What does 'Padam Padam' mean? Let Kylie Minogue explain her viral song

Padam Padam.

Two words have taken the world, and the internet, by storm. No one is enjoying it more than Kylie Minogue, whose five decades-long, record-breaking career in pop music has reached another zenith with the electro-pop song "Padam Padam."

Released May 18, the first single off her upcoming record "Tension" has amassed millions of streams, spurred memes, inspired choreography videos and essentially, received the warm embrace of the Gen Z-run internet (not to mention a nod of approval from fellow Australian Nicole Kidman).

Speaking to TODAY.com, Minogue says she's been leaning in to the "Padam Padam" phenom, repeating the chorus' catchphrase all day.

“('Padam Padam') is always there. It’s either in the back of my head, the frontal lobes, or actually coming out of my mouth. And I’m loving it. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it,” she says. "It lives and breathes."

Just over a month since its release, Minogue says "Padam Padam" belongs to the collective that loves it.

"It's so joyful. It feels like it's not my song anymore. So when I'm singing along, it's like it's everyone's," she says.

Below, she shares more about the song of the summer contender — and her biggest solo hit in more than a decade.

What does 'Padam Padam' mean? Allow Kylie Minogue to explain

"Padam, padam / I hear it and I know," Minogue sings in the song.

But do we know what "padam, padam" means? It's the question that has seized pop music listeners.

During an appearance on TODAY, Minogue confirmed the sound was supposed to be the sound of a heartbeat.

"It says it in the song: 'I can feel your heart beating: 'Padam,'" she elaborates to TODAY.com.

Since then, though, "Padam" has "taken on its own meaning."

"It's a greeting. It's a farewell. There is a call and response. Say it, then you have to say it back. Answer, or answer yourself," she says.

Did she know 'Padam Padam' was going to be a hit?

“Padam Padam” first came to Minogue in the form of a demo provided by Norwegian singer-songwriter Ina Wroldsen and producer Lostboy.

Minogue says she was immediately reminded of the French singer Édith Piaf’s song of the same name, “Padam padam.”

The “padams” function differently in that mournful song, seeming to be a melody that haunts Piaf. But the two-syllable sound has the same untranslatable, universal quality in Minogue’s new hit.

Minogue says she loved it immediately.

"It padamed its way straight into my heart and head," she says.

Still, when the song premiered, she never expected it to take off so fast. "It was reassuring and exciting, when you feel this fuel injected," she says.

“It’s the stuff of dreams. To have something take off its own accord — I’m having the time of my life,” she said on TODAY. “‘Padam’ has given me so much and I’m grateful for it. I love the messaging to all ages. ‘Padam’ is talking to the kids, to the longtime fans.”

Yes, she's seen your memes

Minogue says her phone is constantly lighting up with texts from friends with "Padam Padam" memes.

"I love seeing people's humor and ingenuity. How would you put that with that. They're telling stories with 'Padam.' They're doing stuff with a song that none of us, me and my team, could have ever imagined," she says.

The memes often play with the "call and response" aspect of the chorus, with people exchanging "padam padams." Examples range from edits of the Oscar-nominated "Arrival" to Luann de Lesseps and Bethenny Frankel from "The Real Housewives of New York."

The song's internet virality compelled Minogue to finally start posting on TikTok, after her team had been urging for years. Now, she posts duets with people making memes of her song and behind-the-scenes moments from performances in her signature red cat suit.

"I hadn't found my space. Now there's pre 'Padam' and post 'Padam.' I'm figuring out how to access it. It's a deep dive into TikTok and how creative people are," she says.

An empowering moment for Minogue

"Padam Padam" is certainly a hit. It's just as certainly not Minogue's only one.

At 55, Minogue has had a storied career in pop music. She's the first woman to top the albums chart in five consecutive decades in the U.K., and has a trail of hits like "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "The Loco-Motion."

Still, she says, "Padam" feels different. "It's the first time (a song) has kicked off in this way" in this generation," she says.

"The youth are not lumbered with this old-fashioned ... 'Oh, when you reach this, it's sayonara.' I think they're going, 'It's a bop. We're not judgmental. We're going with it,'" she says. "I feel embraced. It should be liberating for all sorts of people. Even as a listener, you can decide what you like."

"I think for people, particularly women around my age, it's empowering for them too," she adds.

Still, she won't call this a comeback, because she never went away.

"The moments don't come without all that effort," she says. "I have a real sense of ... satisfaction. I feel good in myself. This doesn't just happen. I've never stopped working."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com