Holly Valance has addressed the controversy surrounding her new song promoting Pauline Hanson’s film A Super Progressive Movie, after the track was briefly removed from Apple Music.
The song, titled Kiss Kiss (XX) My Arse, was released on Australia Day and reached No.1 on the Apple Music iTunes best-selling songs chart, surpassing releases by Keli Holliday and Harry Styles.
It was later taken down from the platform after briefly overtaking Olivia Dean’s Triple J Hottest 100-winning song Man I Need, before being reinstated on Friday following public backlash.
Valance, 42, appeared on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Friday, where she criticised those responsible for the removal, saying they had “not enough brain cells between them”.
Host Kyle Sandilands asked the former Neighbours star whether she was “personally devastated” by the song’s removal by what he described as the “woke world”.
Valance said she was disappointed but believed the controversy ultimately benefited the song.
“Yes and no because they’ve kind of helped you in the end and they don’t realise that,” she said.
“There’s not enough brain cells between them. But it’s helping me enormously so thank you very much.”
She added that while the situation was minor in the broader context of global issues, it formed part of a larger debate around free speech.
“You’ve got to see the bigger picture and just because this week might not be something you like the sound of, you want it cancelled, but wait till it does affect something that you really believe in and it’s taken away from you,” she said.
“I think if you’re a real libertarian, free speech should be at the top of your priorities, even if it’s with something you don’t like.”
The song is a reworked version of Valance’s 2002 hit Kiss Kiss and includes lyrics criticising progressive politics, with references to trans issues, “snowflakes” and “cancel culture”.
Upon the song’s release, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said, “Wouldn’t the ABC have a heart attack knowing they had to play this track.”
Despite strong download numbers, the track recorded approximately 50,000 streams on Spotify, failed to chart on Australia’s major streaming platforms and did not enter the country’s official rankings.
The song attracted widespread criticism for being transphobic and targeting minority groups.
However, some social media users questioned its temporary removal from Apple Music.
“Who gave Apple the go ahead to tell us what music we could download?” one user wrote, while another added, “I’m so buying it.”
Valance, who now lives in the UK, has in recent years become an outspoken supporter of conservative politics and has publicly backed Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
A Super Progressive Movie follows four “progressives” who find themselves in the “real world” led by Hanson after their “rainbow malfunctions”.
The film currently holds a 4.8 rating on IMDb, with most users rating it either 1/10 or 10/10.
Its release comes amid rising support for One Nation among Australian voters, with the party now polling level with the Coalition for the first time.
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