At least from the outside, everything is going well for the British-Albanian singer at the moment. She became a global star with her perfectly produced disco-pop album “Future Nostalgia”. In addition to her pop career, the multiple Grammy winner is active, among other things, as a model, podcaster and, more recently, also in supporting roles as an actress in Hollywood films (“Barbie”, “Argylle”).
Dua Lipa had collected almost 100 songs in her notebook – many of them before she went on tour with “Future Nostalgia”. “I just wrote until I realized where I wanted to go,” she says. It was only through working with Kevin Parker, better known as the creative genius behind the name Tame Impala, that the new album began to take shape. Producer Danny Harley, songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. and songwriter Caroline Ailin, who wrote the hit singles “New Rules” and “Don’t Stop Now” with Lipa, were also involved.
“When I worked with Kevin in 2022, the first session was an eye-opener,” says Lipa. “Kevin, Danny, Tobias, Caroline and I wrote the song “Illusion”. The next day we wrote “Happy For You,” and the next day we wrote “Watcha Doing.” That’s when I realized what direction we were going in.”
The first of three pre-released singles – “Houdini” – suggested a slightly different, darker sound with analog synthesizers and distinctive keyboard riffs. On the other hand, the second single – “Illusion” – was the almost expected Dua Lipa club hit and, with borrowings from French House, seemed like a remnant of the polished “Future Nostalgia”. However, the progressive synth solo of “Illusion” suggested that she might try new things.
The moody Latin house number “End Of An Era” introduces Dua Lipa’s third studio album with a swing and, like most of the following songs, immediately sticks in your ear. The 28-year-old processes experiences from her own love life – which she doesn’t want to talk about – and sings about jumping to conclusions and being “hopelessly romantic”. Is she really a hopeless romantic? Lipa’s response: “I would like to consider myself hopeful.”
Certainly thanks to Parker’s influence, “Radical Optimism” fascinates with rich sound worlds that were previously unknown from Dua Lipa. From summery, groovy pop with a cheerful 80s synthesizer (“Watcha Doing”) to sophisticated trip-hop (“French Exit”) to the driving disco ballad, which stylistically lies somewhere between Giorgio Moroder and Eurovision kitsch (“Falling Forever”) – the album doesn’t get boring and always sounds lively.
“After touring for so long in 2022, I fell in love with the live versions of the songs even more,” says the singer. “And that’s why it was important to me to have live instruments, something organic, just being in a room with a group of people and almost feeling like a band. I hadn’t done anything like that before.” That’s downright refreshing.
Original details enrich the songs. Particularly cool: in the chorus of “Maria” you can hear a catchy flute melody that is hard to resist. The rousing dancefloor hit with acoustic guitars is certainly addictive and should actually be a single.
It wasn’t a specific style of music that inspired her, but a particular energy, says Lipa. She listened to “Screamadelica” by Primal Scream, “Dummy” by Portishead and the Massive Attack albums very often. “I love this free flow, the melody,” enthuses the singer, “the feelings it triggers in me, the euphoria I felt when listening to it. And that was the energy that I wanted to convey with my album.” No sooner said than done.
In a time when songs are written for the Spotify algorithm, Dua Lipa sees the album as a complete work. “It was important to me that one song leads to the next in terms of sound and that I take people on a journey.” She is of course aware that many fans will pick out individual songs. “I would love for people to hear it in one sitting, but I can’t control how they listen to their music. I can only present it the way I would want them to hear it.”
With “Radical Optimism,” Dua Lipa confirms her status as one of today’s most important pop stars. Her third studio album is her best yet.
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