If I asked you what you thought of Dua Lipa around a year ago, you would probably say that she’s an average pop singer who makes barely memorable music and has questionable dancing skills. Now, if I asked you that same question today, you would probably say that she’s one of the best new pop artists in a while and that her album is a strong contender for Album of the Year at the Grammy’s. What changed? Two words: Future Nostalgia.
The singer, almost 25, started her new era back in the fall of 2019 with “Don’t Start Now.” She ditched the basic pop sound from her self-titled debut album and replaced it with a disco-inspired vibe. This sound was fresh and she was one of the “pioneers” for bringing back the 80s and 90s sound into today’s pop music. After releasing the title track of the album and the upbeat second single “Physical” (that had a killer music video), she finally released the album Future Nostalgia.
The album’s sound is perfectly described by its title: it’s futuristic yet nostalgic at the same time. There are tracks like “Levitating,” a mid-tempo track reminiscent of Daft Punk that is a bit more retro than ones like “Pretty Please,” a sultry bass-driven song that is a bit more on the futuristic side. Nevertheless, influences of both time periods can be heard on every song on the album.
One of the most impressive parts of Future Nostalgia is Lipa’s evolution since her debut album. Not only did her production improve but so did her lyrical content. One of the standout tracks lyrically is the album closer, “Boys Will Be Boys.” The song talks about a serious issue, how girls are supposed to, expected to and forced to mature much faster than boys. She sings “It's second nature to walk home before the sun goes down and put your keys between your knuckles when there's boys around” over an instrumental comprised of strings, a piano and a choir. “Good in Bed” is a more direct song about Lipa’s...um...love life and shows off a more mature side of her.
In conclusion, Dua Lipa has proven to us that she can stand out from the pack with Future Nostalgia. I think that I can say on behalf of the general public that we all have very high hopes for her next album but until then, we will keep streaming Future Nostalgia on repeat!
Stream Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa on Spotify and Apple Music.
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