Dua Lipa: ‘You Have To Make Room For Joy’
Dua Lipa has spoken to Elle about the inspirations behind her upcoming album Radical Optimism, out 3 May.
pre-order dua lipa’s ‘radical optimism’ here
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to write down what I want,’” Dua said about the second hit single to be released from the album, Training Season. “The power of manifestation and writing things into existence with the power of words. When you know your worth, you know what you want and what you don’t want.”
“I was talking about this with one of my dancers today, because she was going through a breakup—when I was single, I didn’t wish it away. You learn so much about yourself, you know, whether it’s going on a date or spending that time alone. In the silence, you figure out who you really are,” she says. “In the grand scheme of things, I was doing research.”
The singer also addressed criticism about her lifestyle, “I’ve been busy for almost 10 years” she said. “Every single day, I’ve had some bit of work to do. But people are going to say something anyway. People say a lot of mean things about a lot of people… Whether I’m performing or going out, if it’s not fun, I don’t want it,” she says. “You have to make room for joy. The world can be burning down, but goddamn…if you didn’t spend any of your life trying to be happy, I don’t know what you’ve done.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, who co-produced Radical Optimism, talked about the making of single Houdini, “She started singing, and it just immediately made sense. This feeling of early-’80s sleaze, in some strange, dark, sweaty club. Gloriously suffocating. Hypnotic.”
Dua Lipa will be the Friday night headliner at Glastonbury Festival this June and has announced a date at London’s Roral Albert Hall on 17 October.