Kylie Minogue Shares What to Expect From Her 2025 Global Tour
With election day nearing, it’s possible that America is about to elect a historic first to the Oval Office. Yes, Kamala Harris could be the first U.S. president to have spoken the immortal words “Padam Padam” on camera.
“Padam Padam,” of course, is the viral hit from Kylie Minogue’s 2023 album Tension, which stormed TikTok last year and nabbed the inaugural best pop dance recording Grammy in February. This month, the Aussie pop legend returns with Tension II, which precedes a huge global tour in 2025 – both of which Minogue chatted about when she swung by Billboard News for an in-depth interview about Padam-demonium, her second Grammy win, working with Sia and more.
“If there’s one Aussie, you’re probably not far from another Aussie,” Minogue tells Billboard News of teaming up with Sia – whom she calls a “High Priestess” – for “Dance Alone.” “She asked if I’d jump on a track. That’s modern parlance, folks – you jump on people’s tracks these days,” she says, smirking. “She’s so talented and such a legend.”
Tension II also features Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo on “My Oh My,” a playful track where each pop star introduces their name and their star sign (“What’s your name? What’s your sign? I’m Kylie, I’m Gemini”). “When we reached out to Bebe and Tove, I was thinking, ‘I hope neither of them are Gemini.’ It would really help if we were all different star signs,” she laughs. “Thankfully, we were.” Earlier this year, Rexha presented Minogue with the Icon Award at Billboard Women in Music. “That was very generous of her,” Minogue notes.
When I suggest that the Grammys specifically created the best pop dance category for Kylie and “Padam Padam,” she pauses. “I wouldn’t be mad at that,” she replies with a smile. “It’s been a while coming to have that category.”
As for what to expect on the upcoming tour – which finds her headlining New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the first time – Minogue says there will be songs from both Tension albums and “a taste of each decade.”
That includes her Hi-NRG cover of “The Loco-Motion,” the international smash that launched her career and hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. After years of mixed feelings about a hit single she recorded as a teenager, Minogue is finding “a real joy” returning to the song now. “It was the song that started my career,” she points out. “Over time there was a period where I was like, ‘I don’t know how to do it. It’s so uncool. How do I do it?’ But now everything has come full circle. I can really with all my heart and enthusiasm do this song.”
As for planning the rest of the massive tour? “G-U-L-P” she jokes.
To find out Kylie’s touring essentials (“coffee machine, let’s get real”) and what happened when Minogue met Frances McDormand, watch the full interview here.