Dua Lipa (album)

In early sessions, Lipa desired to create a sound mixing that of J. Cole and Nelly Furtado.

After meeting Mawson in 2013, Lipa was invited to writing sessions by him and Ed Millett, the co-owners of TAP; this happened while they were deciding whether to sign her.[16] Mawson and Millett intended on having Lipa learn the songwriter trade with the help of a wide range of collaborators. She was more interested in "discovering" her sound at first than in landing a record deal; she wanted to have a sound like a cross between rapper J. Cole and Nelly Furtado, but the reaction of the producers was not very positive.[17][18] Lipa was still working as a waitress and was not getting much sleep. Thus, Mawson and Millett gave her a monthly salary so she could quit her job and focus on songwriting.[16] They organized an intense period of artist development where Lipa went into sessions five days a week with different writers until something came out of them.[19]

Lipa found it difficult going into the early sessions because she did not know the writers and producers there.[20] She thought it was difficult to open up to strangers. Lipa would attempt to get to know them before writing to make herself more comfortable.[21] The singer also attempted to create only radio songs in early sessions, which limited her and stressed her out, resulting in her creativity lacking and an amount of pressure being put on her. Lipa eventually got over this and wrote about how situations made her feel; that is when she started writing the songs she enjoyed.[22] When Lipa began writing, she had several ideas and knew how to get her thoughts out. However, she had trouble building a song so she enlisted the help of co-writers, many of which she became good friends with.[23] She described it as a learning process and slowly became confident with her songwriting.[24] As Lipa wrote more, she developed a skill for songwriting leading her to writing songs about situations relevant to her or her friends.[25] The singer took some inspiration with her writing from the "dramas" she saw while working as a hostess and "the dark side of nightlife". She desired to create this idea with as "seductive and sweet but doesn't sugar-coat" what happens. Lipa stated that she wanted to bring "a bit more realness" speak the truth "about what being a teenager is really like" as before music was dominated with how amazing it was.[26] In 2015, Lipa made four trips to Los Angeles to write songs;[25] she got a palm tree tattoo on her left elbow to commemorate her first month of writing songs there.[27] Songwriter Lucy Taylor gave Lipa "Be the One" before she had released any music;[28] the singer was reluctant to record it due to the fact that she had not written it.[29]

Lipa formed a close partnership with producer Koz.[14] She would often send him stuff that was just the piano and he would produce it and make it cohesive. Lipa recalled that he made everything easier for her and understood her vision for the album.[14][18] Koz revealed that he was impressed by Lipa's unique vocals.[30] Of the 25 original songs included on every edition of the album, Koz produced nine, including "Hotter than Hell" and "Thinking 'Bout You".[1] They were the first two songs written for the album and were written in the early sessions arranged by Mawson and Millet.[16][31] The former helped define what the album would sound like and helped the singer land her record deal with Warner Bros in 2014.[32][33] Following this, Lipa went into many failed writing sessions attempting to recreate the song. She thought she needed more songs like it but eventually realized that she did not. That is when Lipa wrote "New Love" in New York and "Last Dance" in Toronto.[21] The latter song also had a role in defining the sound of the album; Lipa stated that once she heard its finished version, she would take the song to producers and say "this is my sound".[21]

Emily Warren and MNEK co-wrote tracks on the album.

Lipa normally would write a song in one day, usually within two to three hours.[34] Lipa would often go into studio sessions with an idea already in mind and beginning writing, slowly realizing how the lyrics has relevance in her life.[14] She would also write notes and take them to the studio to write a song about them, only if the note was still relevant to her at the moment.[34] As she cared more about the story, Lipa would make up melodies to fit around her lyrics and often change the melody so she could get all the words that she needed in the story.[34][35] Lipa felt as though the writing sessions were her form of therapy.[34] Aside from Cole and Furtado, Lipa took inspiration from artists including Sting, the Police, David Bowie, Radiohead, Stereophonics, Pink, Destiny's Child, Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Method Man, Redman, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Chance the Rapper.[24]

"No Goodbyes" was a personal song for Lipa to write; she described it as the hardest song for her to write on the album. She pre-empted the future when writing it as she was mourning a relationship she was still in, but hoping for the best. It took Lipa a while to have the courage to write it as she was worried the person she wrote it about would know it is about them.[36][37][38] Lipa explained that she had been travelling a lot and letting that person down, where they were not living their lives while waiting for her.[27] "For Julian" was written by Lipa and Eg White for Lipa's friend who was going through a hard period in their life. The song was not released digitally, however it appeared on the Japanese edition of the album.[39]

Collaborations with Chris Martin and Miguel were last-minute additions to the album.

Lipa co-wrote every song on the album excluding "Be the One", "New Rules", "Scared to Be Lonely" and "No Lie".[1] She turned down several songs offered to her by other artists because she felt they did not fit her style. Mawson explained that these songs ended up being massive hits for other female artists.[27] "Scared to Be Lonely" and "No Lie" were both offered to Lipa with Martin Garrix and Sean Paul both desiring a collaboration with her.[40][41] Lipa wanted to finish the album before she put any music out so she could plan out the marketing campaign.[6] However, the singer still went into studio sessions on off-days just in case she could write something else.[21] The album was eventually pushed back as the singer got some exciting opportunities.[42] Following this, Lipa added ten new songs to the album so she could showcase another side to her.[36] She wrote upwards of 160 songs for the album, many of which were never finished as she was constantly writing new ones and expressing where she was in her life.[23][43] Lipa also collaborated with Nineteen85, Darkchild, BloodPop and Noonie Bao, but none of the songs made it onto the album.[19][32][44] She would often remove a song from the album then re-add it.[23]

Lipa took two trips to Los Angeles when finishing the album where "IDGAF", "Lost in Your Light", "Homesick" and "Begging" were written. The trips solidified and closed the album for the singer.[45] Also during those trips, Ian Kirkpatrick played Lipa "New Rules" which led to her recording it.[45] "Lost In Your Light" and "Homesick" are collaborations with Miguel and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, both of whom Lipa was a fan of.[46][47] The album was finished on 20 March 2017 and was created in studios between Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Stockholm and Toronto.[48][49][26] As Lipa spent a lot of time on the album attempting to perfect it, she got the word "patience" tattooed to remind herself to wait until everything in perfect.[27] Work on the Complete Edition continued throughout 2018, where "One Kiss" with Calvin Harris,[50] "Electricity" with Silk City,[51] and "Kiss and Make Up" with Blackpink were recorded. The latter song was originally intended to be a solo song for Lipa, however, the singer decided to add the band to it after members Jennie and Lisa attended her concert in Seoul.[52][53]

Musically, Dua Lipa is a dance-pop, electropop and R&B album,[54][55][56] with disco, hip hop and tropical house elements.[36][57][58] Lipa describes the album's sound as dark pop, progressive pop and "dance-crying".[4][59] She explained that the sound embodied hip hop-influenced verses with heavy flow and raw, truthful lyrics, alongside a big, simple pop chorus.[18][32][60] Several of the songs stem from sad experiences;[59] Lipa desired to mix darker lyrics with pop music one could dance to.[35] She stated that listeners were often surprised when looking at the lyrics due to the dance sound of the songs.[60] The singer concluded by mentioning that honesty is the key to the sound.[4] The album is very diverse and explores several different genres.[31][35] The album balances between upbeat empowerment songs and stripped-back songs about real emotion.[36]

Dua Lipa avoids overproduction and uses electronic instrumentation alongside thick synthesizers, detailed percussion and complex melodies.[61][62][63][64] The beats used on the album are influenced by clubby pop and have a soulful deep house pulse.[65] Lipa uses husky and powerful rock vocals.[59][66] The lyrics deal with themes of female empowerment, relationships, heartbreak, love and loss, all of which are inspired by sadness.[23][38][67] Lipa never wanted the lyrics to come off as submissive or weak rather empowering. She described vulnerability as something different that is included in the album.[68] Additionally, it has themes of self-identification and using Lipa's experiences and realizations to brave the universal portents and predicaments of love. She also sings about the depressing and imploring qualities of a breakup.[57] Several songs on the album contain biblical references and religious imagery to showcase the ups and downs of relationships.[69]

"Genesis" quotes and gets its title from the first book of the bible, which it shares a name with.

Dua Lipa opens with "Genesis", a 1980s-styled R&B slowburner set to an electro-guitar.[66][62][70][71] The song gets its title from the first book of the bible and quotes Genesis 1 in the opening line: "in the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth".[31][69] Vocally, Lipa accentuates and elongates certain lyrics while the lyrics see Lipa re-assessing a relationship.[36][72] She apologizes to her partner for the complications that come with fame and longs for the honeymoon period of the relationship, realizing that people are in a constant state of change.[33][36][68] Electropop track "Lost In Your Light" sees Lipa duetting with Miguel.[73] It features a disco-tinged sway, electro rhythms and percussion-heavy beats alongside a hip hop middle eight.[74][75][76][77] Described by Lipa as "one of the happiest" songs on the album, the lyrics see the singers discussing how one can get lost in the middle of all the emotions at the beginning of a relationship.[78] In "Hotter than Hell", Lipa taunts an ex-boyfriend and takes revenge on him for his actions, showcasing empowerment and heartache themes.[59][79][80] It is a dance-pop,[54] electropop[22] and tropical house[81] track driven by marimbas and synthesizers,[82][83] that features church organs and bongos.[84][85] The song quotes Arctic Monkeys' "505" from their album Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007).[84]

"Garden" references Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden, using it as a metaphor to describe a breakup.

