Kylie Minogue speaks out against ageism following Madonna comments

‘Labels are dropping,’ said the pop star

Kylie Minogue has said it is “not cool to be ageist” in 2023.

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

Her comments come after Madonna, 65, said that 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 her music enjoyed by young people.

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?’”

Minogue on stage in June (Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

She added: “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.”

Madonna (AP)

The singer admitted she has been 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 22 September.

In Vegas, Minogue will be playing at the Venetian hotel’s new, 1,000-capacity, cabaret-style nightclub, Voltaire, from 4 November.

With her residency in Vegas, Minogue follows in the footsteps of Celine Dion, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and many more.

The residency will last for three months and will see Minogue perform tracks from Tension, alongside greatest hits including “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”, “Spinning Around” and “Better the Devil You Know”.

Additional reporting by Press Association