dua lipa future nostalgia tour revenue

Global Pop Icon Dua Lipa Rules Music Charts With a $35 Million Net Worth Unfazed by Legal Issues

Dua lipa's net worth and career .

Popular British-Albanian singer, songwriter, and model Dua Lipa has firmly established herself as a pop sensation to earn a $35 million net worth. Born on August 22, 1995, in London, she quickly rose to fame with her unique style and captivating vocals. Dua Lipa's wealth skyrocketed after her Future Nostalgia Tour in 2022, when she did 82 shows globally, earning over $44 million from 394,000 tickets in the first leg. Earnings per show surged by almost 1,500% compared to prior concerts, and assets of her touring firm Dua Lipa Live LLP went up to $42.1 million, and Dua Lipa Ltd earned $23.6 million. Amid the pandemic, her November 2020 Studio 2054 live stream garnered five million views and $2.63 million in revenues, according to CelebrityNetWorth .

But her career isn't free from controversy, as the musician is facing a $20 million lawsuit from a music producer over her hit single "Levitating." 

Sources of income

Dua Lipa's primary source of income is her music, in addition to which she has endorsement deals and brand collaborations. The sale of merchandise, such as clothing and accessories, is one more income stream for the singer.

          View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by DUA LIPA (@dualipa)

Salary 

Dua Lipa's 2020 album "Future Nostalgia" amassed 10,480,000 equivalent album sales by May 2022, becoming the most streamed album of 2020 and the third all-time among female albums for streams. The hit "Levitating" set records, as the longest-reigning song by a female artist on the US Hot 100 chart and the Top 10 chart. Her single "Don't Start Now" became her biggest US hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard charts. As per LifestyleAsia's reports, "Future Nostalgia" had sold around 27.53 million albums and grossed 11.5 million EAS. Apart from an impressive $30 million income from music, her modeling endeavors alone have brought in more than $15 million.

Business ventures

Dua Lipa also engages in a profitable side gig as a brand ambassador for renowned companies like Yves Saint Laurent (as the front for their Libre fragrance), Evian, and Puma, and she has also collaborated on three collections for Pepe Jeans, reports Cosmopolitan . These brand endorsements have contributed over $5 million to her earnings.

Assets and real estate holdings

As for investments, Lipa is reportedly constructing a multi-million dollar mansion in Albania, showcasing her commitment to her roots and her financial stability. She has recently completed the construction work of her studio in a London suburb at the cost of nearly $5 million.

Earnings growth by year

Social media following.

Dua Lipa's engaging content and vibrant personality have garnered her a substantial fan base across various platforms

Personal life

Dua Lipa has been in the public eye for her relationships, including her on-again-off-again involvement with English chef Isaac Carew and her subsequent relationship with American model Anwar Hadid, though they split back in 2021. Lipa is dating French movie director Romain Gavras as of 2023 and has demonstrated maturity with her ability to maintain a balance between her personal and professional life.

Awards 

Her achievements include three Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, and a remarkable two Guinness World Records. She set one of those records in 2020 for the highest ticket sales by a solo female artist's live-streamed concert and the other in 2021 for the highest monthly Spotify listener count among female artists.

Frequently asked questions

Why did dua lipa move out at 15.

She moved out to pursue her music career.

Who is Dua Lipa in Barbie?

She played the Mermaid Barbie in the Barbie movie.

What Dua Lipa's height?

The Height of Dua Lipa is 1.73 m. (5’ 8”).

Dua Lipa Announces Highly Anticipated North American Future Nostalgia Tour

Today, global pop superstar Dua Lipa announced the North American leg of her highly anticipated  Future Nostalgia Tour  for 2022, in support of the Grammy-winning album of the same name. The arena tour makes 28 stops across the US, including Dua’s first ever headline show at Madison Square Garden in New York City and the iconic Forum in Los Angeles. The  Future Nostalgia Tour  will also feature support from Caroline Polachek and Lolo Zouaï, with Megan Thee Stallion joining on select dates, full list of tour stops and lineups below. Tickets and VIP upgrade packages go on sale beginning Friday, September 17 th  at 12PM local  here .

“I’m so thrilled to tour again and see my angels in person! How amazing that we all get to dance and celebrate together once again,” says Dua. “When I was writing  Future Nostalgia , I imagined the songs being played in clubs on nights out with your mates. I’m so excited that this fantasy is finally coming true. I can’t wait to experience these songs with you together live!”

The long-awaited  Future Nostalgia Tour,  produced by Ceremony London, promoted by Live Nation and sponsored by Truly Hard Seltzer, will be the first time Dua connects her live vision for this album in-person with fans. Previously, the superstar was able to connect with fans during her record smashing live stream extravaganza  Studio 2054 , which had over 5 million viewers during its initial airing and featured special guests Angele, Bad Bunny, Elton John, FKA Twigs, J Balvin, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus and Tainy. Dua is already slated to tour the EU in 2022, making this her first world tour run since breaking records during quarantine with her platinum-certified sophomore album  Future Nostalgia . 

Future Nostalgia  is the longest running top 10 album by a female artist on the Billboard 200 this year and was the #1 most streamed album of 2020 on Spotify. It landed on the year-end “Best Of” lists of everyone from Rolling Stone to Billboard and Pitchfork, and spawned multiple worldwide hit singles including the #1 tracks “Break My Heart,” “Levitating,” which is still topping the charts and is the longest running song ever on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist, and US 4x platinum lead single “Don’t Start Now,” which broke her personal best record of weeks at #1 at US Top 40 radio and is the most streamed track on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist in history. 

In addition to breaking radio records, Dua is also a dominate force on streaming platforms, topping Spotify’s artist chart as the most streamed female artist on the platform and is currently the fourth biggest artist overall with over 65 million monthly listeners.  Future Nostalgia  now has over 7 billion streams across all platforms worldwide. After receiving 6 nominations at the 2021 Grammys, including Record, Song and Album of the Year. She is now a three-time Grammy winner, having received awards for Best Pop Vocal Album this year and for Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording in 2019.  Future Nostalgia  was the follow up to her eponymous 2017 debut, which is certified platinum, spawned 6 platinum tracks, and made Dua the first female artist in Brit Awards history to pick up five nominations, with two wins for British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo Artist. 

Future Nostalgia North American Tour 

February 9 th , 2022 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena # !

February 11 th , 2022 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center # !

February 12 th , 2022 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena # !

February 14 th , 2022 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena # !

February 16 th , 2022 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center # !

February 18 th , 2022 – Boston, MA – TD Garden # !

February 19 th , 2022 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center # !

February 22 nd , 2022 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell # !

February 23 rd , 2022 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena # !

February 25 th , 2022 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena # !

February 26 th , 2022 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center # !

March 1 st , 2022 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden # !

March 2 nd , 2022 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena # !

March 4 th , 2022 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center # !

March 5 th , 2022 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center # !

March 8 th , 2022 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center # !

March 9 th , 2022 – Chicago, IL – United Center # !

March 12 th , 2022 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center # !

March 13 th , 2022 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center # !

March 15 th , 2022 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena * #

March 17 th , 2022 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center * #

March 20 th , 2022 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center * #

March 22 nd , 2022 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum # !

March 25 th , 2022 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena # !

March 27 th , 2022 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center # !

March 29 th , 2022 – Portland, OR – Moda Center # !

March 31 st , 2022 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena # !

April 1 st , 2022 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena # ! 

# Dates featuring Caroline Polachek

! Dates featuring Lolo Zouaï

* Dates featuring Megan Thee Stallion

Follow Dua Lipa:

For more information on Dua Lipa, please contact Permanent Press at 718.766.2528:

Kathy Reilly :  [email protected]

Chloe Cardio:  [email protected]

About Megan Thee Stallion 

Hailing from Houston, Megan Thee Stallion is a three time GRAMMY winner, philanthropist and ever-evolving cultural icon.  From the release of her critically acclaimed and Gold certified debut album, Good News, to earning two global record breaking Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits with the “Savage Remix” featuring Beyoncé, and “WAP” with Cardi B, Megan has proven unstoppable.  Megan has been recognized for her musical achievements with three GRAMMY wins, including Best New Artist and nine BET Awards.

Megan was also honored as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. In October 2020, following a powerful and politically charged performance on Saturday Night Live that demanded justice for Breonna Taylor, Megan published her monumental “Why I Speak Up For Black Women” op-ed and accompanying visual with The New York Times.

About Caroline Polachek

Two years since taking the music world by storm with  Pang  — her lush and dazzling head-trip of an album — Caroline Polachek has returned with the infectious single “Bunny Is A Rider.” Polachek says of the song: “’Bunny Is A Rider’ is a summer jam about being unavailable. Bunny is slippery, impossible to get ahold of. Maybe it’s a fantasy, maybe it’s a bad attitude. But anyone can be bunny, at least for three minutes and seventeen seconds.”

Her previous album  Pang  topped year-end lists globally — including Dazed, The Guardian, NPR, to name a few. The record’s lush romanticism and acrobatic vocal stylings firmly established her as one of the most singular and captivating singer-songwriters of a generation.

About Lolo Zouaï

Born in Paris to a French mother and Algerian father, singer, songwriter, and producer Lolo Zouaï (zoo-EYE) moved to the Sunset District of San Francisco as a young child when her parents won the Visa lottery. After high school, Lolo spent some time alone back in Paris before relocating to New York City with her mother. It was there that Zouaï wrote her 2018 breakout single, “High Highs to Low Lows,” which propelled her into a series of independent singles, videos, and headline shows around the world, ultimately leading to the release of her highly anticipated debut album in April 2019. Since the release of her album,  High Highs to Low Lows , Lolo has sold out headlines across 14 different countries, amassed over 200 million streams worldwide, and appeared in global campaigns for COACH, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Nike, and more. She is thrilled to be supporting Dua Lipa on her upcoming arena tour in 2022.

About Ceremony London

Ceremony London is a creative production company delivering career defining performances for world class artists. With experience on and off stage, Ceremony deliver touchstone creative from concept to execution. Recent work includes Dua Lipa’s widely acclaimed Studio 2054 livestream, performances at The Grammys and The Brits, and Dermot Kennedy’s spell binding Some Summer Night featuring Paul Mescal live from London’s Natural History Museum. Audience experience is at the heart of our creative process, from the first row to the back of the arena, and through the lens to viewers around the world. For more information, please visit  ceremonylondon.com .

About Truly Hard Seltzer

Since its inception in 2016, Truly has been the most innovative brand in the category, breaking the boundaries of what consumers expect from hard seltzer. Truly believes no one is just one flavor, which is why it is available in 27 total flavors: 12 delicious original flavors, plus five flavors of Truly Lemonade, four flavors of Truly Iced Tea, four flavors of Truly Punch, and two flavors of Truly Extra. At just 100 calories and 5% ABV, Truly is perfect for any occasion from beach days to backyard barbecues and beyond.

Truly Hard Seltzer, the fastest growing brand in the hard seltzer category, has joined forces with Grammy Award-Winning Artist Dua Lipa to launch the brand’s  No One Is Just One Flavor  campaign. The campaign celebrates the unique flavors of Truly and the unique sides to each one of us, starting with Dua Lipa.

The campaign debuted on May 22 with a TV spot on  Saturday Night Live  and will be supported by Truly’s biggest media investment ever.  Set to her platinum hit “Physical,” viewers will see that Dua Lipa is more than a pop star. Among other things, she’s bilingual, a dog mom, and a yoga enthusiast. The spot was directed by world-renowned photographer and director David LaChapelle, and brings viewers into a joyous world full of flavor, with rich imagery and animation. 

The brand’s partnership with Dua Lipa stretches far beyond her appearance in the TV spot. She’ll be featured in social, digital, and out-of-home, as well as point-of-sale, where Truly drinkers will have a chance to win more than $1 million in concert prizes, including VIP experiences to meet the pop star and attend a performance this Fall. The campaign will also include “Truly Inspired,” a 2021 summer content and livestream concert series produced by Live Nation featuring artists hand-picked by Dua.  To learn more about Truly, visit   www.trulyhardseltzer.com .

