Dua Lipa releases new album Radical Optimism

Today, 3x Grammy and 7x Brit Award-winning global pop powerhouse Dua Lipa has released her highly anticipated third album, Radical Optimism. The album features 11 hit singles like 'Illusion', 'Training Season', and 'Houdini.'

“I wrote this album during my singledom,” Dua says. “I always came into the studio with some funny story, and they all inspired different songs. There's a looseness and an honesty that I hadn't had before.”

Dua worked with a team of collaborators including Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Kevin Parker. Speaking about her collaborators, Dua adds, “Everybody's backgrounds and ways of working all gelled so well, as friends and musically.”

This Saturday, May 4, Dua will return to Saturday Night Live where she will be both the host and musical guest for the night. In addition, she’s announced the first run of tour dates following of Radical Optimism, with a performance at Glastonbury. Dua will make her Pyramid Stage debut as the Friday night headliner at this year’s Glastonbury Festival on June 28th.

Reflecting on the creation of Radical Optimism, Dua says, “I felt like in that room, I could be vulnerable and talk freely about my experiences. The musicality of it felt so rich and exciting, and I wanted to dive in and be a part of that.”

The title of the album, Radical Optimism, is partly a reference to the uncertainty of her early days. “I thought it was so important, the idea of pushing through when things feel like they aren't going well,” she explains. “Because often, with hindsight, you can say, ‘This thing that really upset me, I can see from a different perspective now’.”

In making the album, Dua experimented with new sounds and musical arrangements. “It’s alternative but pop, with a touch of psychedelia,” she describes.

Her first album was full of songs aimed at a cheating boyfriend. But the final song on Radical Optimism, 'Happy For You', finds her wishing an ex good luck with his new partner. “That’s definitely a new emotion,” says Dua. “I used to be much more impulsive and reactive [but] not every break-up has to be a bad one.”

Listen to Radical Optimism below: