A Look Into Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ Rollout And Its Potential Impact On The Greater Scope of Pop Music
With the announcement of one of the UK’s hottest pop divas, Dua Lipa’s newest album Future Nostalgia set to be released April 3 this year, it seems only fitting to look into the sound in which she has appropriated as her own during the rollout and release of consequent singles as promo for the highly anticipated body of work. More importantly than the commonality that is shared amongst the singles and what is most definitely set to be the flavor and tone of the album is Dua Lipa’s ability to uproot the dominant, downward spiraling and droning state of the current landscape of pop. In the aptly named ‘Future Nostalgia’, Dua Lipa deems it fit to resurrect the contagious, dance feverish nature of the 80s by crafting tracks that influences find refuge in and stem heavily from the world of electro and synth-pop. Whilst she isn’t the first artist to relish in a sound of previously established musical eras, Dua Lipa manages to bring a fresh new take to the glamorize and over the top world of synth-pop.
Her latest single entitled “Physical” establishes the connective link between her previous releases, the featuring of 80s inspired synth-pop. Physical is perhaps the most energetic and dance-centric of her recent releases. From the humble beginning of the track, right to the end, Dua keeps the energy and never allows the party to die. Slick synth chords play throughout the track, glossy in nature and streaking over the top of Dua’s powerful vocals. During the verses’, the production takes a tighter focus, with a polished bass line that carries the duration of the section. The slick bass keeps the groove constant and ties each chorus’ together. The chorus feels like a release of tension as the production explodes, radiating with an array of synth sounds as Dua allows her vocals to reign free alongside the infectious instrumentation. The song pays homage firstly, in its very nature of being a song dedicated to the joys of dancing, but also in the repeated vocal refrain of “let’s get physical” – referencing a staple of musical culture of the ’80s, Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”. Dua sounds sharper than ever with her almost chanting approach to the track, it’s almost as if she demands listeners to lose their minds and bodies to the joyous production.
“Physical” whilst being a stand out pop single, follows the release of an ever greater track that evokes the dance fever Dua Lipa so easily excels in. The lead single of the album, “Don’t Start Now”, manages to weave in speculative references to Dua’s personal life and past relationships, creating a bittersweet flavour. Whilst the track addresses past struggles and mishaps, Dua rather than taking the stance of most pop divas and following the conventional guidelines of a breakup anthem, she instead exudes confidence, a stance demonstrating her independence. The rather bitter lyrical tone of the song is greatly overshadowed by the flawless production that envelops anything and everything around. The thick, slick bass is the backbone of the track and is the true hero, it’s presence provides the main infectious quality of the instrumental. With that being said, what truly takes the song from a good pop song to a great one is the unpredictable and sporadic addition of the other layers in the production. From heavy piano keys that pierce the ear, to the unexpected cowbell, to the glorious and angelic string section, it is the attention to detail that truly establishes ‘Don’t Start Now’ as a truly fantastic song that demands audience interaction and participation.
Even more key to the rollout of the album, and establishing of this new era of Dua’s musical career is the albums promotional single and title track, Future Nostalgia. Whilst not being nearly as derivative of the traditional, sensational dance track, the song still relishes in the warmth of heavy synth usage. Approaching the funk/electro-pop genre with a less dance-heavy track, the production has a more refined sound, utilising more wubbing and warped sound effects. As a result of the unique sounds heard throughout the song, the track takes more of a futuristic tone, with such fresh and foreign sounds giving it a whole new body. The song lyrically sees Dua refer to herself as a ‘female alpha’ again portraying herself as an independent force. It seems with her newest rollout, whilst self-confidence has never not been a thematic concern for her, it takes a new body, bolder than ever, as Dua’s position of self-empowerment is all captivating. Switching between a breathy and full tone of voice, Dua shows the duality dynamic and stretch of her vocal capabilities. Strong when necessary, in order to hammer home the confidence, breathy and soft when playing into the tracks unique escapism scheme to future paradise.
What this release, and upon arrival, the full-length album, poses to the status of mainstream pop is the potential disruption of a trend that has seen the relative term ‘pop’ adhere more to a sound that is far more favorable to the world of trap music. Come the death of the club banger anthem era in which your Flo Ridas, Ke$has and Pitbulls reigned supreme, the music that circulated in the prime pop culture position has taken a dower turn. No time was the change more potent than within 2016, the rise and almost complete merging of trap and the new age of hip-hops bright new minds. Not only did this revolutionize the sound that was favored, but given the demand for such a drastically different sound, the former biggest names in pop either faded away or, for the most part, were forced to alter their artistic image in order to service the public and fit into the new, almost post-apocalyptic landscape pop had forged. This change feels in part to be connected to the status of the world, perhaps the trend and demand for music that felt less traditionally pop and more true to the gritty, murky attributes of a less popular genre were the appropriate means of capturing the zeitgeist.
Bringing Dua Lipa into the equation, no matter how downtrodden the mass of pop was, there was and always will be exceptions. What better an exception in times in which the world feels so dismantled than a song that captures, well, the pure nostalgia of an era far out of reach and embedded beyond the state of now. “Physical” alongside her previous release, “Don’t Start Now”, feel like songs the world needs in times like this, something that in no way is reflective of the state of the world or current trends, but songs that both evoke, and radically threaten the constructs within pop. Whilst I don’t at all see these as being the next “Royals” or “Somebody That I Used To Know”, or even “Thrift Shop” for that matter, the sound that Dua brings to the table feels fresher than ever given the current state of music. Exceptions like this seem to remind the listening audiences of the potential of essentially newer, yet technically older forms of music of the bliss of variety. All this being said, I don’t want to make any early assumptions, but the recipe that Dua Lipa has followed, in combination with her musical identity and talents, Future Nostalgia is surely set to catapult her into complete and utter stardom.
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