Radical Optimism: The Pressures of a Pop Rollout

another girl falls in love, another girl leaves the club

How in the world do you top Future Nostalgia? That was the question on everyone’s mind as Dua Lipa began the rollout for her follow-up album, four years later and under the newly-appointed management of her father. It was an impossible task from the get-go, so the uproar and finger-pointing when she couldn’t pull it off with flying colors was baffling to me. Obviously, nothing she did with her junior album would come anywhere near topping the unreachable heights of “New Rules,” “Don’t Start Now,” and even “Dance The Night.” She was set up for failure, but that doesn’t necessarily make Radical Optimism a flop. That was my opinion when the album came out, and I stand by it a year later.

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End Of An Era

Something fun! Something for the girls in the summertime! I feel like I need to get this off my chest to start, but why do we hate when the pop girls are happy and summery? Genuinely. Quickly. Solar Power, Endless Summer Vacation, Radical Optimism, the list goes on. What do you guys have against fun? Ballads and hyperpop tracks aren’t the only two options these women have when they hit the studio. We’re all aware of that, right?

I love this song. I think “End Of An Era” is the perfect album opener, setting the tone and the themes while also addressing the title of the album. “Is this my happy ending? (Here she goes again)” Dua sings in conversation with herself as she chooses to express radical optimism in the hopes that she’s finally found the one who won’t break her heart. Over the course of this album, girls will fall in love and girls will leave the club. She’s laid it all out for you right here.

Houdini

Kevin Parker walked into that studio with bills to pay, and Dua Lipa walked onto that music video set with a fierce determination only seen in the greatest of pop stars. “Houdini” with its funky and retro production was the first single off Radical Optimism and arrived with an accompanying music video in which Dua once again proved she’s ready to give you everything.

What I love about Dua is that she always seems genuinely eager to prove herself and cement her status as one of the greats. She takes and respects critique and makes the constant effort to apply it to her performance in an effort to better herself and work on her craft. I grew up in dance so that ability to apply critique has been ingrained in me from a very young age. I can tell that Dua takes that skill very seriously which makes me respect her so much more than her peers who don’t tend to take to critique lightly.

“Houdini” was made to close out a concert. You have to wonder at what point in the process Dua realized she was hand-crafting the final song on her setlist for the foreseeable future. When I watched the livestream of her Glastonbury performance, the final “Catch me or I go Houdini” before she disappeared into the smoke gave me life. I’m beyond excited to experience that energy live.

Training Season

I’ve heard unsubstantiated rumors that the original “Training Season” music video was scrapped for featuring riots and explosions amidst the situation in Palestine, specifically as it stood in early 2024 when this single and video were released. Allegedly, her and her team decided to reshoot the entire thing with an entirely different concept. I obviously respect her decision. I love her for being so outspokenly pro-Palestine. I don’t however love this video, especially for a second single. Gorgeous cinematography, beautiful cinematography.

There’s a grungy undertone to both “Houdini” and “Training Season” that doesn’t quite match up with the bright, summery aesthetics and overall vibe she would go after with the rest of the rollout. It seems things shifted course at some point in the process (potentially starting with this music video) that resulted in these two singles sticking out amongst the rest of the album. Perhaps this shift is why audiences weren’t able to connect with this album as much as they were able to connect with the ‘80s through-line of Future Nostalgia. I wouldn’t know. While I’m underwhelmed by this video, I love (heavy emphasis on love) “Training Season.” For some reason, Spotify decided to count the track and its extended version as two different songs on my 2024 Spotify Wrapped so they were placed at #41 and #45 respectively. Counted together, “Training Season” was probably my most-streamed track of 2024 by a long shot. There’s nothing particularly mind-blowing about it, but it is extremely catchy and a true earworm in every sense of the word. I think her performance of this track at the 2024 Grammys (linked at the bottom of this article) just a few weeks before its release is what really did it for me. I was looking all over the internet for videos of the unreleased performance to satisfy my craving as I waited for its official release. Even that wait didn’t stop me from playing this on repeat for weeks on end. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that there are people in this world who don’t like this song. If that’s you, I’m honestly not sure what I can do to change your mind, but man do I feel sorry for you. I’m having the time of my life over here.

These Walls

If these walls could talk
They'd say, "You know"
They'd say, "You're fucked"
It's not supposed to hurt this much
Oh, if these walls could talk
They'd tell us to break up

“These Walls” takes a simple concept and fills it out flawlessly and fully. Dua Lipa is not only a performer, but a SINGER! Her emotional belt on “It’s not supposed to hurt this much” like she’s simultaneously fighting to get the words out while also desperate to get them out into the open punches me in the gut every time. The track features such cinematic songwriting that allows Dua’s literal and internal voice to shine so brightly. Another banger for the books.

Whatcha Doing

If nobody got me, I know “Whatcha Doing” by Dua Lipa got me. It’s groovy, emotional, and catchy as hell. “Are you worried that I might find something wrong? ‘Cause I’m worried that I won’t” gags me every time. She clearly came in with such a confident idea of what she wanted to tackle thematically (the anxiety of falling in love) and the song shows for it — a relatable concept with heaps of potential executed perfectly.

The first half of this album is incredibly strong all on its own. I can’t believe people were writing this era off the second they hit play. I mean, I know they just weren’t listening because they were too busy coming up with an unfunny hate tweet, but they’re seriously missing out.