About Live Nation Entertainment 

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .

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6 Ways Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia Tour Proves She's The Pop Star We've Been Waiting For

Nearly two years after Dua Lipa invited the world to dance with her GRAMMY-winning album, 'Future Nostalgia,' she's finally bringing it to stages around the world. But the concert isn’t just a dance party — it's the declaration of a true superstar.

When Dua Lipa won the GRAMMY for Best New Artist in 2019 , she began her speech by acknowledging the "incredible" female artists she was nominated alongside (which included H.E.R. and Bebe Rexha ). "I guess this year we've really stepped up," she said.

In the years since — despite a global pandemic causing some unexpected roadblocks — Lipa has certainly stepped up herself. Releasing her second album, Future Nostalgia , just weeks after the COVID-19 quarantine began in 2020, Lipa helped the locked-down world escape to an alternate club-like universe. And now that she's been able to bring that to life, Dua Lipa's star is shining brighter than ever.

The Future Nostalgia Tour, which kicked off in February and will circle the globe until mid-November, puts Lipa's power on full display. The 26-year-old singer carries herself with tangible confidence throughout the 90-minute show, showcasing the work she has put to become one of the most revered acts of her generation.

With artists like Billie Eilish introducing a darker side of pop and Olivia Rodrigo reinventing punk-inspired pop, the term "pop star" can be tricky to define. But Lipa has taken the traditional pop star tour formula — choreography, costume changes, engineered elements — and made it her own with the Future Nostalgia Tour. Dua Lipa's reign is seemingly just beginning.

Below, take a look at some of the ways Lipa's tour proved her pop prowess.

She's Cross-Generational

From one scan of the crowd, it was apparent that Lipa isn't the kind of female pop star that only young girls idolize. Sure, there were plenty of moms with their sequin-clad daughters, but there were also dads and sons donning Lipa's likeness on their shirts.

It seems Dua Lipa appeals to parents regardless of if their kids are in tow. Groups of women and men of all ages were in attendance, some even donning some bedazzled glasses a la Lipa's "Cold Heart" collaborator, Elton John .

Read More: 'Future Nostalgia': How Dua Lipa Rose From Best New Artist To Massive Pop Star

She's As Humble As She Is Badass

Though her stage commentary never really extended beyond "thank you so much for being here," Lipa's expressions of gratitude were nothing but sincere. "Thank you for listening to the music, it means the absolute world to me," she added, "and I'm so honored that I get to be here tonight, sharing this evening with you, and with all these incredible people on the stage as well."

She made sure her touring troupe got the attention they deserved, even using the show's opening to introduce her dancers before herself.

She Makes Simplicity Cool

Okay, "simple" isn't exactly the word to describe Lipa's show. Every detail was clearly thought-out, from the multifaceted staging to the dance breaks during a costume change.

Yet, there was a simplicity to everything. Each production element — whether it was an illusionary set of twinkling lights during "Be The One" or a basket that (appropriately) ascended Lipa over the crowd for "Levitating" — created a spectacle that was more mesmerizing than overwhelming. (In very '90s pop star fashion, Lipa even incorporated a chair-dance routine for "Hallucinate.")

And while most of Lipa's choreography involved hip sways and toe taps, she makes them effortlessly cool. Frankly, she didn't even need to dance — her powerful strut was enough to carry the show.

Her Sex Appeal Isn't Polarizing

As her new single with Megan Thee Stallion , " Sweetest Pie ," suggests, Lipa is a master at sexual innuendos and metaphors. They're sprinkled across Future Nostalgia , but never get too carried away — and that's exactly how she presents them in person.

Even when she was grinding on her dancers or sliding down the mic stand, every move Lipa made was more playful than hypersexualized. And even the most forward song of the entire album, "Good In Bed," featured a metaphorical visual — a bowl of cherries — that brought both an innocence for her younger fans and a fun little tease for the older crowd.

She Obviously Loves What She Does

For a show that is so clearly thought out, it was evident that Lipa enjoys every single second. There was hardly a moment when she wasn’t smiling.

Her star power truly shines when she performs "Future Nostalgia" solo, serving up Prince vibes with mic stand tricks and making heads spin with furious hair flips.

Whether she's backed by dancers or on her own, Lipa not only knows how to run the stage, but loves it. And she’s damn good at it, too.

She’s Created Her Own Universe

Lipa already proved this point in 2020, with her remix album Club Future Nostalgia and her livestream concert, Studio 2054 . Even so, an arena stage brings her nightclub-inspired, futuristic world to another level.

Her dance hits ( Silk City collab "Electricity" and Calvin Harris team-up "One Kiss") turned the place into a rave, complete with a balloon drop. And, of course, there were plenty of space elements, from a moon-shaped backdrop for "Boys Will Be Boys" to stars protruding from the ceiling before the encore.

If there’s one statement the Future Nostalgia Tour makes, it’s that Dua Lipa has paved her own pop star lane — and she’s ready for everyone to join her universe.

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Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Photonia

Danny L Harle's Quest For Pop Euphoria: How Working With Dua Lipa Led To A New Level Of Creative Joy

The songwriter and producer talks about crafting Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’ and the UK’s Eurovision entry for 2024. "It was all about making space for the great emotion of the song," Harle says.

** "I’ve got an obsessive mind," admits producer Danny L Harle. "I often can't sleep at night because I've got melodies circling in my head. I get haunted by melodies, and I think that's why some people trust me, because they know that I will not let it go unless I think it's absolutely perfect."

That dedication to crafting powerful pop melodies has resulted in a treasure trove of earworms on Dua Lipa ’s new album Radical Optimism . Harle was recruited by Lipa as one of the album’s co-producers, alongside Tame Impala ’s Kevin Parker and songwriters Tobias Jesso Jr and Caroline Ailin.

It's no surprise that Harle was recruited to craft a record that seeks to find light and happiness where darkness prevails. Since his 2015 debut EP Broken Flowers , Harle has created dance-pop that examined the relationship between melancholia and euphoria, as well as the grandeur and escapism of a rave. 

After releasing a string of singles via PC Music, Harle dropped his first album, Harlecore , in 2021 with Mad Decent. The ecstatic spirit of Harlecore, which is centered around a virtual rave headed by four imaginary DJs, echoes in Harle’s latest collaboration as co-writer and producer of the UK’s Eurovision song, "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander. 

"There is good pop music and more algorithmic pop music, pop music which is more guaranteed to work and is less interesting," Harle says. "I just really like good pop music, and that, for me, always seems to start from my research with people."

It was Harle’s naturally synergistic approach to collaboration that led to his work with Lipa. He has also worked with yeule on their album Glitch Princess , and the likes of Charli XCX . But it was his production and writing on  singer Caroline Polachek 's  debut solo album that caught Dua Lipa's ear. "She appreciated the spirit of collaboration with that album and wanted me to make her album."

Read below to get a taste of how Danny Harle made Radical Optimism and other earwormy, dancefloor hits.  

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Hey Danny! What’s that cool instrument behind you?

It’s an electric double bass, which is my main instrument: bass guitar and double bass. I use that on some of the Caroline Polachek stuff. There's certain artists who come into the room and see that and they're like, "We have to use that." And some people try to pretend it doesn't exist.

It’s fascinating; I used to play that instrument when I was younger, and then gave it up. There was a 10 year gap, and then I found a place much later in my life where it could fit in. I stopped playing bass guitar at one point as well. 

Then I found myself in a session with NAO, and she was like, "Can you play bass guitar?" There was one literally on display outside, the Squire bass, so I picked it up and we made a track together. She was in a session with Nile Rodgers the next day playing it to him, and he loved it, and then it was on the Chic album [ It’s About Time ]! At that point I lost any preconceptions I had about needing good gear to make a great sounding music .

Did you do a lot of the bass work on Dua’s album?

I did a fair amount of it, but a lot of it is a collaboration with me and Kevin Parker. All that time he's spent touring and playing the bass live is time that I've spent in front of a computer. So it's hard to compare bass skills, as much as it's my instrument. 

Alongside being a great live player, Kevin has a particular skill for making an instrument sound great when it is recorded, which is a completely different thing . There were some times where I was like, "I prefer the way that it sounds when you do it." And then sometimes he would ask me to do it as well. It was a really nice, trusting partnership. 

The process of the album was very trusting; a sense of being able to say when you think something could be better, but also understanding that trusting someone else is good at what they're doing. It was a very rare environment, but the atmosphere of respect and trust was quite an incredible thing to experience. If you hear what anybody says involved in that process, they'll say those are some of the best sessions they’ve ever had in that respect. 

We were talking about this key Motown idea, which is that happy songs go best over a sad melody. It doesn’t have to be the melody, it can be the music sounding sad; "Tears Of A Clown" by Smokey Robinson is a good example. There's something very resonant in that combination. 

"Houdini," "Training Season" and "Illusion" are all in minor keys, aren’t they? It makes for such melodically rich stuff that’s different from your average four chord pop progression.

Yup. It’s not as simple as happy song, happy chords. It adds richness to the emotional landscape of the song, and that was a key element in that. 

It was a room full of people who are excited by hearing new melodies and approaches and structures. That’s why you don’t really hear the same melodic patterns that music’s fallen into these days on the album. I find that particularly inspiring. 

You’ve written with stars like Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama before, but this is your first extended project with a pop star. You first made pop music to engage people as a virtually unknown musician, but now that attention is guaranteed. Did that change the way you think about pop?

Not at all. My approach to this stuff, especially these days, is that I can just do my thing. I'm very honored to work with the people I've been working with. Very early on in my career when I was trying to make pop music in that way, it would always go horribly wrong. Whereas now I just try to make good music. 

Some people can just make a pop song and I can't do that. I'm like, "Let's make a good song." I personally believe that there is good pop music and more algorithmic pop music, pop music which is more guaranteed to work and is less interesting. I just really like good pop music, and that, for me, always seems to start from my research with people just trying to make the best music. 

How did you make this record more personal to Dua in terms of influences and not just lyrically?

It all stems from her at the center of it; so much stuff happens to her. It’s insane, the amount she’d have to say before every session — [like] "These tracks are actually making points." 

Then it would be a case of finding an instrumental with a certain emotion, and out of natural conversation, there’d be a sense of connection [from] a phrase someone would hit on. [But] it would always stem from her as the center of the whole thing. It was just a very organic way of writing and we were very privileged with the rich life Dua leads to draw from. 

This record was a tight songwriting team — where did you fit into it?

I was contributing to all of the tracks in all factors: lyric ideas most rarely, but also melodic ideas, songwriting ideas, mainly from a production standpoint.  

I would be in the corner on my computer, and I would constantly be in conversation with everybody. We might have Kevin on a guitar, and then I’d be making some electronic arpeggios to go with that. I’d be constantly AirDropping stuff to Cam Gower, the greatest vocal engineer in the world, and he would be stacking what we had in ProTools. Sometimes I would take Cam’s session and put it into my computer — like with ‘Illusion’, because there’s stuff that goes on that affects the whole track in a way that I needed to do to get that dancey feel. 

It's quite a global, almost old-fashioned producer role I was taking. I think that was a valuable thing for Dua in certain cases, because I would know about every song on the album. If we were writing with new writers, I'd be like, ‘we already said this idea in that song.’ I would have an eye on the whole thing and be a soundboard for the overall project. 

Let’s start with the opening track, "End Of An Era" is unexpectedly calming and gentle. What prompted you guys to make this the opener?

I just love the idea of starting an album with the track called "End Of An Era"; it is quite an alarming thing to see. I love the tone of the track, the joy of it, but also the fairy-godmother-style commentary going over it as well. 