"Be the One" is a dream pop, Europop and synth-pop track that Lipa described as about "self belief, perseverance, and fighting for what you want".[59][86][87][88] With lyrics about the miscommunication in a relationship, the song sees Lipa pleading for her lover to take her back for good.[28][89] The song's production features tropical R&B beats, 1980s-styled grooves and electropop riffs.[66][90][91] "IDGAF", an acronym for "I don't give a fuck", is a pop song set to an electric guitar riff and militaristic drums.[62][92] In the lyrics, Lipa makes sure her ex knows she is not thinking of him after he attempts to rekindling things with her.[93][94] Inspired by Lipa's unsuccessful modeling career, "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" is about rejecting people who want others to change and having the upper hand in a relationship.[75][95][96] It is categorized as a futuristic disco and electropop track with tropical beats.[90][97][98] Lipa uses indietronica vocals and blows a kiss at the end of the chorus.[99][100] "Garden" uses the metaphor of Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden to describe a breakup and Lipa longing for the idyllic parts of a relationship.[68][69] It sees the singer acting as a reflective girlfriend at the end of the relationship as the religious imagery is juxtaposed with betrayal themes.[89][101] Musically, the song is a soulful, Eurovision-styled, melodramatic power ballad with a stormy production and apocalyptic percussion.[66][101][63]

"No Goodbyes" is a dark song with dance elements that starts off slowly, where Lipa uses a breathy vocal style.[101][61][81][102] The song's lyrics discuss a relationship destined to fail, showing a vulnerable side to the album.[27][72] "Thinking 'Bout You" is a stripped-back, acoustic R&B and retro-soul ballad driven by an acoustic guitar.[90][63][54][103] The song sees Lipa attempting to forget about a past romance.[63] In "New Rules", Lipa gives herself a set of rules to prevent her from getting back with an ex-boyfriend.[104] An electropop and tropical house song,[81][105] it features an EDM production that makes use of a dancehall rhythm and bashment elements.[68][106][62] "Begging" is a synth-heavy song with a modern production, containing upbeat melodies, dramatic piano chords and 1980s elements.[104][72][107] The standard edition of Dua Lipa closes with "Homesick", a piano ballad duet with Martin.[81] The lyrics discuss being away from loved ones in order to pursue one's dream.[47]

The Complete Edition of the album includes collaborations with Calvin Harris, Silk City (Diplo and Mark Ronson), Sean Paul, Martin Garrix and Blackpink.

The first new track on the deluxe edition of Dua Lipa is "Dreams", an island-inflected dance track with a modern production containing horns, heavy synthesizers and 1980s elements.[71][104] Lipa described "Room for 2" as a "scary kid's nursery rhyme".[80] It is a dark ballad driven by a piano.[71][108] "New Love" is a synth-pop song set to a tribal drum beat, with neo soul and R&B elements.[109][110][111] Lipa described its meaning as "facing the fear of losing the only thing that matters to you".[112] The lyrics of "Bad Together" discuss great sex and see Lipa asking for divine forgiveness for her sins in the chorus.[25][69] The production contains electronic pings and African drums.[71][113] "Last Dance", the final deluxe edition track, is a chillwave, dance-pop and post-EDM track[114][115][116] with a glitchy, tribal production that uses house synthesizer chords.[117][118] In the song, Lipa sings about a relationship that could end suddenly.[119] Japanese bonus track "For Julian" is a slow, jazz-inspired song about God answering one's prayers.[39][69]

