Kylie Producer Slams ‘Sexist & Ageist' Radio For 'Padam Padam' Snubs

Producer and songwriter Lostboy, aka Pete Rycroft, has gone on the record with The Independent and addressed Kylie Minogue’s biggest hit in over a decade, Padam Padam, and described how the song could have been even more successful – if more radio stations also jumped on board.

According to Rycroft, a reason why radio stations didn’t play Padam Padam was due to ageism. “We were trying to get it played on the radio,” Rycroft claimed, “It was everywhere, everyone was talking about it, and it was at least top two in the charts, but Radio 1 and Capital were refusing to play it, essentially because she’s an older woman.”

To Rycroft, it was “clear as day” why Padam Padam wasn’t played on specific radio stations. “There are other 55-year-old artists, David Guetta, for example, and he’s all over the radio because he’s a bloke and he’s got some amazing tunes,” he added. “Padam should have been on there from the beginning, and it’s just a reflection on Radio 1.”

After BBC Radio 1 received backlash for not spinning Padam Padam, despite its climb up to #6 on the UK Singles Chart, the station placed Padam Padam on the C list, meaning that Minogue would be heard on the radio “around five times a week” (via the BBC website).

That was insulting, Rycroft said. “I’ve had songs that were way less of a social phenomenon that were straight on to the A list,” he added. “C list feels like a bit of an insult, but it was a small victory for her.”

As reported by Express in June, Padam Padam didn’t get a spin during The Official Chart after making its Top Ten debut – leaping from #12 up to #6  – just days before. Host Katie Thistleton played every other song that charted in the Top Ten.

As a result, some of Minogue’s fans accused BBC Radio 1 of being ageist and sexist. One user on Twitter observed that “females over a certain age get ditched from BBC Radio 1, not only Kylie but plenty of others” and pointed out that “thankfully Radio 2 show[s] them support”.

Another shared the same sentiment, arguing it “seems to be that [Padam Padam] is being left out of the rotation due to Kylie's age”.

In defence of BBC Radio 1, music programmer Al Smith said he and his team choose what songs to play on the station on “a case-by-case basis”.

Kylie Minogue will release her new album, Tension, on Friday, 22 September, via BMG. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here.