Kylie Minogue's Padam Padam was nearly a Rita Ora hit.
The synth-pop banger — penned by Norwegian singer-songwriter Ina Wroldsen and producer Lostboy — was a viral hit for the Australian pop idol, 55, last year, but it turns out several artists were asked if they wanted to record it, including the Anywhere singer, 33, because they didn't think it was a Kylie song.
Lostboy told The Sun's Bizarre column: "We wrote Padam in February 2022 and there were maybe four or five months of us sitting on it, then I sent it to their label, and someone suggested to me, 'Kylie would kill this.'"
He added: "They were unsure and there was a moment when Rita was going to cut it and it was worming around a few artists on that label. They were trying to make it work but they didn't think it was for Kylie."
The studio wizard — who has written and produced for the likes of Dua Lipa, Griff, Bebe Rexha, Ellie Goulding, Lewis Capaldi, and Anne-Marie — praised Kylie for putting her imprint on the modern tune.
He added: "I was surprised at how confident she was that she could make it, that it would fit for her. But I think of her as someone who is so good at reinventing. It feels modern, but it also feels like Kylie."
Kylie attracted a whole new generation of fans after the lead single from her album, Tension, swiftly racked up views and was reused in clips on TikTok but admitted she had tried it before with another song and it flopped.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast about the viral success of Padam Padam, she said: "I attempted to kind of get on the TikTok train before, but it wasn't working for me. I tried it — I just don't know how to do it."
Kylie previously confessed that it has taken a lot of strength to keep coming back.
She told OK!: "I feel like a lot of good things are coming together at the same time. Every artist that's ever existed was also riddled with insecurity and self-doubt and all of that stuff. But I feel like now it's OK."
She added: "I don't know that everyone knows the extent of what it's taken for me to keep doing this. The respect is there. It's taken it's good old time. I feel a lot more peaceful than I did a while ago."