When Dua Lipa announced her third album was called ‘Radical Optimism’, it made perfect sense. This is, after all, a woman who always seems to have a smile on her face and be living her best life.
The record, out today (May 3), captures some of that spirit in its lyrics. As she spins tales about her experiences in love and life, Lipa gives us some positive reflections to take heart from and good vibes to cling to in the midst of a storm. Here are some of the album’s most radically optimistic moments.
“I feel like we’re going to be together / This could be the end of an era / Who knows baby, this could be forever” (‘End Of An Era’)
After a certain point in life, it’s easy to have your hopes for love clipped, and your response to new relationships be looking for the things that are going to go wrong. Not for Dua, who is seemingly still ready to let herself dream that each new start could be her last.
“I tried / To see my lovers in a good light” (‘Training Season’)
This line might be tinged with a little bit of negativity – she tried, but ultimately, those lovers did something to stop her from being able to see them positively – but we’re still classing it as optimistic. Why? Because that was the position Lipa started from in the first place, giving her partners the benefit of the doubt until they proved her wrong.
“I don’t believe that every flame has to get colder / I hope the feelings that you give me carry over / Til tomorrow and beyond” (‘Falling Forever’)
If a pessimist sang ‘Falling Forever’, it would be an entirely different song. Where Lipa’s flame is keeping the heat up for a lifetime, theirs would be failing to ignite. When she hopes for love to last, they’d be preoccupied with the moment it all falls apart.
“Deepest affect always comes from a cause / I’m better too from the ones that I’ve lost” (‘Maria’)
If you look back on your dating life, what do you see – a trail of people and love lost, or a patchwork of experiences that have made your life better and enriched your soul, even if they were only a part of you for a moment? If you fall into the latter camp, congrats! You’re just like Dua, who, on ‘Maria’, pays tribute to the women who’ve come before her and made her man the partner he is today.
“Looking back now, I hope you see it / Even the hard parts were all for the best” (‘Happy For You’)
Optimists argue that you need negatives in life because, without them, how can you truly experience the positives? It looks like Lipa is a subscriber to that way of thinking and is someone who tries to find value in life’s less shiny moments. In ‘Happy For You’, she uses that reasoning to examine an old relationship, taking comfort in the fact that lessons were learnt, people improved, and life moved on for the better.
Need more ‘Radical Optimism’? Read The Forty-Five’s review of Dua Lipa’s new album here.