It's about that heart-eyes emoji feeling of knowing you're irrationally in love in the moment where you rethink everything about your life. I just thought the emotion fit really well. The album has a story to it, and it's a great opener for that story.  

The track "These Walls" expands Dua’s voice in a way I haven’t heard her sing before. Could you walk me through the production of that song?

With that song, I didn't want to get in the way of the purity of the message. It’s very important to understand when a track does not need to be a production showcase, you are in service of the storytelling. 

It was all about making space for the great emotion of the song and having occasional moments of departure, and always being relevant to what is being said. When she says "Did you really mean it when you said forever?", the track disappears into a strange fantasy synth moment. That idea is [that] your mind might get taken away by the thought of forever, just for a moment, as a sort of impossible idea. That's what the music's doing — it takes you out and it lands you straight back into the track.

There’s also a moment of self-deprecating humor: "If these walls could talk / they’d say you’re f—ed.". Was that humor fostered by the close relationship all the songwriters had?

Absolutely. That kind of thing is often the most memorable bit of a song, if placed correctly in the most tasteful area. There’s a track on the yeule album Glitch Princess , where it’s these big Charles Ives chords I wrote. It sounds like it’s gonna be a nice piano ballad, but the first line is "feels like s—." [ Laughs. ] It takes you by surprise, but it fits with the mood of the track. 

With Dua, it’s tastefully placing it where it fits in the story, and that point in the chorus, it felt perfect. It also reminds me of this idea in the [software] engineering world: the rubber duck principle. They have a rubber duck there because engineers will want to ask a question, but often when you’re asking the question, you’ll realize the answer to it. The rubber duck is there so you can ask the question and it’ll tell you the answer because you already knew it. ‘These Walls’ reminds me of that; if these walls are saying I’m f—ed, you know you’re f—ed. 

The climax of the album is "Falling Forever." It’s super ballsy, and the drums are mixed so loudly. Tell me about how this track came to be.

It’s a beautiful one, that one. A great thinker said it sounds like a thousand galloping horses. That one came about in the sessions with [producer and songwriter] Ian Kirkpatrick . He came in with the chords you hear at the beginning, and I really enjoyed the idea of having a galloping rhythm. You don’t hear the gallop very often, I can’t think of one other song that’s done that in recent history. 

I also thought up the "how long" thing — I thought it would be fun to make the word ‘long’ really long. Those were my key contributions to the song. Ian Kirkpatrick, his drums are so fantastic. You’ve gotta let him get on with it. 

The vocals are also so close — there’s subtler production going on earlier in the album, but this song punches you right in the face.

It’s so great. It’s very much an approach that I have with singers where I want them to do a thing that makes their voice sound f—ing amazing. The first time I thought I achieved that with Caroline was with "Parachute," using everything her voice can do: the runs, the high register, the emotional low register. This is a showcase. "Falling Forever" does that with Dua. "These Walls" is an interesting comparison as well, it shows a real range of emotion that Dua is capable of in a way I find really exciting. 

It’s indescribable to hear her sing in the room. I had the privilege of having her recording demo vocals on an SM-7 [microphone] like this sitting in front of her. It is unbelievable to hear that: just a human making that sound in front of you, it’s like nothing else. It’s like witnessing a wonder of the world. Also to use the specific, occasionally metallic sound she can make with her voice, to use it when necessary as part of an expression of something, the way she phrases things is incredible as well. 

Does the message of Radical Optimism — of finding grace in the chaos — match the euphoria you want to explore in music?

There is a sense of melancholic euphoria as well, the Elizabethan side of things. I would say there's a Venn diagram of euphoria that fits with Dua. 

On the track "Happy For You," there are certain ravey things going on where Dua was like, "What’s that sound?" It’s these chords Kevin wrote, and I start stuttering them. 

Also the flute mellotron in the song "Maria," she was immediately like, "Yep: I love it." I was so happy because it’s so my thing, that cyclical melody. Also, the bit in "Illusions" before the chorus where it goes to a major chord before the chorus, I love the sound of the unexpected major chord. Having repeated moments like that, I think, was the reason why I was asked to stay on the project; we clearly had chemistry, but it was interesting how macro it was. 

That unexpected major chord moment also appears in your Eurovision song with Olly Alexander, doesn’t it?

I've written some more tracks with him that do that. I've really been enjoying that with Olly because his voice is so agile and can really make sense of more complicated chord sequences. 

Another thing I've been enjoying with him is when there's sparseness and letting the vocal melody spell out the harmony and maybe occasionally go minor and major over one bass note, which is something I really, really enjoy. 

I've always been a big fan of Olly Alexander, I’ve wanted to work with him my whole career. I believe I tweeted at him in 2009 saying hi. But I think people who like my stuff could hear that he has the kind of voice that I really like: a very virtuosic, melodic voice. [We] just had immediate chemistry, musically. We've written a fair amount of music and he’s a very exciting artist to be involved with. 

The UK has a pretty shaky track record with Eurovision. Did you feel any of that pressure?

No, there wasn't that thing in my head. I just love Olly’s voice. And collaborating with him is just fantastic. I've had ideas for Olly for years now, and it was a dream to be able to actually enact some of them.

What’s next in store for you?

My own album. I've got another one that I'm finishing up at the minute that I'm very excited about. It was delayed by two and a half years because I got all of my dream projects offered to me at the same time and I wanted to make sure that I did them all properly. But now I can get back to doing my own stuff. 

It feels so good to be back at the grindstone, sitting in my studio writing beautiful things, making beautiful objects to present to the world. It’s the dream, really.

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Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Dua Lipa Is Confidently In Love On 'Radical Optimism': 4 Takeaways From The New Album

As Dua Lipa continues the dance party she started in 2017, her third studio album sees the pop star more assured — and more starry-eyed — than ever before.

As someone who has dedicated her life to being a performer, Dua Lipa 's recent admission to Apple Music's Zane Lowe seems almost unfathomable: "I never thought of the idea of being famous."

Stardom may not have been on her mind as a kid, but Lipa is now, indeed, one of the most famous pop stars on the planet as she releases her highly anticipated third album, Radical Optimism . 

In the seven years since her acclaimed 2017 self-titled debut, Lipa has achieved several highs — like three GRAMMY wins, including Best New Artist in 2019 — as well as the subsequent lows that can often come with global stardom. And though the singer also admitted to Lowe that it "took me a while to find my voice," Radical Optimism is her most self-assured album yet — one that hinges on the title being not only the project's name, but also its defining approach to Lipa's present-day vision for her life.

" Radical Optimism and the way that I see it is this idea of rolling with the punches, of not letting anything get you down for too long. Of always seeing the positive side of things. Of being able to grow and move forward and change your perspective regardless of what's happening in your life…I think it's a big part of maturing and growing up."

The entire album was crafted in her native London over the course of a year-and-a-half, with Lipa enlisting a small band of collaborators — including her righthand co-writer Caroline Ailin , Kevin Parker of Tame Impala , Danny L. Harle and Tobias Jesso, Jr. — to create a cohesive, buoyant body of work tinged with disco, funk and bits of psychedelic pop.

Naturally, "radical optimism" is a core thread that runs through all eleven songs as Lipa reflects on falling in and out of love, grapples with her fame and confidently declares that everything that came before Radical Optimism was just a practice run. After all, as she brazenly declares on the LP's second single, "Training season's over." 

As you enter Dua's latest musical world, dive into four major takeaways from Radical Optimism below.

Radical Optimism Isn't Just A New Era — It's A Whole New Perspective

When Lipa accepted her GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2021, she declared she was officially done with the "sad music" that had fueled her breakout debut album. And if 2020's Future Nostalgia was, in context, a kind of clubby, '80s-driven turning point for the artist, she fully embraces the Radical Optimism promised by its follow-up's title. Lipa's newfound attitude is both clear-eyed and relentlessly positive across the album's 11 tracks, whether she's gushing over a new love on giddy opener "End of an Era," being kept up all night by thoughts of a seductive crush on "Whatcha Doing" or cutting her losses and ditching out early on the spellbinding "French Exit."

Even "These Walls," on which she watches a doomed relationship fade to black, is approached with a sense of inevitability laced with clarity and astute kindness. "But if these walls could talk/ They'd say enough, they'd say give up/ If these walls could talk/ They'd say/ You know you're f—ed/ It's not supposed to hurt this much/ Oh, if these walls could talk/ They tell us to break up," Lipa sings over gossamer production and a piano line by Andrew Wyatt .

You Can Still Find Her On The Dance Floor

The rollout for Radical Optimism was front-loaded with the release of three singles ahead of the full album in the form of "Houdini," "Training Season" and "Illusion." Between the three subsequent music videos and a thrilling live performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs in February, Lipa signaled that her third LP would be filled with her signature style of scintillating dance floor bangers.

The rest of the album more than delivers on that promise, with an overall BPM that rarely falls below what's needed for a full-blown aerobic workout — perfect for over-the-top choreography, of course. And in case the Service95 founder's commitment to the dance floor isn't already apparent, just look at the history-making hat trick she recently pulled off on the Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart: as of press time, "Houdini," "Illusion" and "Training Season" occupied the top three spots, marking a first for any female artist in modern music history.

She's Redefining Love On Her Own Terms

If the litany of love songs on Radical Optimism are any indication, it's safe to say Lipa is head over heels these days (with boyfriend Callum Turner, perhaps?). Opening track "End of an Era" may mark the beginning of a new musical journey for the singer, but it's just as much about the thrill of a new relationship. Later on the track list, she uses album cut "Falling Forever" to grow an initial spark of infatuation into a red-hot love affair as she yearns, "How long, how long/ Can it just keep getting better?/ Can we keep falling forever" on the lovestruck chorus.

Lipa also makes it clear on the shapeshifting highlight "Anything For Love" that she's "not interested in a love that gives up so easily." As she refuses to accept the modern paradigm of ghosting, non-committal situationships and running away when things get hard, the song morphs from a tender piano ballad into danceable, mid-tempo groove, giving the listener just enough breathing room to wrestle with the questions of what kind of love they'll accept before dancing it out.

She's Putting Her Emotional Growth On Full Display

It's been almost seven years since Lipa spelled out her "New Rules" for a generation of pop lovers, and some of the most affecting cuts on Radical Optimism prove the British-Albanian star has accrued even more hard-won wisdom since her early days of "If you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him."

Penultimate track "Maria" finds Lipa thanking the ghost of her current lover's ex-girlfriend for making him a better man: "Never thought I could feel this way/ Grateful for all the love you gave/ Here's to the lovers that make you change/ Maria, Maria, Maria." 

Meanwhile, on album closer "Happy for You," the singer turns her attention not to a lover's ex-girlfriend, but to an ex who's moved on from her and found himself happier than ever. It's a complex, but decidedly mature feeling to realize you're genuinely happy for someone you used to love, but Lipa encapsulates the emotion perfectly. 

"Oh, I must've loved you more than I ever knew/ Didn't know I could ever feel/ 'Cause I'm happy for you," she sings on the chorus. "Now I know everything was real/ I'm not mad, I'm not hurt/ You got everything you deserve/ Oh, I must've loved you more than I ever knew/ I'm happy for you."

The grown-up sentiment finishes the album on a bittersweet emotional high — proving that no matter what life throws at her, Lipa will remain radically and unapologetically optimistic to the end. 

GRAMMY Rewind: Dua Lipa Champions Happiness As She Accepts Her GRAMMY For Best Pop Vocal Album In 2021

Photo: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Dua Lipa's Road To 'Radical Optimism': How Finding The Joy In Every Moment Helped Her Become Pop's Dance Floor Queen

Four years after 'Future Nostalgia,' Dua Lipa's third album is finally upon us. Look back on her journey to 'Radical Optimism,' and how it's the result of the pop megastar's evolving quest for new ways to celebrate each moment.

Long before Dua Lipa reached pop megastardom, she declared the mantra that would soon become the core of her art: "It has to be fun."