French Exit

Everybody's still dancin'
Everybody's holdin' hands and romancin'
Someone's gotta be the last one standin'
And I hate that I'm leaving you stranded
But I gotta hit the road

“French Exit” is an absolute bop in every sense of the word. I can’t believe this was left off the setlist. I’m immediately whisked off to a beach off the coast of France as I contemplate leaving my summer love while Dua paints this picture of regretful yet assured heartbreak. Who knows if we would have Charli and Troye’s “Talk Talk” remix without Dua’s French being featured on this song? You ever think about that?

Illusion

“Illusion” was the third single off Radical Optimism. I think its music video does a good job bridging the aesthetics of “Houdini” and “Training Season” with the aesthetics for the rest of the era. She leans heavily into the clash between all her red (hair included) with the blue of the water in both the video and album cover. It’s far from revolutionary or unique to this album. It would probably fit in just fine on Future Nostalgia and nobody would blink an eye. However, it does fit in thematically with the rest of the singles. The non-single tracks therefore paint a different picture in terms of what “radical optimism” means to her, but she chose to make the three obvious single-worthy singles into singles so I can’t fault her for that too much.

Falling Forever

There’s nothing I love more than a godly belt to start off a song (see “Vanish Into You” by Lady Gaga). Excluding “Happy For You,” I think the album starts to slow down starting with this track, but I can easily imagine this being a blast to (attempt to) sing along with live so I’m reserving my judgement until after I’ve experienced the tour.

Anything For Love

“Anything For Love” is by far the weakest track here. It starts with a voice note, then, a piano lead-in, and finally brings the beat in with just a minute left in this 2:21 minute track. The structure here is unconventional, admirable, and more of a draft of an interlude than anything, but it’s not something I ever desire to come back to. If I’m listening to the album in one sitting and it happens to come on, I’ll let it play, but I won’t be jumping out of my chair.

Maria

Lyrically, “Maria” is very reminiscent of something like Taylor Swift’s “All Of The Girls You Loved Before,” pop songs that discuss the topic of a current partner’s ex without contempt or jealousy but gratitude. I suppose the sentiment can be a bit condescending at times, but then again, I can’t speak for Miss Maria. It’s a cute song, but overshadowed by some of the bigger and better tracks on this album for me.

Happy For You

“Happy For You,” my beloved! She opened the album perfectly and closed it just as well (can’t say the same for Future Nostalgia…). I love songs about moving forward and wishing people the best. There’s always so much catharsis and genuine emotion in them, and “Happy For You” is no exception. It’s one of my all-time favorites and one of the all-time pop album closers. “I’m not mad, I’m not hurt / You got everythin’ you deserve / Oh, I must’ve loved you more than I ever knew / I’m happy for you” she belts while birds sing and synths sparkle in the background of this cinematic closure. No notes! I’m beyond excited to hear this live later this year. I’m probably going to cry my eyes out, and I’m sorry in advance to everyone who has to witness that.

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Radical Optimism isn’t Future Nostalgia, and it was never going to be. If she kept doing ‘80s disco-pop, she would be ridiculed. If she went with a different sound and different producers (which she did), she would be ridiculed. This was a lose-lose situation all around. Her best option was to simply make the music she wanted to make barring expectations, and that is exactly what she did because she knows exactly what she’s doing. Do you really think you know more about album rollouts as a chronically online Stan Twitter user than a 3-time Grammy winner? You’re out here reaching for low-hanging fruit and calling this “Radical Floptimism” while Dua is on a sold-out world tour after headlining Glastonbury and playing a filmed one-night-only concert at Royal Albert Hall. She’s from the U.K. after all and they clearly love her there with Radical Optimism having a massive #1 debut on the U.K. charts and two sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium. The world doesn’t revolve around the United States. Pop music doesn’t either.

Dua is going to be touring Radical Optimism pretty much all year in sold-out arenas and stadiums across the world. It feels pretty reactionary to call this album a flop when the millions of people attending this tour will be playing the album constantly in the lead up to and in the weeks and months after their show. The production value on this tour looks insane from what I’ve seen so far. Clearly, her team and her label isn’t counting her out as quickly as the loud minority on Twitter.

This feels like the same conversation we’re having in cinephile spaces right now. Just because a movie doesn’t do great on opening night doesn’t mean it deserves to be dumped onto VOD and removed from theaters as soon as possible. Movies like Elemental and Mufasa and shows like Schitt’s Creek and Severance have proven that art takes its time to find its audience. First week numbers out of the box office and on the charts aren’t the end all be all, and numbers aren’t everything anyway. Quit with all the doomsdaying. It’s making you sound like studio and record label executives and capitalist freaks rather than actual enjoyers of quality cinema and music.

We also need to stop expecting women in music to reinvent themselves with each era. We let Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber and [insert Racist Country White Guy #53] put on the same t-shirt and jeans and go onstage with just a guitar and a microphone every other year and nobody complains, “They aren’t doing enough.” Meanwhile, women have to change their sound, style, muses, hair, and even signature colors in order for us to accept and support their next era, and even then, they’re either “doing too much” or “not doing enough.” It’s exhausting watching these women have to jump through hoops backwards and in heels in order to keep our attention while men with the same exact job get away with doing the absolute bare minimum. Just enjoy the music for Christ’s sake. Luckily, Dua doesn’t seem to care about the baseless critiques hurled at her. She’s going on her vacations, being hot and unproblematic, and consistently dropping damn good pop music along the way, of which Radical Optimism is no exception.