"Hold On to Now"
Single by Kylie Minogue
from the album Tension
B-side"Hold On to Now (extended mix)"
Released30 October 2023 (2023-10-30)
Recorded2022[1]
Studio
Genre
Length3:57
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Richard Stannard
  • Duck Blackwell
  • Jon Green
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"Tension"
(2023) 		"Hold On to Now"
(2023)
Lyric video
"Hold On to Now" on YouTube

"Hold On to Now" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 30 October 2023 as the third single from Minogue's sixteenth studio album, Tension (2023), by BMG Rights Management and Darenote. Minogue co-wrote the song alongside its producers Jon Green, Duck Blackwell, and longtime collaborator Richard "Biffco" Stannard. "Hold On to Now" received positive reviews from music critics.

Commercially, "Hold On to Now" charted in the United Kingdom at 81 before it was released as a single. An accompanying lyric video featuring Minogue singing was released. Minogue also performed the song at BBC Radio 2's Radio 2 Live festival show in Leicester.

Writing and production

"She [Minogue] and I have worked together so long, 24 years, that it becomes very emotional. I think our friendship comes across in the music. There are certain things she’ll only write about with me, and it comes down to trust. It’s a very special song.”[1]

—Biffco talking about his relationship with Minogue and "Hold On to Now"

Minogue started recording sessions for her sixteenth studio album, Tension (2023) in early 2022. During a period of downtime, she visited her friend and long-time collaborator, Richard "Biffco" Stannard; together, they started experimenting in the studio. According to Biffco, they were only experimenting with sounds and were not focusing on making an album at the beginning. They invited producer and multi-instrumentalist Duck Blackwell to join them. "Hold On to Now" was the first song from their joint writing sessions. The song became the driving force to continue working on more music for Tension together. Biffco described "Hold On to Now as “'Cry-Dance'– a blend of melancholia and euphoria", a firm favorite and very personal track for him.[1]

Blackwell also commented that Minogue and Biffco "were very welcoming, and I immediately felt comfortable sharing my own personal stories and contributing to that. 'Hold On To Now' was born out of that.”[1] Biffco and Blackwell produced the song alongside Jon Green, who also provided additional writing. It was recorded at Biffco Studios in Brighton, The Pool Studio in Bermondsey, and the Infinite Disco Studio in Melbourne. Ben Loveland was the recording engineer, while James Pinfield-Wells assisted with the engineering. Minogue provided additional engineering while Guy Massey mixed the song. The House Gospel Choir, under choir direction by Natalie Maddix, is featured in the song.[2]

Reception

"Hold On to Now" was compared by some critics to Swedish singer Robyn's musical output.

The synth-driven sound of "Hold On to Now" and "earnest" songwriting have been compared to the works of Swedish singer Robyn. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times labeled the song as "euphoric electronic pop with a Robyn-esque tinge of melancholy."[3] Hannah Mylrea of Rolling Stone UK described it as "late-night shimmer", and compared it to Minogue's 2010 single "Get Outta My Way" for "conjuring the same jubilation."[4] Harry Tafoya of Pitchfork in his review of the song's parent album Tension, called the song "Robyn-esque plea for romantic faith."[5] Nick Levine of NME stated that the song, "feels like an upbeat successor" to Minogue's 2020 single "Say Something", adding that it is the "sonic equivalent of a burst of confetti."[6]

Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine labeled it "lightweight and anthemic", and commented that the song is in the "vein" of Minogue's previously released songs such as 2010's "All the Lovers" and 2014's "Into the Blue."[7] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic noted that the "encouraging uplift" of the song, "sparkles and builds to a joyous chorus, atop intergalactic synths and subtle New Order-esque guitar noodling."[8] Annabel Ross of The Sydney Morning Herald described the track as a "twinkling power ballad that hits the upper limits of tolerable schmaltz" Lyrically, Ross interpreted the song is about "Minogue being lonely, and she searches for something more meaningful."[9]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "Hold On to Now" entered at number 25 and number 26 on the Singles Downloads Chart and Singles Sales Chart respectively, during the release week of its parent album Tension.[10][11] On the Official Singles Chart, it debuted at number 81 on the UK Singles Chart in September 2023.[12]