The first new track on Dua Lipa: Complete Edition, "Want To", is a robo-pop song where Lipa uses electro vocals over moody synths.[120][57][71] The song showcases the singer braving the universal portents and predicaments of love.[57] "Running" is set to an R&B piano and tells a story of wounded pride, while her vocals have strong accompaniments.[120][57] Lipa's collaboration with Blackpink, "Kiss and Make Up", is a blend of dance, electropop, and reggaeton genres, that makes use of bass synths and vocoders.[121][122][123][124] Lyrically the song is about using physical affection to resolve a fight between two lovers with lyrics in English and Korean.[122][125] In "One Kiss" with Harris, Lipa sings about using a kiss to trigger intense lust between two lovers.[126] It is a dance-pop, diva house and tropical house track that makes use of brass instrumentation.[127][128][129][130] "Electricity", her dance-pop and piano house collaboration with Silk City, draws from Chicago house and 1990s music;[131][132][133] it sees Lipa using gospel house vocals and telling a story of two lovers with a kindred spirit.[134][135] The retro-pop production consists of disco strings and soulful piano stabs.[136][137][138] Future bass track "Scared to Be Lonely", a collaboration with Garrix, has an emotive tone.[139] It uses electronic strings and hi-hats in its production,[140][141] while Lipa ponders whether a relationship is legit.[142] Paul's song "No Lie" featuring Lipa is a blend of reggae and tropical pop genres.[143][117] The song is about Paul's attraction to a woman in a club scene.[144]

The Dua Lipa album logo used during the album's campaign.

In July 2016, the cover art for Dua Lipa was revealed, however, it received negative reviews from fans with many petitioning for it to be changed.[145] The following month, Lipa announced the album's title and revealed the revised standard edition cover art and thanked her fans for being "patient and supportive" during the time. Rachel Sonis of Idolator described the cover art as "minimal yet smoldering" and it features the singer in a scaly jacket, staring into the camera with wet hair covering one side of her face over a blue-purple background. Lipa explained the title by saying "the reason it is self-titled is because this album is me. It's a representation of who I am as a person and as an artist".[146][147] Other editions of the album use the same cover art with different backgrounds; the deluxe edition uses a purple background while the Complete Edition uses a glittery background.[148][120]

Lipa in the album's press photoshoot

In August 2015, Lipa released her debut single "New Love" as the lead single from Dua Lipa.[149] The second single "Be the One" was released on 30 October 2015 alongside the album's confirmation.[150] The song was her breakthrough single and became a sleeper hit across Europe and Oceania.[29][151][59] It also became Lipa's first solo top 10 single in the UK, where it peaked at number nine.[152] "Last Dance" and "Hotter than Hell" were released as singles the following year.[153][154] The latter achieved moderate success and became her first UK Singles Chart entry where it peaked at number 15.[152][86] In July 2016, it was revealed that Lipa had set 30 September of that year as the release date for her debut album.[43] The following month, it was revealed that the album had been pushed back to 10 February 2017.[155] On 24 August 2016, the singer formally announced the album.[156] The deluxe edition of the album was made available for pre-order two days later alongside the release of "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)".[146] The song became Lipa's first official single in the United States resulting in it becoming her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 72; it also reached number 30 in the UK.[152][96][157] "Room for 2" and "Thinking 'Bout You" were released as promotional singles on 28 October 2016 and 6 January 2017, respectively.[158][159] Following the release of the latter song, Lipa delayed the album for a second time to June 2017 due to her desire to perfect it and to fit "new songs and exciting collaborations" on the album.[160]

"Lost In Your Light" featuring Miguel was released as the final single prior to the album in April.[161] The standard and deluxe editions of Dua Lipa were released on 2 June 2017.[162] Two additional tracks were included on the Italian special edition of the album including Lipa's cover of Cher's "Bang Bang" which was used in her campaigns for Patrizia Pepe.[163][164] A Japanese edition was released alongside the album and includes original song "For Julian";[165] it was later extended by the Japanese Special Edition.[166] A 360 Reality Audio edition of the album was released in October 2020.[167] "New Rules" and "IDGAF" were issued as singles following the album's release.[168][169] Both became commercially successful and reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.[152][170][171] The former became Lipa's first UK number 1 single and her first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 entry.[172][173] "Homesick" was released as a promotional single on 1 December 2017.[174] The singer released a Deezer Sessions and Spotify Sessions extended play (EP) that feature live versions of songs on the album.[175][176] A vinyl EP The Only with songs off the album was also released as well as Live Acoustic, an EP featuring covers by the singer.[177][178]