Whether in club-hopping evenings or tear-streaked mornings, Lipa has continuously found a way to bring catharsis and movement into every moment — and, subsequently, every song she's released. So when she announced that her new album would be called Radical Optimism , the second word seemed obvious. But what would radical mean for Dua Lipa, and how did she get there?

Considering her time as a model prior to her music career taking off, many found it easy to write off the London-born singer as by-the-books pop, all-image artist. But even before taking a listen to her self-titled debut, Lipa's upbringing reveals far more complex feelings and inspirations.

The daughter of Kosovo Albanian parents living in London, Lipa took notes from her musician father, digging deep on the likes of the Police , David Bowie and Radiohead , while dancing to Ciara and Missy Elliott with her classmates. After a four-year stint in Kosovo when her family relocated, the then 15-year-old Dua moved back to London to stay with a family friend and build towards an inevitable music-oriented life, which began with clubbing incessantly and posting covers of Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera on YouTube.

Lipa was still working in restaurants when she first made contact with the music industry, burning the candle at both ends — as well as a third end unseen to mortals. "I'd finish work, then go out to whatever nightclub was happening until, like, 3 in the morning," she recently recalled to Elle . "Then I would wake up and go to the studio until I had my shift again at, like, 8 pm."

Warner Bros. Records caught wind of those sessions and signed her in 2014, leading to even more time in the studio (and, likely, less waitressing). Her debut single, 2015's "New Love," showcases everything that would lead to her eventual pop takeover: the resonant, sultry vocals, a propulsive beat, and a video full of effortless cool.

There would be seven more singles to follow from 2017's Dua Lipa , with the budding pop star co-writing a majority of the albums' tracks, alt R&B icon Miguel collaborating on a song, and Coldplay 's Chris Martin providing additional vocals on the closer. While there are plenty of hits to take away ("Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" is a particular favorite in its grand and stompy disco sass), the true star here is "New Rules." Detailing the "rules" to avoid a problematic ex, the song could be cloying and twee, but Lipa's chill swagger sells the dance floor intensity and female empowerment in equal doses.

Listeners around the world agreed, as the song marked Lipa's first No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, as well as her first top 10 hit in the U.S. It also earned Lipa spots at festivals, a performance on Later… With Jools Holland, and five nominations at the 2018 Brit Awards — the most of any artist that year. She laid out a pretty clear manifesto after winning British Female Solo Artist: "Here's to more women on these stages, more women winning awards, and more women taking over the world."

As that year went on, Lipa solidified her own role in that mission. She became a hot collaboration commodity, first linking with Calvin Harris for the UK chart-topping "One Kiss"; then teaming with Mark Ronson and Diplo 's Silk City for another club hit, "Electricity"; and even being recruited for Andrea Bocelli for "If Only," a track on his 2018 album, Sì . Her breakthrough was cemented in GRAMMY gold at the 2019 ceremony, too, as she won two golden gramophones: Best Dance Recording for "Electricity," and the coveted Best New Artist.

Early word of the Dua Lipa followup, Future Nostalgia , was that Lipa was amping the disco energy. "[The album] feels like a dancercise class," she hinted in July 2019 to the BBC , who also reported that the now full-fledged pop star was working with Pharrell , Nile Rodgers , Tove Lo , and Diplo .

Lead single "Don't Start Now" was co-written with the team behind "New Rules," and the hyper-elastic bass, MIDI strings, and honest-to-goodness cowbell more than lived up to her promise of disco domination. The track went platinum in five countries, a feat that would go on to be topped by multiple tracks on the album, including the smoldering "Physical" and the INXS -interpolating "Break My Heart."

The album's March 2020 release was a thing of anxious beauty. It could've been pure tragedy to release an album designed for sweaty, crowded clubs in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. And when the album leaked a full two weeks prior to its release, even Lipa wasn't sure if her timing was right. "I'm not sure if I'm even doing the right thing, but I think the thing we need the most at the moment is music, and we need joy and we need to be trying to see the light," she said in an Instagram Live days before the album's release.

True to that spirit, Lipa's openhearted enthusiasm and unadulterated fun made the album a staple of lockdown dance parties and wistful dancefloor daydreams. In a bit of chicken-and-egg magic, the album's runaway hit is the inescapable "Levitating." The song's buoyant synth pulse, clap-along disco groove, drippy strings and punchy hook add to something far greater than the sum of its parts. And DaBaby 's in-the-cut remix verse helps fulfill Lipa's rap-meets-pop dreams. But it definitely didn't hurt to have the track basically overrun TikTok — and a video produced in partnership with the platform — at a time when we were all stuck at home, looking at our phones as a way to connect with the world.

That was only the beginning of the pop star's effort to make the most of the pandemic era; Lipa continued to find innovative ways to bring fans into her disco-fueled sonic universe for some joy and connection. For one, she evolved Future Nostalgia into a remix album: Club Future Nostalgia , featuring electronic minds like Moodymann and Yaeji, as well as high-profile guests like BLACKPINK , Madonna , and Missy Elliott . And while fans who had grown connected to the album were hungry for an event to attend, she developed Studio 2054. The technicolor, gleeful live-streamed event saw millions of viewers virtually join Lipa in an immaculately choreographed, star-studded dance party — one that further displayed her magnetic personality and in-the-moment attitude.

Through the entire Future Nostalgia era, Lipa's purpose further proved to be more than the music. Yet again, it was about the amount of fun and energy it was able to provide to fans, something that proved to resonate in an even bigger way than her first project.

"[ Future Nostalgia ] took on its own life. And that in itself showed me that everything is in its own way for its own specific purpose, for its own reason," she told Variety earlier this year. "As long as I'm being of service and the music is there and it's a soundtrack for a moment in time, or in someone's life, then I've done what I was supposed to do."

Before getting to work on her third LP, Lipa kept the dance party going with new and old collaborators. First, she scored another UK No. 1 and U.S. top 10 hit alongside Elton John with "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)"; later, she was enlisted for feel-good singles from Megan Thee Stallion and Calvin Harris ' 2022 albums. Then, a reunion with Mark Ronson led to a summer 2023 detour in Barbie land, resulting in another disco-tinged smash, "Dance the Night," for the blockbuster film's soundtrack (as well as her acting debut!).

With the good vibes clearly not fading, Lipa was primed for her next musical venture . In November, she unveiled the lead single to her next project, "Houdini," a swirling track that features a trio of new collaborators — and a brilliant, if seemingly dissimilar, set of co-writers at that: former PC Music electronic experimentalist Danny Harle, Tame Impala frontman (and retro psychedelia mastermind) Kevin Parker , and breezy Canadian singer/songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. But with her trusty songwriter pal Caroline Ailin also in tow, Lipa retained the same trademark dance pop pulse amid crunchy bass and stomping percussion — putting the Radical into the Optimism .

She kept the same team (and energy) for the album's subsequent singles, " Training Season " and " Illusion ." The former thumps and jitters underneath Lipa opting for a willowy falsetto in the chorus, a song that can unite Tame Impala psych addicts and more traditional poptimists at the club. And where earlier Lipa tracks might have been more eager to get to a bright punch, "Illusion" smolders patiently, trusting that the vocalist's charisma can buoy even the subtler moments.

While the album's first three singles carry echoes of the propulsive, dance floor energy of Future Nostalgia , Lipa took more notes from a more modern pop era than the disco days on Radical Optimism. "I think the Britpop element that really came to me was the influences of Oasis and Massive Attack and Portishead and Primal Scream, and the freedom and the energy those records had," she told Variety . "I love the experimentation behind it."

But, she insists, that's not to say that she's produced the next "Wonderwall." This isn't Dua Lipa's Britpop turn, but rather her latest experiment in finding freedom and embracing the moment.

"When I hear 'Teardrop' by Massive Attack and I'm like, 'how did this song even come to be? It feels like it just happened in a moment of real freedom and writing and emotion," she continued in the Variety interview. "And I think that was just the feeling I was trying to convey more than anything."

And in her mind, that freedom needs to remain at the core of everything — whether working through a global pandemic or working on a new project. "I think it's important that we just learn to walk through the fire and not hide away from it, or shy away from it," she added. "That's just optimism. It's probably the most daring thing we can do."

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Photos: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella; Ebru Yildiz; Kelia Anne MacClusky ; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; Ashley-Osborn; Kevin Winter/Getty Images For The Recording Academy

15 Must-Hear Albums In May 2024: Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Sia, Zayn & More

A fresh crop of spring releases is on the way in May from much-loved pop, rock, and alternative artists. From Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism,' to Sia's return on 'Reasonable Woman,' read on for 15 thrilling May releases.

As a month that welcomes rising temperatures and blooming flowers, May will also bring a flurry of new albums. In its first week, Dua Lipa will put forth her third LP and inject the world with a good dose of Radical Optimism . She will be joined by Sia and her tenth album, Reasonable Woman , and by R&B newcomer 4Batz, who will debut with the mixtape U Made Me St4r .

On May 17, it's Billie Eilish 's turn to drop the much-awaited Hit Me Hard and Soft , as well as the return of Cage the Elephant with Neon Pill , and former One Direction member Zayn experimenting with new sounds on Room Under the Stairs .

Later on, Twenty One Pilots drop their final concept album, Clancy , and Sam Tompkins and Tems will both make their studio album debuts with hi my name is insecure and Born in the Wild , respectively. The month will close off with Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab 's Night Reign , but before that, there's plenty of other releases to explore.

GRAMMY.com compiled a list with 15 must-listen albums dropping in May 2024 so that you can take a stroll at this month's burgeoning, diverse garden.

Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism

Release date: May 3

"A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to the term 'radical optimism'," said Dua Lipa in a press statement about her upcoming third album, out May 3. "It struck me — the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm."

This perspective on life inspired the British-Albanian singer both personally and musically. Radical Optimism comes brimming with the "pure joy and happiness of having clarity in situations that once seemed impossible to face." With 11 tracks and production by Danny L Harle and Kevin Parker , the record spins psychedelia and Britpop into a "tribute to UK rave culture," as Lipa described it in an interview for Rolling Stone .

Read more: Dua Lipa Danced The Night Away with "Training Season" & "Houdini" | 2024 GRAMMYs Performance

A preview of the sounds she will approach in the successor of 2020's Future Nostalgia can be seen through singles "Houdini," "Training Session," and "Illusion." Starting June, Lipa will perform a string of concerts in Europe and headline Glastonbury Festival in the U.K.

Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement

It's been six years since jazz virtuoso Kamasi Washington released his latest album, 2016's Heaven and Earth . Hence, his return is highly anticipated: Fearless Movement will come out on May 3, and is described in a press release as Washington's first "dance album." 

"It's not literal," he explained. "Dance is movement and expression, and in a way it's the same thing as music — expressing your spirit through your body. That's what this album is pushing."

Fearless Movement was also inspired by the here-and-now, and the changes that Washington went through since the birth of his first child. "Being a father means the horizon of your life all of a sudden shows up," he shared. "My mortality became more apparent to me, but also my immortality — realizing that my daughter is going to live on and see things that I'm never going to see. I had to become comfortable with this, and that affected the music that I was making."

Washington's daughter also earned songwriting credits in "Asha The First," after coming up with a melody while playing on the piano. In addition to her, the LP also features appearances from André 3000 on the flute, Terrace Martin , Thundercat , Patrice Quinn, George Clinton , BJ The Chicago Kid , and more.

Soon after the release, Washington will kick off a North American tour throughout June, and then head over to Europe and the U.K. in October and November.

Charlotte Day Wilson - Cyan Blue

Following her acclaimed 2021 debut LP, Alpha , Canadian multihyphenate Charlotte Day Wilson dives into Cyan Blue for her sophomore release. "You passed through me like a light, but part of you would always remain," she shared about the record on Instagram . "Imprinted, stacked, a palimpsest of love and pain that left me with a world of blue. These are the stories and the palette I was given to paint them with."