In New Zealand, the song entered at number 21 on their component Hot Singles chart in October 2023.[13] In the United States, it entered at number 32 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[14]

Live performances

Minogue gave the debut live performance of "Hold On to Now" during her headlining set at Radio 2 in the Park in September 2023.[15] Shaun Curran, writing for I, rated Minogue's performance 4/5 stars.[16] In the same month, Minogue performed the song during her one-off concert at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.[17]

Lyric video

The accompanying lyric video for the song was released on 22 September 2023. It features Minogue sitting and singing, with lyrics of the song shown in the video.[18]

Formats and track listing

Digital, CD, Cassette and 7" Vinyl

  1. "Hold on to Now" – 3:57
  2. "Hold on to Now (extended mix)" – 5:28

Digital

  1. "Hold on to Now (Trance Wax Remix)" – 3:22
  2. "Hold on to Now" – 3:57

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tension.[2]

Locations

Personnel

Charts

Release history

"Hold On to Now" release history
Region Date Format Label Ref(s).
Italy 30 October 2023 Radio airplay
[27]
Various 2 November 2023
[28]
10 November 2023
[29][30]
8 December 2023 7" vinyl [31]

Notes

  1. ^ The House Gospel Choir consists of vocalists Cartell Green-Brown, Christian Idos, Cleo Miller-Stewart, Laura Davie, Laura Leon, Leanna Leid, Lewis Daniel, Liza Marie Jennings, and Monique Meade.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Lindores, Mark (31 October 2023). "Inside Kylie: Tension". Classic Pop. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Tension (liner notes). Kylie Minogue. BMG. 2023. 5389928042.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (22 September 2023). "Kylie Minogue: Tension album review — Padam Padam sets unmatchable peak". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  4. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (18 September 2023). "Kylie Minogue, 'Tension' review". Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  5. ^ Tafoya, Harry (21 September 2023). "Kylie Minogue: Tension Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  6. ^ Levine, Nick (22 September 2023). "Kylie Minogue – 'Tension' review: up there with her best". NME. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  7. ^ Camp, Alexa (18 September 2023). "Review: Less Tension, More Release". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  8. ^ Yeung, Neil Z. Yeung. "Tension Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  9. ^ Ross, Annabel (22 September 2023). "Sex meets nostalgia in Kylie Minogue's euphoric new album Tension". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 29/9/23". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart on 29/9/23". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 on 29/9/2023". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  13. ^ a b "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Dance/Electronic Song". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  15. ^ Paterson, Colin (18 September 2023). "Kylie triumphs at Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester". BBC. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  16. ^ Curran, Shaun (18 September 2023). "Kylie Minogue, Radio 2 in the Park, Leicester, review: A pure pop masterclass". I. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  17. ^ Crumlish, Callum (28 September 2023). "Kylie stunned Londoners in intimate gig with a perfect setlist and a new song debut". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Kylie Minogue - Hold On to Now (Official Lyric Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Hold On To Now - Song by Kylie Minogue - Apple Music". Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  20. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 2 October 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1752. Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 October 2023. p. 9.
  21. ^ "100% Independent Singles – 13 November 2023". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Offizielle Download Charts Single (02.10.2023)". MTV Germany. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Kylie Minogue Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  26. ^ Ainsley, Helen (4 January 2024). "The Official best-selling vinyl albums and singles of 2023". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Kylie Minogue - Hold on to Now (Radio Date: 30-10-2023)".
  28. ^ "Hold On To Now". Spotify. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Kylie - Hold On To Now CD single". Kylie Official Store. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  30. ^ "Kylie - Hold On To Now Cassette single". Kylie Official Store. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Kylie - Hold On To Now 7" Vinyl single". Kylie Official Store. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
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