Lipa for Jaguar Cars for the release of Dua Lipa: Complete Edition

Following the album's release, Lipa teased a reissue stating that she would be releasing live versions of fan-favourite tracks "Running" and "Want To", both of which were leaked.[23][179] On 4 September 2018, she officially announced the reissue titled Dua Lipa: Complete Edition as the album's "super deluxe edition".[180] The reissue includes two discs: the first containing the deluxe album and the second containing eight additional tracks including Lipa's previously released collaborations, "One Kiss" with Calvin Harris, "Electricity" with Silk City, "Scared to Be Lonely" with Martin Garrix and "No Lie" by Sean Paul featuring the singer.[181][182] All four of the collaborations reached the top 15 of the UK Singles Chart and "One Kiss" spent eight weeks at its summit while also reaching the top of charts in over a dozen countries.[152][170][183] The reissue was released on 19 October 2018 alongside an exclusive Japanese CD edition that includes five additional tracks.[184][185]

Dua Lipa: Complete Edition was supported by two promotional singles, "Want To" and "Kiss and Make Up"; the former was released on 6 September 2018 and the latter was released alongside the reissue.[186][187] "Want To" also promoted Lipa's I-Pace campaign with British car manufacturer Jaguar where users of the car could create remixes of the song based and how they drove as well as personalized remixes based on their Spotify streaming history. The remixes mixed up moods, tempos, arrangement and different musical styles, including dance, drum and bass, hip hop, orchestral and pop. The campaign was announced at a secret gig in Amsterdam where Lipa as well as celebrities such as Dutch model Doutzen Kroes and French actress Alix Bénézech created their own remixes by driving the car. Shortly thereafter, "Want To" became the most remixed song in history.[188][189] Lipa later revealed that releasing the B-sides taught her to think of an album's life span differently and take full advantage of it.[190]

Lipa in the See In Blue documentary

Warner Bros. Records began promoting Lipa's campaign in 2014 when she signed with the label.[191] The singer promoted her music through the use of social media as well as her campaigns with Adidas, MAC Cosmetics and Patrizia Pepe.[49][192][193][194] In December 2016, she released a documentary short film produced by The Fader teamed up with YouTube Music and directed by Robert Semmer, titled See in Blue that details her music journey thus far.[195] It featured an acoustic performance of "Genesis".[196][197] For further promotion, Lipa gave several interviews for publications such as the American Broadcasting Company,[12] the British Broadcasting Corporation,[23] Billboard,[192] The Observer,[198] The Independent,[42] The New York Times,[59] NME,[199] the Official Charts Company[200] and Variety.[30]

Lipa performing on the Self-Titled Tour in February 2018

Following the release of "New Love", Lipa began promoting her music and performing unreleased songs that she had not yet finished, before she had finished her debut album.[23][13] Lipa gave her first live performance at a record label showcase in Berlin and her first festival performance at Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands in January 2016.[201][202] She embarked on the 2016 UK Tour,[203][204] Hotter than Hell Tour[205] and US and Europe Tour throughout 2016 and 2017.[206] She also served as an opening act for Troye Sivan on the Suburbia Tour,[207] Bruno Mars on the 24K Magic World Tour[208] and Coldplay on the A Head Full of Dreams Tour.[209] The singer performed at awards showing including the American Music Awards,[210] Billboard Music Awards,[211] Brit Awards[212] and Grammy Awards.[213] Her appearances on television shows include Jimmy Kimmel Live!,[214] Later... with Jools Holland,[215] The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[216] The Graham Norton Show,[217] The Jonathan Ross Show,[218] The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,[219] The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon[220] and Saturday Night Live.[209]

The singer was part of the line-up for events including Capital FM's Summertime Ball and Jingle Bell Ball,[221][222] as well as the Glastonbury Festival,[223] iHeartRadio Music Festival,[224] Jingle Ball Tour[225] and UEFA Champions League Final.[226] The singer headlined the Sunny Hill Festival in Pristina, which was organized by her father Dukagjin.[227] The album's supporting tour, the Self-Titled Tour, ran from October 2017 to December 2018 and beginning in Brighton[228] and concluding in Denver.[note 3] She performed a total of 245 shows on the tour and tattooed the number on her back.[10] During the live promotion, Lipa received backlash for her lack of stage presence while performing.[232] A meme of her dancing went viral, which she later revealed affected her mental health stating "for a short period of time, it messed with my mental health. You know, I'd go on stage and if somebody was filming me, in my head, I wasn't, like, 'Oh, they're filming me because they want to keep it.' I was like, 'They’re going to film it so they can laugh at me or something'".[233]

• Physical releases of the Complete Edition credit Lipa as a co-lead artist on disc 2 track 7, "No Lie".
• The Austrian, German and Swiss digital version of the Complete Edition exclude "One Kiss", "Electricity", "Scared to Be Lonely" and "No Lie" from the track list.
• All tracks on 360 Reality Audio edition are noted as "360 Reality Audio".

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

Musicians

Technical

Musicians

Technical