If there's any upcoming album that probably doesn't really need any additional buzz at this point, it's Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism, an LP which fans have been anxiously awaiting pretty much since the moment they finished listening to her previous album, 2020's Future Nostalgia.
Not that she hasn't been kind enough to keep them occupied with a few additional tunes in the interim, including "We're Good," "Cold Heart" with Elton John, "Sweetest Pie" with Megan Thee Stallion, "Potion" with Calvin Harris and Young Thug, and "Dance the Night," from the Barbie soundtrack.
But the excitement about a proper new album began in earnest on November 9 of last year, when she released "Houdini," and it was kicked into higher gear on February 15 with the release of "Training Season." Now, it goes higher still with the release of "Illusion," which once again finds Dua Lipa delving into the sort of stunning choreography that she's prone to deliver.
“‘Illusion’ was the first song Caroline [Ailin], Danny [Harle], Tobias [Jesso Jr.], Kevin [Parker] and I worked on together, and it really broke the ice for the record,” Dua Lipa said in a press statement issued in conjunction with the video. “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.”
Directed by Tanu Muino, the video for "Illusion" was filmed at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain, which was also the location for Kylie Minogue’s “Slow” video.
Regarding the origins of the album's title, Dua Lipa explained in the original statement announcing its release that a friend introduced her to the concept a few years ago. "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," she said. "It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm," she added. "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."
Dua Lipa talked a bit about the process of recording the album in a recent Instagram post to tease the record.
“It’s the beauty of the chaos and trying to stay calm through it,” she said. “Listening over and over and feeling like, ‘How do I want to tell the story?’ I always go for the most upbeat ones to introduce people to the record. I can just keep on dancing and keep people dancing. And I rewrote so many of those parts, but also working with Kevin, Danny, Tobias, and Caroline over such a long period of time made it feel like a band. And staying optimistic is important. Anything can happen. Quick, make a new video! Quick, rerecord this part! Trying to create a world in a different way and sonically it was about experimenting, and then thematically it was always about resilience.”
Never miss a story — sign up for the Q newsletter for the latest music news on all your favorite artists, all in one place.
Powered by RedCircle
