surface as a recording artist. As a live-concert performer, they don’t call her “the Showgirl” for nothing (two tours entitled, Showgirl [2005, 2006]; XTour2008; Aphrodite Les Folies [2011] are vital viewing). Fittingly, her Vegas residency will solidify her as the consummate showgirl once again.
As summer 2023 comes to a close, it was one full of bright, sunny moments for Kylie Minogue, with “Padam Padam” representing the start to yet another era in her phenomenal career, one that shows no signs of going dim or, to keep with the heart theme, flatlining. The track also signifies a renewed faith in the power of music to bring people together for a very catchy common good. (Note: As this article is being finalized, Kylie has announced the second single, “Tension” will be released on August 31, 2023.)