Dua Lipa announces Britpop-influenced new album Radical Optimism
Dua Lipa has announced that her forthcoming third album will be titled Radical Optimism.
The much-anticipated new record will be released on 3 May.
The album consists of 11 songs, including lead singles “Houdini” and “Training Season”, which Lipa recently delivered a dazzling performance of at the Brit Awards.
It is the follow-up to her self-titled debut album from 2017, which spawned hits including “Be The One” and “New Rules”, and her second album Future Nostalgia, released in 2020, which produced singles including “Physical” and “Break My Heart”.
Lipa, 28, is a three-time Grammy winner and seven-time Brit winner. She topped the charts last year with “Dance The Night”, a song written for the soundtrack of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Lipa also appeared in the film as Mermaid Barbie.
In a statement about her upcoming release, Lipa said: “A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to the term Radical Optimism. It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life.
“It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm. At the same time, I found myself looking through the music history of psychedelia, trip hop, and Britpop. It has always felt so confidently optimistic to me, and that honesty and attitude is a feeling I took into my recording sessions.”
Radical Optimism features collaborations with musicians and producers including Norwegian singer-songwriter Caroline Ailin, electronic producer Danny L Harle, frequent Adele collaborator Tobias Jesso Jr and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker.
The tracklist reads in full:
End Of An Era
Houdini
Training Season
These Walls
Whatcha Doing
French Exit
Illusion
Falling Forever
Anything For Love
Maria
Happy For You
Earlier this month, Lipa returned to her old primary school in London to surprise Year 6 students and audition for a role in her old play.
The star stepped back into the classroom alongside BBC Radio 1 breakfast host Greg James. During the visit, Lipa explained that she was passed over for the lead in her school play back in the day. Her old teacher, Rob, then showed a clip of her in “the part she didn’t want” and invited her to audition for the lead role once again.
In January, Lipa said that she doesn’t think the public wants pop stars to be “smart or political”.
Along with her music career, she has also launched a lifestyle newsletter, a book club, and an international music festival.
In her cover interview with Rolling Stone, the singer appeared frustrated at being underestimated.
“I don’t know if people believe that I like to read books,” she said. “They don’t want you to be political. They don’t want you to be smart. There is so much more to me than just what I do.”
