Kylie Minogue: It’s not cool to be ageist

By Laura Harding, PA Deputy Entertainment Editor

Kylie Minogue has said it is “not cool to be ageist” anymore.

The Australian pop superstar, 55, has had a 35-year career and said there has always “been something to navigate” but has not had to deal with prejudice about her age as much as others have.

Earlier this year Madonna said she has been “caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny” following criticism over her appearance at the Grammy Awards.

Minogue, who has lately found viral success on TikTok with her single Padam Padam, said she has been pleased to see people abandoning labels.

She told Radio Times: “There was some of that with Padam, where it surprised people and went on ‘youth-orientated’ radio.

“But I think we’re in a time where it’s not cool to be ageist. People are over it.

“What’s really interesting is that it’s the younger people saying, ‘We love the song.’ The current thinking, which is amazing and a breath of fresh air, is that labels are dropping.

“You can like what you like, be what you want to be. That’s helpful for me right now.

“Another thing is, I’ve had people say to me, throughout the years, ‘You’ll always just be you.’

“They don’t really see my age, which is kind of funny, because I started so young, and if there was any detrimental aspect to that it was, ‘You’re so young, what do you know, how can you be credible?’

“At different points in my career, whatever age I’ve been, there’s been something to navigate.

“I spoke about it on my album Golden, saying, ‘We’re not young, we’re not old, we’re golden, you can only be who you are at that point in time.’

“I have friends for whom, on their phone, I’m just called Sparkle. I don’t quite know how I’ve managed it, but I don’t think I’ve had to deal with it as much as some other people.”

She has been pleasantly surprised by the success of Padam Padam in the US, which comes ahead of her Las Vegas residency later this year, saying: “It feels like a concerted effort.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time, much more than in recent years, being in the States and Padam just keeps Padaming, really.

“I’m trying to keep up. It’s very exciting. I would say, ‘Who would have thought?’ but I don’t think that’s the best attitude. It’s more, ‘Here we are and why not?’ Give it a go.”

Minogue will appear at the BBC’s Radio 2 in the Park this weekend and her new album Tension is released on September 22.

Radio Times is out now.