Why Dua Lipa is about to compete with Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift with “Future Nostalgia” – Forbes

Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Ariane Grande take care: Dua Lipa claims its claim to be the new queen of pop dance. Her right to the title may seem long at first glance: the 24-year-old Briton, of Albanian origin, is far behind her rivals in terms of income and name recognition, even if last year she won the Grammy for Best New artist. His second album will be released on March 27 after an unfortunate leak on the Internet. Again Future nostalgia is an impressive slice of pop that fulfills its creator’s dream of sounding both retro and futuristic, a “dance class” with hit potential. Lipa, the new face of Yves Saint Laurent, itself has enormous potential.

The album’s singles have already shown the way. The eclectic title song was a promotional version. Then “Don’t Start Now” reached No. 2 in the United States, the second top 10 of Dua Lipa. Her ranking exceeded the No. 6 peak of her bitter song “New Rules” in 2017. She made her debut on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2018 on the back of this first single.

She followed in January of this year with “Physical”, which has now been reworked with Hwa Sa from the girl group MAMAMOO – Dua Lipa has already embraced K-pop. “Physical” pays homage to Olivia Newton-John’s song of the same title from 1981.

Dua Lipa’s recent singles have been acclaimed for an electronic style ready for disco. Perhaps the best is yet to come. Today she released a brilliant video for “Break My Heart”, a song that recalls everything from Blondie to “Green Light” by Lorde. The track samples INXS ‘insidious guitar hit in “Need You Tonight”. The graphic performance of “Break My Heart” could well be helped by its video, which dodges between nightclubs, streets, rooms and planes. The refrain is appropriate to this era of coronavirus: “I would have stayed at home because I did better alone.” The singer wonders if she should get involved in love and risk having a broken heart again.

Despite known references to music from the past, the result is really fresh and radio friendly, a sneaky nod to the new decade. (The title strangely recalls Frank Ocean’s mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra also.)

Du Lipa’s concise 37-minute album has no fillers and no time wasters. Most songs are three minutes long. The atmosphere is lively and optimistic. However, it does not take itself too seriously, as in the game “Good In Bed”.

Even so, it can be serious on occasion. The closest “Boys Will Be Boys” talks about #METOO and gender balance. “The children are not well,” says Dua Lipa, and becomes sarcastic: “The boys will be boys and the girls will be women.”

Dua Lipa is currently publishing the album in a clear field. Others like Lady Gaga have postponed the release dates of their albums because of the coronavirus. Gaga’s Chromatica was scheduled to arrive in April and will now emerge later this year. The British star was anxious about the decision and may be right to say that listeners want a little fun and happiness as they isolate themselves, even in the midst of the warnings of a new tragedy.

The album is definitely light on slow ballads and crisp rockers. It is impeccably produced, perhaps too clean for some. Fans of artists as diverse as Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus can all welcome this.

“I know you’re dying to try to understand me,” she sings to the title. “My name is on the tip of your tongue.” Well, Dua Lipa is not yet a household name, but at this rate, it will soon be.