Read more: Press Play At Home: Watch Charlotte Day Wilson Perform A Lithe Version Of "I Can Only Whisper"

Day Wilson has a gift for turning intimate reflections into timeless artwork, and this album sees her experimenting with a more carefree approach. "Before, I was extremely intentional about creating music with a strong foundation, a bed of artistic integrity…" she shared in a press release. "But that was a bit stifling, like, ‘Let me just make a great piece of art that will stand the test of time, no pressure.' Now, I think I'm getting out of this frozen state of needing everything to be perfect. I'm more interested in capturing feelings in the moment as they happen and leaving them in that moment."

Cyan Blue will feature 13 tracks, including singles "I Don't Love You" and "Canopy." For those lucky to experience Day Wilson's inimitable voice live, she will be touring North America from May through July.

Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice

"This album is really different for me," shares Mdou Moctar, the band's namesake, singer, and guitarist, in a press release about their upcoming release, Funeral for Justice . "Now the problems of terrorist violence are more serious in Africa. When the U.S. and Europe came here, they said they're going to help us, but what we see is really different. They never help us to find a solution."

Funeral For Justice doesn't hold back on examining the struggles of Niger and of the Tuareg people (of which Moct ar, guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane and drummer Souleymane Ibrahim belong.) Recorded during the two years that the band spent touring after the release of 2021's acclaimed Afrique Victime , it is described as "louder, faster, and more wild," with fiery guitar solos and "passionately political" lyrics that permeate nine meteoric tracks.

"Mdou Moctar has been a strong anti-colonial band ever since I've been a part of it," adds bassist and producer Mikey Coltun. "France came in, f****d up the country, then said ‘you're free.' And they're not." So far, the band shared lead single "Funeral for Justice" and the mesmerizing "Imouhar" — an elegy to their Tamasheq language, which is at risk of dying out. "People here are just using French," said Moctar. "They're starting to forget their own language. We feel like in a hundred years no one will speak good Tamasheq, and that's so scary for us." 

After performing at Coachella in April, the band is set to tour the U.S. in June and Europe and the U.K. in August. The run includes several festival appearances, like Bonnaroo, Green River, and Glastonbury.

4Batz - U Made Me A St4r 

Viral R&B and hip hop singer 4Batz initially announced his debut mixtape, U Made Me A St4r , for April, but the release was postponed for a month. "Been making some of the best s**t of my life the last couple weeks," he shared on Instagram . "So ima push the mixtape to 5.3.24 so it can be perfect for yall." 

The contrast between 4Batz's tough appearance and high-pitched love songs propelled him to the stars. He garnered the attention of artists like Kanye West , Robin Thicke , and Drake — who ultimately signed him to his record label OVO in order to release this mixtape. Drake also featured on a remix of 4Batz's 2023 hit, "act ii: date @ 8."

Although there's not much info on the tracklist or any upcoming activities, the Dallas-born singer is excited by the mystery: "I'm really in love with this EP," he told Billboard in a recent interview. This EP's gon' break the f**kin' internet, world, all this s**t."

Sia - Reasonable Woman

Since the release of lead single "Gimme Love" in September 2023, fans have been eagerly awaiting for Australian superstar Sia's new album. Titled Reasonable Woman and set to drop on May 3, this is her 10th studio release overall, and her first proper pop solo LP since 2016's This Is Acting .

Anticipation only grew as Sia shared a number of lofty singles in past months, including the Kylie Minogue collaboration "Dance Alone," "Incredible" featuring Labrinth , and the recent "Fame Won't Love You," with Paris Hilton. Through the LP's 15 tracks, the singer collaborated further with Chaka Khan , Tierra Whack , Missy Elliott , Kaliii and Jimmy Jolliff.

Behind the scenes, Reasonable Woman also held a star-studded list of producers, engineers, and writers, such as Greg Kurstin , Jesse Shatkin , Benny Blanco , Bülow, Cashmere Cat, Mark "Spike" Stent , Rosalía and more.

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft

Release date: May 17

In April, when a series of billboards and posters with lyric snippets and Billie Eilish's signature "blosh" logo appeared in major global cities, fans knew that her anticipated third LP would be announced soon. A few days later, the GRAMMY and Oscar-winning artist shared a video teaser for Hit Me Hard and Soft , set to release on May 17.

Eilish took it to Instagram to disclose her excitement, and that she is "not doing singles i wanna give it to you all at once." As usual, the record was written by herself and brother, producer, and musical collaborator Finneas O'Connell . According to a press release, Hit Me Hard and Soft includes ten tracks, and "does exactly as the title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way." The album launch also focuses on sustainability by using "the most sustainable practices available" with a page on her website dedicated to ecological production details. 

In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe , the musician teased title track "Hit Me Hard and Soft" and b-side "Chihiro," which references the main character in Studio Ghibli's 2001 animation, Spirited Away . "I feel like every time you put anything out, it feels like your nudes leaked a little bit, and I think this [album], specifically, is like that," Eilish added. "Something that Finneas and I said to a couple of people when we were starting to play it for people was that we kind of made the album that if somebody had said, you know, ‘I want you to make an album, and no one is gonna hear it'... We pretty much, with exceptions, made that album. We made an album without really any — or much — thought of other people."

Of Montreal - Lady on the Cusp

Lady on the Cusp is the 19th album from of Montreal, the band project of multi-instrumentalist and singer Kevin Barnes. Inspired by a relocation from Athens, GA — where Barnes lived for nearly three decades — to Vermont together with his partner, songwriter Christina Schneider (aka Locate S,1), Lady is shaped by his reflections on that experience.

According to a press statement, the album is a "reintroduction" to of Montreal, comprising 10 "funny and sad, sexy and brooding, playful and serious" tracks. This carefree approach can be seen on lead single "Yung Hearts Bleed Free," which was influenced by Leos Carax's 1984 film Boy Meets Girl and by Bootsy's Rubber Band , as well as on the laid back "Rude Girl on Rotation."

Two weeks after dropping the album, of Montreal will embark on a major tour across the U.S., starting in Athens, GA, and wrapping it up on July 2 in Asheville, NC.

Cage the Elephant - Neon Pill

After winning Best Rock Album at the 2020 GRAMMYs for Social Cues , Cage the Elephant went through a rough patch. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, lead vocalist Matt Shultz weathered a mental health crisis, and the band lost several close family members and friends, including Matt and Brad Shultz 's father.

Five years later, the alt-rock sextet is ready to reemerge with their sixth studio album, Neon Pill , out May 17. "To me, Neon Pill is the first record where we were consistently uninfluenced, and I mean that in a positive way," said Matt in a statement. "Everything is undoubtedly expressed through having settled into finding our own voice. We've always drawn inspiration from artists we love, and at times we've even emulated some of them to a certain degree. With this album, having gone through so much, life had almost forced us into becoming more and more comfortable with ourselves… We just found a uniqueness in simply existing."

Produced by John Hill , the record spans 12 tracks that "alchemized a season of tragedy and turbulence" into a whirlwind of riffs and emotions. A preview of Neon Pill can be seen through the title track and singles "Out Loud" and "Good Time." To celebrate their return, the band will tour North America throughout the summer, including performances at Bonnaroo, Hangout Music Festival, and Oceans Calling.

Zayn - Room Under the Stairs

For his fourth full-length album, Room Under the Stairs , British singer and One Direction alum Zayn enlisted an unforeseen co-producer: Dave Cobb . Known for his work with Chris Stapleton , Brandi Carlile , Bruce Springsteen , and Lady Gaga , Cobb is responsible for aiding Zayn to step into a new musical direction.

Swiping his signature moody R&B, Zayn dives into country and adult contemporary for the upcoming release, as can be seen in debuted singles "What I Am" and "Alienated." In an interview for the Call Her Daddy podcast last year, the singer shared, "I'm doing a record I don't think people are really gonna expect. It's a different sound for me. And it's got some more narrative going on, like real-life experiences and stuff. My daughter's mentioned in there a couple of times".

"I think the intention behind this album fully is for the listener to get more insight on me personally as a human being," Zayn explained in a teaser video . The 15-track collection follows up 2021's Nobody Is Listening , and was written over the course of several years at Zayn's home in rural Pennsylvania. "That's why it's raw," he added. "It's just me writing this. I didn't want anybody else to be in between me and the music and the music and the people listening to it."

Twenty One Pilots - Clancy

On May 17, 2015, Twenty One Pilots released their breakthrough LP, Blurryface . The record also marked the beginning of an intricate concept album series — which is due to come to a conclusion almost a decade later, on May 17 of this year.

Titled Clancy , the final piece of the puzzle states that "a new chapter begins," while making several references to the GRAMMY-winning duo's past works. On lead single "Overcompensate," for example, they mirror the outro of "Levitate" and rehash lyrics from "Bandito," both tracks off their 2018 LP, Trench . Clancy was produced by frontman Tyler Joseph and Paul Meany , and contains 13 tracks.

Most recently, TOP shared the single "Next Semester," alongside dates for an extensive world tour that will cross North America, Australia, New Zealand, The U.K., and Europe.

Sam Tompkins - hi, my name is insecure

Release date: May 24

"I really like being in the company of my friends," shared rising British singer Sam Tompkins in a press statement. "But if you take me out of my comfort zone, and have me hang out at a party or an event or whatever, I just go inside myself and I find any excuse to get out of it."

That statement helps explain why Tompkins titled his anticipated debut album hi, my name is insecure , set to drop on May 24. Despite a genuine talent to produce stirring songs, the Brighton native still struggles with social anxiety and depression — themes that appear often in his lyrics, and contribute to his global resonance.

Tompkins is "championing authenticity without taking himself too seriously," and that might be why his work is so relevant. A tracklist for the LP has yet to be revealed, but Tompkins's sensitive writing can be seen in a slew of singles, including "phones in heaven," "someone else," and "see me."

Tems - Born in the Wild

Release date: TBA 

Nigerian singer Tems earned the eyes and the ears of international media with her Afrobeats-infused R&B. First raising attention with her feature in Wizkid 's 2020 single "Essence," she later built up a devoted fandom through two EPs: 2020's For Broken Ears and 2021's If Orange Was a Place . In 2022, she was credited as a featured artist in Future 's "Wait For U," which led her to win a GRAMMY for Best Melodic Rap Performance .

This month, Tems will finally release her long-awaited debut album, Born in the Wild . The official announcement came with a teaser video for the title track, disclosed one day after her Coachella set in April. "It's all over the news, all over the news, I know this/ Under the sun, struggling to find my focus/ When I was young, younger then/ I was always running away," she sings, reflecting on her childhood in Lagos. "I grew up in the wilderness/ Didn't know much about openness."  

Born in the Wild follows Tems' 2023 singles, "Me & U" and "Not an Angel." The singer has yet to reveal further info about the record, as well as a definite release date.

Kameron Marlowe - Keepin' the Lights On

Release date: May 31

Powerhouse country singer Kameron Marlowe is gearing up to release his sophomore effort, Keepin' the Lights On , at the end of May. "The namesake of the album came from a conversation with my dad over the holidays about how he's always thanking the man upstairs for keeping it all together, especially when times get tough," he shared in a statement.

"For me, this record is a reminder of hard work, dedication and keeping the promises that we make," he continued. Featuring 16 tracks, including previously released singles "Quit You," "Strangers" with Ella Langley, and "Tennessee Don't Mind," Marlowe stated that the LP "explores everything from loss to love, depression to joy, and overcoming the voices in your head telling you you're not good enough."

"It's still crazy to me that people are listening to a small town boy from Kannapolis, North Carolina, but here I am releasing my second album. I can't wait for y'all to hear it," he added. Marlowe is currently on his Strangers 2024 North American tour, where he plays some of his new tracks. 

Arooj Aftab - Night Reign

Just like the night, Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab's voice is deep and mysterious. Unsurprisingly, the night is also her "biggest source of inspiration," as she shared in a recent press release about her upcoming record, Night Reign , out May 31. 

