Radical Optimism is the third studio album by British singer Dua Lipa. It was released on May 3rd, 2024. The album title and cover art were first revealed on an Instagram live via Dua’s account.
Background[]
On October 24, 2021, Dua shared posts to her Instagram that showed her recording in the studio.[1]
In an interview with Wall Street Journal on September 25, 2021, Dua revealed that "It's just been fun experimenting. I'm always going to make pop music, but it has its own unique sound, which is exciting & something that feels like a movement from Future Nostalgia". She stated that she has been endlessly making music for her upcoming album, saying: "I've done a big chunk of writing: It's starting to take shape; I've got a lot of it recorded".[2] Within the same interview, Dua said "It has a vision. It has a name — for now.", indicating that the album has been named.
The president of Warner Records spoke with Variety on May 20, 2021 about Dua's next career steps. He said that the next album would be "something completely different and at scale." Adding that "She was talking about album No.3 when we barely had No.2 done".[3]
In an interview with Elton John as part of Dua's Service95 podcast, she gave a further update on the album: "It’s starting to feel good," she said, adding that the album was "50 percent done". Adding that "It's starting to take shape. I'm very excited about some of the new songs so it's always exciting to look forward towards something".[4][5]
On July 19, 2023, Mark Ronson revealed to Vulture that Lipa's upcoming album would mark a departure from the disco sound.[6] On August 7, 2023, T Magazine reported that Lipa's third album would be released in 2024 and take influence from "1970s-era psychedelia".[7] On October 9, 2023, Lipa wiped her social media pages. She also changed her profile pictures, video thumbnails, and album covers to a kaleidoscope theme.
On October 12, 2023, Dua announced that she had dyed her hair red, changed her website design and captioned the post “miss me?”. In December 2023, Dua revealed to Prambors that she started writing for the album in 2021 and finished in July 2023.[8]
In January 2024, Dua announced to Rolling Stone that there will be 11 tracks on the standard album.[9] She said the album was a "psychedelic-pop-infused tribute to U.K. rave culture", being inspired by Primal Scream and Massive Attack, adding:
“This record feels a bit more raw. 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.”
In the same interview, she said she rewrote every line of each song until she felt it was perfect, saying: “I don’t think there’s a single song on this record that I didn’t go back and want to rewrite and perfect and change and work on it a bit more and dig a little deeper and see if we could go any further.”[9]
Cover art[]
According to Lipa, the title Radical Optimism was inspired by "the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm".[10] The artwork of the album was unveiled along with its announcement. Shot by Tyrone Lebon,[11] it depicts the singer floating in an ocean and the silhouette of a nearby shark seemingly approaching her.[12]
Singles[]
- "Houdini" was released as the album's lead single on November 10, 2023.[13]
- "Training Season" was released as the sophomore single on February 15, 2024.[14]
- "Illusion" was released on April 11, 2024, as the album's third single.
Performances[]
Dua Lipa opened the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024 with "Houdini" and debuted then-unreleased "Training Season".[15] She performed the latter track again at the Brit Awards 2024 ceremony on March 2, 2024.[16] Lipa will headline the 2024 edition of Glastonbury Festival in June as well as Rock Werchter and Mad Cool in July.[17][18][19]
Tracklist[]
- 🅴 - indicates a song contains explicit lyrics.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "End Of An Era" | Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Houdini" | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | 3:05 |
| 3. | "Training Season" | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle. Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker | Harle, Parker | 3:29 |
| 4. | "These Walls 🅴" | Lipa, Danny L Harle, Caroline Ailin, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Kevin Parker | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Whatcha Doing" | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 3:18 |
| 6. | "French Exit" | Kevin Parker, Dua Lipa, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 3:21 |
| 7. | "Illusion" | Lipa, Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Kevin Parker | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Falling Forever" | Lipa, Danny L Harle | Ian Kirkpatrick, Danny L Harle | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Anything For Love" | Dua Lipa | Ian Kirkpatrick, Danny L Harle | 2:21 |
| 10. | "Maria" | Dua Lipa | Andrew Wyatt, Danny L Harle | 3:07 |
| 11. | "Happy For You" | Dua Lipa | Kevin Parker | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 36:42 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Houdini" (Adam Port Mix) | Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Dua Lipa, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Adam Port | 3:22 |
| 13. | "Houdini" (Danny L Harle 'Slowride' Mix) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | 3:05 |
| 14. | "Training Season" (Chloe Caillet Mix) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Martina Sorbara, Steve Mastroianni, Tobias Jesso Jr., Digital Farm Animals, Shaun Frank, Yaakov Gruzman, Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 48:04 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Houdini" (London Sessions) | Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Dua Lipa, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | 3:02 |
| 13. | "Training Season" (London Sessions) | Lipa, Yaakov Gruzman, Caroline Ailin, Martina Sorbara, Steve Mastroianni, Tobias Jesso Jr., Digital Farm Animals, Shaun Frank, Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 4:07 |
