- 2024-05-06
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MUSIC
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ Dua Lipa Releases New Album “Radical Optimism”
British-Albanian singer-songwriter Dua Lipa released her third studio album “Radical Optimism” on May 3, 2024 via Warner Records.
It is her first full-length studio album release in four years since the 2020 album “Future Nostalgia”.
The album comprises a 11-track, on which she mainly worked with Australian singer-songwriter Kevin Parker, aka Tame Impala. Also other producers Danny L Harle, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Andrew Wyatt helped the album.
Dua Lipa told Zane Lowe of Apple Music, “I know this is going to sound mad, but when I was writing my first album, I was having thoughts about my third album. I thought by the third album, I would maybe be deserving of working with Tame Impala. 'Currents' (Tame Impala's 2018 album) was the record that completely shook me.”
The theme of the album and album title are inspired by the term “radical optimism”, which was spoken by her friend who expressed that it is what the world collectively needed.- Dua Lipa explained, “In 2021, a friend of mine told me about the term radical optimism and said that's what the world collectively needed. That term has stuck with me for these past three years and has become more and more relevant to the way I view the everyday. Nothing is ever linear, and sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. These past years have taught me exactly that. I found my ground while relaxing in instability. I found happiness and joy in the unknown. I find optimism in the toughest days and look to them for growth. Embracing the power of words to be a catalyst for hope, I try to find beauty and meaning even in the midst of chaos.”
She continued, “My third album, Radical Optimism, has helped me grow beyond belief. I'm definitely not the same person I was when I started writing this album, and I'm grateful for every song that's helped me be the person I am today. It has shifted my perspective with every song and made me stronger. I couldn't have made this record without some very wonderful people who have guided me and held my hand through it all.” - She told Zane Lowe about the album, “With this album, I feel like I've managed to put so much more honesty out there and be really open in a way that I don't think I've ever had the chance to. It was a beautiful experience to not be afraid. You come into the room, you're hanging out with your friends, and you're just having a tell-all. There was absolutely no holds barred. They knew everything that was happening. There was no judgment. The fact that everyone felt free to just be themselves is what, I think, created such a beautiful energy in the room.”
Dua Lipa explained about some tracks for the album.
“End Of An Era” via Zach Sang Show
“We went through quite a few verses and we changed a bit of that. When we started writing “End Of An Era”, we started on the production and then we started writing melodies. And I was like “This isn't right” so I actually called off that session. I was like we're going to leave Kevin and Dany to just work on the track for the day and we're going to leave because I feel like we're getting block and we're hitting a wall. We're not getting the right melodies. It just didn't feel right so we left. We came back the next day and we heard the the track with fresh ears. We were like ready and it just gave us a whole new lease of energy.”
“Houdini”
“This track represents the most light and freeing parts of my singledom. 'Houdini' is very tongue in cheek, exploring the idea of whether someone is really worth my while or if I'll ghost them in the end. You never know where something may take you, that's the beauty of being open to whatever life throws your way. I'm looking forward to sharing that feeling of defiant bliss with my fans.
The lyrics are a bit cheeky, but there is a real underlying message of understanding yourself deeply and having no guilt about knowing your self-worth. Sometimes you just have to pull a Houdini and leave a situation that's no longer serving you.”
“Training Season”
“I had been on a string of bad dates, and the last one was the final straw. The next morning I arrived to the studio to Caroline and Tobias asking me how it all went and I immediately declared 'TRAINING SEASON IS OVER,' and like the best 'day after' debriefs with your mates, we had a lot of laughs and it all quickly came together from there. And while it is obviously about that feeling when you are just absolutely done telling people, men specifically in this case, how to date you right; it is also about my training season being over and me growing with every experience. I have never felt more confident, clear or empowered. And while it may be that training season is never over for any of us, you start to see the beauty in finding that person to experience it with. You stop looking for the trainees and become more interested in having someone where you are and someone to grow with.”
“These Walls” via Zach Sang Show
This was [written on] 16th of January 2023. It was a good day. It was actually on the 15th of January, the day before, we were talking about these walls [in the studio] like if these walls could talk. But it also felt like maybe it was a thing that was said so many times, you know, it's such a cliché. But I think you can feel that energy. I think if you know when you walk in a room and there have been two people who have been arguing or there's been upset, there's an energy, there's a feeling, there's a heaviness that you feel whether you like it or not. And a lot of the time, it's almost something that you can feel it in the studios touch, whoever's been in there before, whatever their feelings. These rooms capture things and they hold on to things. I think this song is a really good example of addressing the inevitable, it's that conversation that no one really wants to have, but you have to do it. Someone has to just pull the plug and as painful as it is, it's usually for the right reasons. You know for sure what's meant for you is meant for you and your gut instinct will always tell you when something's right. We just don't want to listen sometimes.
“Illusion”
“'Illusion' was the first song Caroline, Danny, Tobias, Kevin and I worked on together, and it really broke the ice for the record. It's about knowing what you're getting yourself into, but staying for the hell of it. The joke's on them, it's the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won't fall for an illusion.”
“Falling Forever” via Zach Sang Show
“'Anything For Love' I guess is this idea that we live in such a fast world where it feels like things are easy to dispose of. So people don't really fight for things that they really care about or they're very quick to let go of things that are meaningful. And in that sense that's where I went in for “Anything For Love”. It's like remember the time when people really fought for something or love really meant something, and it wasn't just this throwaway thing? So that's really where that song stemmed from.”
“Maria” via Zach Sang Show
“'Maria' is another interesting perspective of full personal maturing moment, because when you go through a breakup you're like all right that person's going to go and be so much better for someone else now. I feel like, whatever happened here, they've learned and they're going to put it into action in the next relationship. I think everyone has done that for someone or someone has done that for them. With every relationship you grow and you become hopefully a better version of yourself from the experiences that you've had. So “Maria” is really about being grateful to the ex and being like thank you for doing that, because we all grow, we all learn and now I have this person who's just like meant for me in this way.”
“Happy For You” via Apple Music
“It feels like a full 180. Maturing, seeing almost my ghost on the other side and being like, 'Wow, you've grown so much from an experience to be able to see things from that perspective. You have to be in the act of forgiveness and growing and learning and being OK with the past in order to move on. For me, 'Happy for You' is a beautiful, happy song because it's so reflective of my journey.”
Photo by Tyrone Lebon - source : Apple Music