Following 2021's Vulture Prince (from which single "Mohabbat" won Best Global Music Performance at the 2022 GRAMMYs ), the album is a nine-song compilation about how "some nights are for falling in love, some are for solitude and introspection, some are to be annoyed at a forced social gathering — and so go the stories of Night Reign ." The list of collaborators include the soulful Cautious Clay , musical ensemble Chocolate Genius, jazz artist James Francies, and more.

Aftab shared the single "Raat Ki Rani" as a preview of the album, and announced a North America, U.K., and Europe tour throughout the rest of the year. She will also support Khruangbin for a run of fall shows in Washington, DC, St. Louis, MO, and New Orleans, LA.

Inside Neil Young & Crazy Horse's 'F##IN' UP': Where All Nine Songs Came From

• 1 6 Ways Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia Tour Proves She's The Pop Star We've Been Waiting For
• 2 Danny L Harle's Quest For Pop Euphoria: How Working With Dua Lipa Led To A New Level Of Creative Joy
• 3 Dua Lipa Is Confidently In Love On 'Radical Optimism': 4 Takeaways From The New Album
• 4 Dua Lipa's Road To 'Radical Optimism': How Finding The Joy In Every Moment Helped Her Become Pop's Dance Floor Queen
• 5 15 Must-Hear Albums In May 2024: Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Sia, Zayn & More

Dua Lipa Sets ‘Future Nostalgia’ Tour With Megan Thee Stallion

By Brittany Spanos

Brittany Spanos

Dua Lipa will head out on her highly anticipated headlining tour next year. Lipa’s sophomore album Future Nostalgia was released in March 2020 and became one of the year’s biggest releases.

The tour will span 28 dates across the US and Canada, including Lipa’s first headlining show at Madison Square Garden. She’ll be joined by what she called “the ultimate girl gang”: Megan Thee Stallion, Caroline Polachek and Lolo Zouaī have all been tapped as special guests for the trek. The tour will kick off on February 9th in Miami and wrap on April 1st in Vancouver, marking over two years since the album was released. Lipa’s previously postponed dates across Europe are still due to kick off on April 15th.

The disco-tinged LP dominated the first pandemic year, even without the Grammy winner getting to tour in support of it. Singles “Don’t Start Now,” “Levitating” and “Physical” have been major hits. She has since released both an expanded edition of the album as well as a remixed version of the project, in collaboration with DJ and producer The Blessed Madonna called Club Future Nostalgia. At the height of virtual concerts, Lipa hosted the Studio 2054 livestream, featuring special guests Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and many more.

February 9th, 2022 – Miami, FL @ FTX Arena # ! February 11th – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center # ! February 12th – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena # ! February 14th – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena # ! February 16th – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center # ! February 18th – Boston, MA @ TD Garden # ! February 19th – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center # ! February 22nd – Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell # ! February 23rd – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena # ! February 25th – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena # ! February 26th – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center # ! March 1st – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden # ! March 2nd – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena # ! March 4th – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center # ! March 5th – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center # ! March 8th – Minneapolis, MN @Target Center # ! March 9th – Chicago, IL @ United Center # ! March 12th – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center # ! March 13th – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center # ! March 15th – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena * # March 17th – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center * # March 20th – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center * # March 22nd – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum # ! March 25th – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena # ! March 27th – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center # ! March 29th – Portland, OR @ Moda Center # ! March 31st – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena # ! April 1st – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena # !

# Dates featuring Caroline Polachek

! Dates featuring Lolo Zouaï

* Dates featuring Megan Thee Stallion

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Dua Lipa's 'Future Nostalgia' Tour to Kick Off in North America -- Tickets on Sale Now!

Dua lipa says 2021 grammy win means the 'absolute world' to her (exclusive), why pink thinks she’s ‘not set up’ for taking over katy perry's 'american idol' seat (exclusive), jonathan bailey confirms he'll be part of the 'jurassic world' franchise (exclusive), 'bridgerton's luke newton reacts to having off-screen chemistry with nicola coughlan, john legend shares chrissy teigen neck injury update after 'daring' gymnastics accident (exclusive), chilli reacts to matthew lawrence annoying his brothers with tlc lyrics, 'the strangers' creepily crash madelaine petsch & froy gutierrez’s interview (exclusive), what ryan reynolds and blake lively are calling 4th kid as they 'wait' for taylor swift to name them, 'the office' reboot: john krasinski on if there's a chance he could return as jim (exclusive), corinne foxx 'in the thick' of wedding planning with 'very excited' dad jamie (exclusive), why leslie bibb is terrified to talk 'the white lotus' season 3 (exclusive), 'if': emily blunt 'immensely' proud of husband john krasinski's love letter to their kids, angelina jolie's daughter vivienne makes surprise appearance on 'today' show, jennifer lopez confesses she's the ‘thinnest’ she’s ever been, 'the voice': snoop dogg and michael bublé join reba mcentire and gwen stefani as coaches, steve buscemi attacked in nyc: what we know about seemingly random assault, ‘american idol’ why lionel richie wanted to ‘stop’ katy perry’s disney night transformation, watch bradley cooper’s viral dance moves at taylor swift’s eras tour, why lionel richie calls daughter sofia's unborn baby a 'diva' (exclusive), john krasinski doesn't think his kids knew what he did for a living until 'if' (exclusive), king charles hands over military duties to prince william amid cancer battle, check your city's date to see the pop star live with special guest megan thee stallion..

Dua Lipa  is kicking off her  Future Nostalgia Tour 2022  in North America starting in February, and tickets are available now! The English pop star will be bringing her GRAMMY-winning, second studio album to life onstage across the country. Special guests include Megan Thee Stallion , Caroline Polachek and Lolo Zouaï. Tickets go on sale on the Ticketmaster website on Friday, Sept. 17, local time. 

Get Tickets

Lipa shared the announcement on Instagram this week. She captioned the tour poster with, "I’m so excited to see you guys there and i’m bringing the ultimate ✿ girl gang ✿ with me ★" 

The  Future Nostalgia Tour 2022  is among tours that are returning after many concerts were canceled or rescheduled amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bad Bunny , Billie Eilish  and  Kacey Musgraves  are all touring in 2022. 

Shop Dua Lipa Merch:

Future nostalgia - exclusive limited edition blue colored vinyl lp.

Grab the collectible vinyl version of Lipa's sophomore album. 

$48 at Amazon (Regularly $53)

Dua Lipa Don't Start Now Tee

A unisex graphic tee for the chart-topping single, "Don't Start Now." 

$25 at Dua Lipa Store

lliamflynn Future Nostalgia Art Sticker

Add this album cover graphic sticker on your water bottle, laptop or notebook. 

$2 and up at Redbubble

mattiarenare Physical - Dua Lipa iPhone Case & Cover

A bright, fun phone case, featuring a retro-style graphic inspired by another one of Lipa's hit singles, "Physical." 

$34 at Redbubble

The "Levitating" singer's 2020 sophomore album won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Album in February 2021. 

ET spoke with the 26-year-old star earlier this year about Future Nostalgia being released amid the pandemic. 

"When I was thinking about when I was going to put this album out, and whether it was the right time, I was like, you know what? The reason why I did this was to get away from any outside pressures," she recalled. "And I was like, maybe it is the time to put this out and maybe it can serve as that for other people."

"It was probably the scariest decision I’ve ever made -- I had no idea how it would be received -- but I’m just so grateful for the response," she added.

See more in the video below. 

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Entertainment

Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia Live Show Proves She's Pop's Newest Powerhouse

If pressure can turn coal into diamonds, then pressure turned Lipa into a veritable star, one who can dance, and gyrate it out with the best of them.

It was in 2019 when the internet's first general consensus around Dua Lipa was that she couldn’t dance. The criticisms stemmed from her reigning hit at the time “One Kiss” and the awkward hip-bobbing dance move that accompanied all her live performances of it. From there, the jokes quickly snowballed into other areas of her artistry, her lack of energy, lack of emotion, lack of stage presence. She was, after all, the one that inspired the now-legendary comment : “I love her lack of energy, go girl give us nothing!”

Flash-forward three years, and Dua Lipa is blasting all those claims out the water with her spectacular and long-awaited live show for her critically acclaimed behemoth, Future Nostalgia . If pressure can turn coal into diamonds, then pressure turned Lipa into a veritable powerhouse supernova star, one who can belt, dance, and gyrate it out — often all three at once — with the best of them.

Lipa was already a month deep into her tour when she made her stop at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on the evening of Tuesday, March 1, but there was no stale air about this performance. The maxed-out stadium buzzed with delight as the stage’s truly humongous semi-circle digital screen clicked on right at 9:15 p.m. playing a superhero-esque prelude intro-ing herself and her supporting cast of dancers — yeah, you better believe she got the budget.

She materialized on stage in a lime latex one-piece to kick off the show with “Physical,” complete with a gyrate-filled barre routine that stretched from one end of the stage to the other. The bright overhead lights seemed to cast a blinding, shimmering glow across everything that didn’t diffuse for the show’s entire nearly two-hour duration.

For all the comments and flack Lipa has caught for her lack of energy on stage, the girl never once seemed to stop moving throughout the show’s first part which encompasses an insane stretch of seven songs before her first fit change. She flitted about her dancers from the mainstage to the diamond jut-out and back again, belting all along the way. From the crowd, Lipa looked like a long, skinny, neon green bean, shimmying to an early-show rendition of “New Rules,” her dancers following her down the stage with iridescent umbrellas. Right before the song cut off, Lipa ditched the mic for her own solo dance break that maybe sounds corny but wasn’t at all. Throughout the show she’d have several moments like these, tossing away the mic to let her newly-honed dance skills emerge as if she had something to prove — which perhaps she did.

Five songs in, during “Pretty Please,” the neon movement of her costume effectively felt like mass hypnosis, every gyrate from her hips raising the crowd’s screaming by a decibel level. That’s the other thing we’ll hand to her and her crew: every movement, hair lip, smirk, smile, kick, whatever, was not anything if not meticulously, succinctly choreographed.

Perhaps, even, to a fault. Speaking with my friend after the show, we agreed that everything was executed so perfectly, so sharply that it all almost felt a bit sanitized. But, in retrospect, is that also not the impossible level of standards that a stadium-sized pop show demands?

There were certainly moments of goofiness and play, like the giant inflatable lobster that randomly bounces along on the stage as Lipa sang “We’re Good” during the second act of her show, donning a crystal-encrusted one-shoulder leotard. The set piece during that section advertised Dua Lipa’s “We’re Good” as a seafood dinner in the roller-skating ‘50s aesthetic, and even brought out two of her dancers on skates holding up platters of shirley temples and cosmos, miming like they were going to throw them into the crowd. It was here, when the show’s mission statement seemed to become clear, invoking an alternate dimension type of nostalgia, playfulness, and optimism that felt pure and like an antidote to all things bad.

Joy, euphoria and a brief moment of escapism — the same things Lipa herself seemed to hope to bestow to the world when she first released Future Nostalgia in the midst of the pandemic — was the end goal that was chased throughout all of the songs. In the show’s third act, a clubby and dance section, Lipa and her dancers crowded on the square jut-out for “Electricity,” her warm house anthem with Silk City. All together, squished on the small square-footage of space, they spazzed out as if we, the thousands in the audience, had walked in on them in the middle of a rave. With Lipa’s lyrics ringing throughout the stadium, “I know you been treating/ Treating yourself wrong/ So let me care for you,” it was permission to finally let go, release, and give in to the future nostalgia.

The Future Nostalgia Tour Setlist:

• Pretty Please
• Break My Heart
• Good In Bed
• Boys Will Be Boys
• Electricity
• Hallucinate
• Future Nostalgia
• Don’t Start Now

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‘Future Nostalgia’: Why Even COVID Couldn’t Stop Dua Lipa’s Breakthrough

Released as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, Dua Lipa’s second album, ‘Future Nostalgia’, set the scene for better times ahead.