| Total length: | 43:51 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Houdini" (London Sessions) | Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Dua Lipa, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | 3:02 |
| 13. | "Training Season" (London Sessions) | Lipa, Yaakov Gruzman, Caroline Ailin, Martina Sorbara, Steve Mastroianni, Tobias Jesso Jr., Digital Farm Animals, Shaun Frank, Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 4:07 |
| 14. | "Illusion" (London Sessions) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker | Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | 3:12 |
| Total length: | 47:03 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Houdini" (Adam Port Mix) | Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Dua Lipa, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Adam Port | 3:22 |
| 13. | "Houdini" (Danny L Harle 'Slowride' Mix) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | 3:05 |
| 14. | "Training Season" (Chloe Caillet Mix) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Martina Sorbara, Steve Mastroianni, Tobias Jesso Jr., Digital Farm Animals, Shaun Frank, Yaakov Gruzman, Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Kevin Parker | 4:55 |
| 15. | "Dance the Night" | Lipa, Andrew Wyatt, Caroline Ailin, Mark Ronson | Mark Ronson, Picard Brothers, Andrew Wyatt | 2:57 |
| Total length: | 51:01 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "End Of An Era" (Extended) | Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Harle, Parker | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Houdini" (Extended) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle | Harle, Parker | 5:53 |
| 3. | "Training Season" (Extended) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr., Martina Sorbara, Digital Farm Animals, Shaun Frank, Yaakov Gruzman, Steve Mastroianni | Kevin Parker | 4:55 |
| 4. | "These Walls 🅴" (Extended) | Lipa, Andrew Wyatt, Danny L Harle, Billy Walsh, Caroline Ailin | Andrew Wyatt, Danny L Harle | 5:40 |
| 5. | "Whatcha Doing" (Extended) | Lipa, Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Ali Tamposi, Caroline Ailin | Harle, Parker | 5:07 |
| 6. | "French Exit" (Extended) | Caroline Ailin, Lipa, Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Harle, Parker | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Illusion" (Extended) | Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Harle, Parker | 4:23 |
| 8. | "Falling Forever" (Extended) | Ali Tamposi, Lipa, Danny L Harle, Ian Kirkpatrick, Kevin Parker, Emily Warren | Ian Kirkpatrick | 6:11 |
| 9. | "Anything For Love" (Extended) | Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Lipa, Ian Kirkpatrick, Julia Michaels, Tobias Jesso Jr. | Ian Kirkpatrick | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Maria" (Extended) | Lipa, Andrew Wyatt, Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Julia Michaels | Andrew Wyatt, Danny L Harle | 5:05 |
| 11. | "Happy For You" (Extended) | Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker, Lipa, Tobias Jesso Jr., Caroline Ailin | Danny L Harle, Kevin Parker | 5:56 |
| Total length: | 57:09 | |||
Cut Songs[]
Main article: List of Unreleased Songs
Key[]
- Bold typing indicates that the song, snippets of the song or lyrics have been leaked/posted/performed at some point.
- Italic typing indicates that the song remains unleaked.
- Underlined typing indicates that the full studio version has been officially released or fully leaked.
List[]
- Alone
- Burn This
- Generation
- Magic In The Air
- Moving Different
- Nowhere
- Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- Plastic Therapy
Gallery[]
Photoshoot[]
Vinyls[]
Merchandise[]
Trivia[]
- Dua Lipa wrote 97 songs for the album.[25]
- "Houdini" was always intended to be the lead single of the album.
- This comes after reports of Dua filming a high budget music video for an alleged lead single in Central Europe in summer 2023, sponsored by Porsche, and rumoured to be for "Training Season" was cancelled; before the "Houdini" music video was filmed.
- "These Walls" is the only track on the album marked as explicit on streaming services.[26]
- All of the album's lyrics were ‘leaked’ (or released) on Dua's own website before the album's official release, as the CD lyrics poster was uploaded in HQ. It is unknown if this was intentional or not.
References[]
- ↑ @dualipa on Instagram (October 24, 2021)
- ↑ How Dua Lipa Stormed the Top of the Charts
- ↑ Brit Beat: Dua Lipa’s New Label Boss Talks Next Album; Glastonbury Livestream Exec Explains Crash
- ↑ @dualipa on Instagram
- ↑ Dua Lipa: At Your Service (Apple Podcasts Preview)
- ↑ Mark Ronson Went Full ‘Batshit’ on the Barbie Soundtrack
- ↑ For Dua Lipa, Just Being a Pop Star Isn’t Enough
- ↑ YouTube - Exclusive Interview Dua Lipa! Ralvi Samperin Ke Jepang!
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Dua Lipa Is Done Being a Mystery". Rolling Stone. January 16, 2024.
- ↑ "Dua Lipa Unveils Title and Oceanic Cover of Her Upcoming Third Album 'Radical Optimism'"
- ↑ "Dua Lipa Announces New Album 'Radical Optimism'"
- ↑ "Dua Lipa Announces New Album Radical Optimism: Here's When It Arrives"
- ↑ "Houdini - Single" by Dua Lipa on Apple Music.
- ↑ @dualipa on Instagram (January 25, 2024)
- ↑ "Watch Dua Lipa Perform Opening Medley at the 2024 Grammys"
- ↑ "Dua Lipa Struts Through 'Training Season' at 2024 Brit Awards"
- ↑ "Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA to Headline Glastonbury Festival"
- ↑ "Foo Fighters and Dua Lipa announced as Rock Werchter 2024 headliners"
- ↑ "Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam For Mad Cool Festival 2024"
- ↑ hmv - Radical Optimism (hmv Exclusive) Limited Deluxe Edition Alternate Cover
- ↑ Dua Lipa Store - Radical Optimism (Special D2C Edition)
- ↑ Warner Music Group - Radical Optimism / ラジカル・オプティミズム
- ↑ TIDAL - Radical Optimism by Dua Lipa
- ↑ hmv - Radical Optimism (hmv Exclusive) Extended Version + Signed Poster
- ↑ Rolling Stone Interview - YouTube
- ↑ Apple Music: Radical Optimism - Album by Dua Lipa