“I’m really proud of this record because I feel like I found my [footing] as an artist and as a songwriter,” Dua Lipa said of her 2020 modern classic, Future Nostalgia . “I really wrote things that I absolutely love. It’s definitely a milestone for me in my career.”

However, the timing of Future Nostalgia was incredibly unlucky. The album’s release came at exactly the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, and the album – whose songs celebrated dancing and club culture – went out into a world that was now barred from living those joys. It meant that Future Nostalgia was heard differently than Dua Lipa had intended, but the album gained a different kind of power; carried a hope for a time when, as the song Physical put it, we could “keep on dancing like you ain’t got a choice”.

Listen to ‘Future Nostalgia’ here .

Why is dua lipa’s album called ‘future nostalgia’.

“I wanted to do something that felt fresh and new, something that touched on a memory, something that always rings so true to me, especially in my childhood,” Dua Lipa said of Future Nostalgia ’s roots, explaining why she gave the album that name. “To be able to recreate that in a modern way was an absolute dream for me. I’m so happy that I stood by and honed in on that sound that I love.”

Lipa’s strong vision for the album was all over its lead single, Don’t Start Now. The song almost sounds neon: inspired by both the original floorfillers of the late 70s and the later nu-disco acts such as Daft Punk , Don’t Start Now was written by Lipa alongside the same team who made her earlier smash New Rules. “But I didn’t want to recreate what had already happened,” Lipa said in 2020, at the time of the single’s release. “I wanted to grow and change it up.”

How many songs did Dua Lipa write for ‘Future Nostalgia’?

Dua Lipa co-wrote all 11 songs on Future Nostalgia , collaborating with a range of writers and producers including Jeff Bhasker, Ian Kirkpatrick, Koz and Stuart Price (who worked on Madonna ’s 2005 tribute to club culture, Confessions On A Dance Floor , and produced a trio of Pet Shop Boys albums: Electric , Super and Hotspot ).

“It really is relentless in terms of the dance and fun element,” Lipa said of Future Nostalgia around the time of the album’s release. “I’ve been describing it as a ‘dancercise class’ all the way through. That’s what you’re in for. Expect to burn calories!”

Hallucinate, the album’s fourth single, was a particular favourite of Lipa’s. “I love the song,” she told Capitol FM, revealing that, as she was writing it, she really could imagine performing it live. “It makes me feel happy and excited, and makes me wanna dance,” she said.

When did ‘Future Nostalgia’ come out?

Future Nostalgia was actually released a week earlier than planned. The combination of the uncertainty around COVID-19 – the first UK lockdown came into effect on 26 March 2020 – and an unauthorised leak led Lipa to announce the album on 23 March that year, when performing on Instagram Live.

“In all these kinds of situations… we all need to actively work together to make a change,” Lipa said, in what was clearly an emotional moment. “What I’m going to do is, instead of my album coming out April 3rd, my album is actually coming out this Friday, March 27th, which I’m really excited about.”

Why is ‘Future Nostalgia’ so good?

The timing of Future Nostalgia ’s release meant people were hearing this gorgeously optimistic album when times were anything but. Yet the positivity of the songs, and their messages of self-esteem and pride, helped many during the uncertain times of COVID-19. The album’s release also led to Lipa gaining the nickname “Quarantine Queen” (“It’s an odd title to have, for sure,” she said).

Containing many of the best Dua Lipa songs to date – among them Physical, Levitating and the title track – Future Nostalgia achieved universally positive reviews and was recognised at numerous award ceremonies. The album won the 2021 BRIT Award for British Album Of The Year, with further nominations at the Grammys, and for the Mercury Music Prize.

Is the ‘Future Nostalgia’ era over?

For a while, Dua Lipa continued the Future Nostalgia era. COVID-19 was still raging, and Lipa has she “had what felt like all the time in the world” to create her next project, Club Future Nostalgia , which remixed and reimagined Future Nostalgia ’s tracks.

The Blessed Madonna was Club Future Nostalgia ’s executive producer and the lead remixer on Levitating and Love Is Religion. Other remixes were handled by a suite of superstar producers, including Jacques Lu Cont and Mark Ronson. Lipa also brought in other famous names to collaborate on the tracks, including Madonna, Missy Elliott , Gwen Stefani and BLACKPINK. Many of these collaborations were a dream come true for Lipa: she has said that, when working with Stefani, she “was jumping around like a five-year-old. I was so excited,” and that, when Madonna agreed to be on Levitating, “I was over the moon.”

But further COVID-19 lockdowns meant that a planned Future Nostalgia tour was postponed several times. It eventually began in February 2022, nearly two years after the album was first released. The forced hiatus made the performances even sweeter for Lipa. “When I was writing Future Nostalgia , I imagined the songs being played in clubs on nights out with your mates,” she said. “I’m so excited that this fantasy is finally coming true.”

But now, the Future Nostalgia era is over. Dua Lipa released a fresh single, Houdini, in November 2023, and her fourth album, Radical Optimism , followed on 3 May. She has said that Future Nostalgia ’s follow-up is “a bit more raw”, explaining, “I want to capture the essence of youth and freedom and having fun and just letting things happen, whether it’s good or bad. You can’t change it. You just have to roll with the punches of whatever’s happening in your life.”

Find out which ‘Future Nostalgia’ tracks rang among the best Dua Lipa songs .

• Album Stories

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All Setlists

• All setlist songs  ( 551 )

Years on tour

• 2024  ( 10 )
• 2023  ( 1 )
• 2022  ( 97 )
• 2021  ( 7 )
• 2020  ( 21 )
• 2019  ( 26 )
• 2018  ( 128 )
• 2017  ( 150 )
• 2016  ( 109 )
• 2015  ( 1 )
• 2008  ( 1 )

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• 2016 UK Tour  ( 7 )
• Hotter Than Hell Tour  ( 13 )
• The Future Nostalgia Tour  ( 91 )
• The Self-Titled Tour  ( 102 )
• US & Europe Tour  ( 21 )
• Avg Setlist
• Concert Map

Average setlist for tour: The Future Nostalgia Tour

• Physical Play Video
• New Rules Play Video
• Love Again Play Video
• Cool Play Video
• Pretty Please Play Video
• Break My Heart Play Video
• Be the One Play Video
• Song played from tape IDGAF Play Video
• Song played from tape The Lobster Attack Play Video
• We're Good Play Video
• Good in Bed Play Video
• Fever Play Video
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Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’ Is a Joyous Blast of Pop Savvy: Album Review

By Steven J. Horowitz

Steven J. Horowitz

Senior Music Writer

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In the promotional blitz running up to her third album, “Radical Optimism,” Dua Lipa continuously waxed intellectual about self-realization and the freedom that comes from growth, spurred by situations both good and bad. “I think it’s important that we just learn to walk through the fire and not hide away from it,” she told Variety in March . “That’s just optimism. It’s probably the most daring thing we can do. Sometimes.”

Popular on Variety

Her latest arrives four years after “Nostalgia,” an exercise in disco opulence that landed at just the right time. It was a parachute from the gloom of the pandemic, and much like Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica,” released just two months later, it offered reprieve and comfort in its ebullience, a distraction from the horrors of the world and a reminder that dance music’s remove lived on.

She hasn’t lost sight of what makes dance-pop so compelling on “Optimism,” and only builds on it. Lipa corralled a team of musicians — Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr., Danny L. Harle — to confect a world unto its own, from the thrust of “These Walls” to the French touch of “Illusion.” It’s at once satiating and electrifying. Lipa isn’t a ballad artist, or one to infuse her music with the beliefs she shares outside of it. In her newsletter Service95, for instance, she runs a book club, and shares stories of social justice and activism.

Lipa previously explained that she began recording “Optimism” while on her “Nostalgia” tour, and the shimmer of the latter album carries over. But it feels distinctly new to Lipa, folding in Spanish guitars on “Maria” and tropical ecstasy on opener “End of an Era.” Much has been bandied about how she’s on an endless summer vacation, with Instagram posts that document her seemingly perpetual travels. But here, she uses it to her advantage. “Optimism” is a global album rooted firmly in pop tradition. When she sings of ditching a suitor without saying farewell on “French Exit,” it somehow feels like a more sophisticated version of an Irish goodbye. The confidence and conviction she exudes sells it, and it’s why Lipa has become one of mainstream music’s most convincing voices.

To that, in an era where artists are as valuable as the success of their singles, it’s a wonder that Lipa’s very traditional rollout yielded less comparable returns than that of “Nostalgia.” “Houdini,” the project’s leading track, is as inoffensive as it is hooky, yet it somehow felt far less significant than “Dance the Night,” her hit contribution to “Barbie the Album.” Fans online have attributed much of the album’s faults thus far to her team, who leaked the lyrics to the entirety of the record months ahead of time by putting images of the vinyl sleeve on social media. Some have criticized the media choices she made; others have noted the impersonality of her TikTok posts.

In context, though, singles like “Training Season” and “Illusion” bolster the ephemeral, feel-good nature of “Optimism.” To become a main pop girl in such a relatively short amount of time demands perfection at every turn, an impossible task. Lipa’s music, in a vacuum, attempts to approximate that. She’s confessional and honest, and reveals much about her personal affectations across the album. Lipa often struggles with commitment, like on the sapiosexual anthem “Anything for Love” where she sings, “I’m not interested in a heart that doesn’t beat for me / I want a mind that meets me equally.” On “These Walls,” perhaps the album’s most arresting song, she bemoans the growing distance from a lover with a knowing nod: “They tell us go and face your fears / It’s getting worse the longer that we stay together / We call it love but hate it here / Do we really mean it when we said forever?”

It’s when she attributes a greater significance to “Optimism” that it muddles what it actually is: a pop album in the barest, most accessible sense. “Optimism” comes amid a flurry of major releases from Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Each of those records was subsumed in its respective world, and Lipa slots neatly next to them with a vision of her own. But make no mistake, there’s no grand gesture. “Optimism” is pummeling, concerted and arranged exactly how it should be, a pop record meant to wash over you like a breeze rolling off of the surf.

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Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' Makes Optimistic Billboard 200 Debut at No. 2

Beyoncé, ye x ty dolla $ign and sza also appear on this week’s top 10..

Dua Lipa is opening this week’s Billboard 200 at No. 2 with  Radical Optimism .

Her studio album earns a total of 83,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 51,500 in album sales, 30,500 in streaming equivalent album units (39.7 million on-demand streams of the songs) and 1,000 in track equivalent album units.  Radical Optimism  is the top-selling album of the week and is Lipa’s best sales week yet. It also gives the artist her highest-charting album so far and her second top 10 effort following  Future Nostalgia’s  No. 3 peak.

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The 5 best and 5 worst Dua Lipa songs of all time

Dua Lipa has released countless pop gems throughout her career, from "Be The One" to "Levitating."

These include two tracks from her latest album, "Radical Optimism" ("Houdini" and "Maria").

Lipa has also released songs that don't meet her potential, like "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Homesick."

Dua Lipa has released three studio albums throughout her career — most recently "Radical Optimism," a fizzy journey through Lipa's dating life .

Lipa has proven herself to be a formidable force in pop music, though all three of her albums contain both gems and duds. Business Insider's senior music reporter broke down the five best and five worst cuts in her catalog.

"Houdini" is the best song from "Radical Optimism."

Lipa has a knack for selecting lead singles for her albums, and the "Radical Optimism" era is no exception.

Coproduced by Kevin Parker and Danny L Harle, "Houdini" is an irresistible dancefloor anthem that's sure to stand the test of time. To paraphrase New York City club scholar Stefon , this song has everything: Tame Impala-esque synths, a fuzzy guitar riff in the bridge, a compact three-minute length that leaves you wanting more, and a sticky, rave-friendly remix by Harle that's almost as good as the original.

Song highlight: "Catch me or I go, Houdini" is such a brilliantly succinct pop hook that I can't believe it didn't exist until 2023.

If you like this, listen to: "Illusion," "Whatcha Doing," "Happy for You"

"Maria" is another album highlight that critics have praised for "emotional richness."

In her measured "Radical Optimism" review, Laura Snapes made a point to praise the late-album gem "Maria," particularly Harle's avant-garde touch.

"'Maria' dabbles in the pacy acoustica of French DJ Bob Sinclair's ' Love Generation ' and Alizée's ' Moi… Lolita ' as Lipa sings a paean to her lover's ex for making him the man he is today," Snapes wrote for Pitchfork. "'Faintly Sapphic fixation with the other woman' is a well-worn pop trope by this point, but the force of Lipa's cries in the chorus — 'Maria! / I know you're gone / But I feel ya / When we're alone' — resounds with a curiosity and emotional richness that's all but absent elsewhere."

While I disagree with the addendum "all but absent elsewhere," it's true that "Maria" is an unexpected, thrilling departure from Lipa's usual palette. The brisk guitar strums and chorus' cheerful flute give the song an exotic, sunny edge — perfect for Lipa's favored vacation spot in Ibiza, Spain.

Song highlight: " Deepest effect always comes from a cause / I'm better too from the ones that I've lost."

If you like this, listen to: "End of an Era," "These Walls," "French Exit"

"Don't Start Now" is Lipa's crown jewel.

In June 2023, Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor (also known as one-half of the genius team behind movie scores like "The Social Network," "Soul," and, of late, " Challengers ") shared that he had recently "teared up listening to a Dua Lipa track."

"It really reminded me of the art of writing a well-crafted song," he said. "It was clever. It felt good. It's difficult!"

Reacting to this quote, Stereogum's Tom Breihan wrote: "So what Dua Lipa track got Trent Reznor all misty? 'Levitating'? 'New Rules'? 'Don't Start Now'? I bet it was 'Don't Start Now.'"

I do, too. The lead single from "Future Nostalgia" is still the finest hit Lipa has ever produced — a three-minute onslaught of pop perfection. Anything else I could write here would not do it justice.

Song highlight: "If you don't wanna see me dancing with somebody … Don't show up, don't come out" is a deliciously ruthless post-breakup mantra.

If you like this, listen to: "Pretty Please," "Love Again," "Break My Heart"

"Levitating" deserves every bit of its commercial success.

This is one of those rare times when an artist's biggest hit is also one of their most acclaimed, interesting, and exhilarating tracks.

"Levitating" was not initially appointed as a "Future Nostalgia" primer. But upon the album's release, it was established as an early favorite among fans and critics; Laura Snapes said the song "blooms like a row of tropical flowers," NPR's Ken Tucker praised "the crisp authority that runs beneath the dance-floor theatrics," and Vulture's Craig Jenkins hailed Lipa for the "anxiousness and sexual tension in her vocal delivery."

By the time "Levitating" landed on year-end music rankings , it was being promoted as the album's fifth single. One year later, it was soaring among the very stars that Lipa sings about, when Billboard crowned "Levitating" as the top-performing hit of 2021 .

Song highlight: Upon first listen, I was irked by Lipa's gleeful, shameless use of the pet name "sugaboo." Now, it's my favorite part of the song and continues to tickle me to this day — a testament to Lipa's knack for crafting pop songs with staying power.

If you like this, listen to: "One Kiss," "Hallucinate," "If It Ain't Me"

"Be The One" is an early example of Lipa's pop prowess.

"New Rules" may be the breakout hit from Dua Lipa's self-titled debut album, but its true highlight is "Be The One," a wistful, glittering club track that Troye Sivan loved so much , he was inspired to invite Lipa — a then-burgeoning pop star with only a handful of songs to her name — to open for his 2017 Suburbia Tour . (Seven years and many smash hits later, Lipa and Sivan remain close friends .)

Song highlight: Lipa's raspy belt at the end of the bridge: " Will you be mi-i-ine?"

If you like this, listen to: "Genesis," "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)," "Room For 2"

"Anything For Love" is the only true skip on "Radical Optimism."

Despite the impetus for this article, I'd like to go on the record to say that Lipa has never released a "bad" song. Her discography is remarkably consistent, largely thanks to her rich vocals and keen ear for pop melodies.

But even the most discerning musicians have their low points — songs that can't compete with their career's highest peaks. "Anything For Love" is one such example.

"Anything For Love" is slotted at track nine on "Radical Optimism," bringing an anticlimactic lull to the back half of the album. Flanked by robust, soaring tracks "Falling Forever" and "Maria," it simply pales in comparison.

Worst offense: The song's titular phrase (" Remember when we used to do anything for love?") doesn't make sense within the album's narrative, which celebrates Lipa's confidence and hard-earned discernment in the dating world.

Saving grace: "Anything For Love" kicks off with a cute audio recording of Lipa teasing her key album collaborators, whom she has affectionately described as her "band."

"Sweetest Pie" (with Megan Thee Stallion) doesn't measure up to its potential.

Again, it's not that "Sweetest Pie" is a "bad" song, per se. It's that Lipa has an exceptional track record with collaborative singles ("One Kiss" with Calvin Harris, "Electricity" with Mark Ronson and Diplo, "Prisoner" with Miley Cyrus, just to name a few), so the fandom's hopes were much higher for this release.

Megan Thee Stallion is one of the most formidable rappers working today, and much like Lipa, she tends to bring a jolt of energy to her duets. "Sweetest Pie" should've been so much better, so it ends up being forgettable.

Worst offense: Squandering a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion.

Saving grace: Lipa's swooning delivery of the following line: " I might take you hooome with this, I might give you aaall of it."

"Boys Will Be Boys" is an underwhelming end to Lipa's classic pop album.

"Future Nostalgia" would be a skip-less pop classic if it weren't for its closing track. The intent behind "Boys Will Be Boys" is undeniably admirable: Lipa chastizes our misogynistic culture, which puts the onus on girls to grow up faster and shoulder the burden of boys' immaturity. She even drove this home by performing "Boys Will Be Boys" at the 2020 Billboard Women In Music event .

Indeed, the problem lies not in the song's ambition, but in its heavy-handedness. I have to believe there were more effective ways to make Lipa's point than spelling it out in the most obvious terms.

Worst offense: Taken out of context, "Boys will be boys / But girls will be women" sounds like a justification for that very double standard.

Saving grace: " If you're offended by this song / You're clearly doing something wrong."

"Begging" doesn't play to Lipa's strengths.

This "Dua Lipa" deep cut doesn't quite suit the singer, who shines brightest while smirking her way through a kiss-off bop — not while sinking to her knees.

"All my bones / Are begging me to beg for you / Begging me to beg for your love," she sings in the massive, thumping chorus, which is trying a little too hard to be anthemic. The whole thing comes across as forced. Lipa doesn't sound persuasive; she sounds like a young woman still finding her footing in a crowded pop landscape.

Worst offense: I don't know who this song is about, but I can pretty much guarantee he's not worth all that. In the immortal words of Chrissy Chlapecka, " He is literally just a guy ."

Saving grace: " All of these highs / And all of these lows / Don't keep me company."

"Homesick" is a boring piano ballad.

"Dua Lipa" is a notably strong debut album — but alas, much like "Future Nostalgia," it ends on a low note. "Homesick," the closing track on the standard edition, is a rare moment of cloying, wounded balladry in Lipa's catalog.

Lipa duets with an uncredited male vocalist, who adds such a thick sheen of soppiness that I'm forced to assume "Homesick" was salvaged from Coldplay's cutting room floor — and I'm only partly wrong. That male voice belongs to Chris Martin, who also cowrote the track.

Worst offense: Chris Martin, what are you doing here?

Saving grace: The deluxe version of "Dua Lipa" ends with the aptly titled "Last Dance," so "Homesick" is transformed from an unworthy closer to an inoffensive mid-tracklist skip.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Dua Lipa Performs ‘Radical Optimism’ Songs While Pulling Double Duty as ‘SNL’ Host & Musical Guest: Watch

The pop star performed "Illusion" and "Happy For You" from her new album.

By Mitchell Peters

Mitchell Peters

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Dua Lipa pulled double duty as host and musical guest during Saturday Night Live on May 4.

Dua Lipa Takes a ‘Deep Dive’ Into the Drake & Kendrick Lamar Beef on ‘SNL&#8217…

In between her hilarious sketches (including a dissection of Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s ongoing beef), the 28-year-old pop star performed two songs from her just-released third studio album, Radical Optimism .

With an introduction from fellow pop star and former tourmate Troye Sivan, Lipa opened with the summery “Illusion,” which served as the third single from her new LP. For her second performance, the artist received an intro from comedian Jerry Seinfeld before launching into a passionate delivery of “Happy For You,” which closes out Radical Optimism .

Trending on Billboard

“[Releasing the album] feels good. It feels for lack of a better word — radically optimistic,” she previously told Billboard , before explaining the idea behind the album cover, which features the singer floating in a wide open ocean facing a shark fin. “Throughout the whole record, there’s this idea of chaos happening around and me trying to push through it in a way that feels authentic and honest to me.”

Saturday’s SNL marks Lipa’s third time appearing as musical guest on the long-running sketch comedy show and her first time hosting. The “Levitating” singer was previously a musical guest in 2018 and 2020.

Following Saturday’s episode, season 49 will wrap up with two new episodes: May 11, with former SNL star Maya Rudolph hosting for a third time and Vampire Weekend as musical guest for a fourth time, and May 18 with Jake Gyllenhaal hosting a third time and Sabrina Carpenter making her musical-guest debut.

Watch Dua Lipa’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on  Peacock , which you can sign up for at the link  here . Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous  SNL  episodes.

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Dua Lipa Says THAT Viral Dance Video was “Humiliating”

T he meme of Dua Lipa dancing on stage in the earlier days of her career may have been a funny joke to those online, but the singer recently confessed that it was “hurtful” to go through.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian published on May 4, the Grammy-winning pop star and hitmaker referred to a clip of her infamous Brit Awards performance in 2018 as one of her more “humiliating” moments. A snippet from that performance of her song “New Rules” showed Lipa doing a dance move that was later called the “pencil sharpener." The video has been reposted and torn apart many times.

“When people took that snippet of me dancing online and just turned it into a meme, and then when I won the best new artist Grammy and people were like, ‘She’s not deserving of it, she’s got no stage presence, she’s not going to stick around,'” Lipa said. “Those things were hurtful. It was humiliating.”

The experience forced Lipa to remove herself from Twitter to avoid the harsh criticism of her performance abilities. She said performing and writing songs “made me the happiest” but was also “making me really upset.”

“People were picking everything apart that I’d been working on, and I had to learn all that in front of everyone,” Lipa continued. “In the public eye, I was figuring out who I was as an artist, as a performer. All that was happening while I was 22, 23 years old and still growing up. You have to build tough skin. You have to be resilient.”

Lipa also said that the clip was “a small snippet of a much bigger performance” and that the criticism was a bit unfair. “I think people who had seen me play live on the first album tour would have thought a very different thing.”

It wasn't until about two years later when Lipa finished writing her critically acclaimed album Future Nostalgia and she subsequently performed “Don't Start Now” at the MTV Europe Music Awards that she finally felt less humiliated by the comments. Lipa has since been vindicated, as the discourse online went from critiquing her dance moves to praising her for how much she's grown as a performer.

“It was November 2019 when ‘Don’t Start Now’ came out, and it dawned on me that I’m finally going to get up and dance in front of people after what they have thought about me for so long," Lipa said. "And I went back, did that performance, and everyone was like, ‘Oh, we were wrong.’ I got a real kick out of that.”

Dua Lipa, who released her third studio album Radical Optimism this month, made sure to clarify that she would have always worked to improve her skills on stage, even if she hadn't become a meme.

“I was always going to work towards being a good performer. There was no way I was going to not let that happen, regardless.”

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