Dipped in archival shots and the sort of underwater sounds one would find trickling into their ears in an ASMR, Dua Lipa revealed her upcoming album name in a one-minute video on YouTube a few days ago. In case you’re unaware, it’s Radical Optimism. The phrase essentially means that there’s a silver lining to even those tough scenarios. It’s easy to be positive when life is going really well. Usually, though, we need that mindset the most when it’s on a sour note!
Most of the archival footage in the video is of Dua dressed in her glittering Mugler bodysuit or while she’s making this album in the studio. Yet, it’s around the halfway point where those aquatic tingling sounds turn into harmony, something we wouldn’t be surprised if it featured on an upcoming track. Then, while we’re in the submergence of blue, we get our first glimpse at the animal on the album cover. Yup, the shark! And though technically, there are other shots in the video where she’s riding alongside the animal—to keep the pop princess safe, we’ll assume that’s a dolphin. Still, sharks seem to be an ongoing thread to this album. There’s even an emoji that pops up on the YouTube video of Dua painting with drag queen Trixie Mattel, which was uploaded to promote the album.
It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm. At the same time, I found myself looking through the music history of psychedelia, trip hop, and Britpop. It has always felt so confidently optimistic to me, and that honesty and attitude is a feeling I took into my recording sessions.
Dua Lipa
Animals Roaming Around This ‘Training Season’
What on earth does radical optimism have to do with sharks, though? Wouldn’t we be terrified if one were to swim up close to us, let alone be in the same pool as it like Dua is on the album cover? There are two things here. Being the brave soldier, Dua’s facing her fear, aka the shark. Due to that, she has an underlying knowing that she’ll get through this challenging circumstance. Then there’s the essence of the shark itself. When we get into the symbolic meaning of those teeth-barring fish, we get a whole lot of confidence and self-trust. Even if it’s one of those fears, when honing our inner shark, we can leave those lower vibrational thoughts in the past and truly go after what we want.
Suppose sharks are the animals related to Radical Optimism. What other animals were swirling around in Dua’s head while making her previous albums? While she’s still getting that sunkissed glow in the pool, we thought we could try and guess.
Dua Lipa
There may only be three stages of advice in New Rules, but if we triple that, we will get the number of lives this album’s related animal has. Cats don’t just live in the realm of Taylor Swift, but also here. Its razor-claw instincts and independent streak make it perfect for the self-entitled getting-over-an-ex album. More than that, patience is a vital virtue for a cat. In this case, it’s in that transitionary period between laying low and then going after one’s prey: another relationship. While the album was known for that catchy breakup tune, there’s also hope for manifesting a healthier relationship with tunes like ‘Be The One.’
Future Nostalgia
Maybe this is low-hanging fruit or a carrot, if you will… we’re going for the horse puns too early! But cowgirl Dua saddles up in a dating games rodeo for the ‘Love Again’ music video. So it makes sense that the galloping creature is Future Nostalgia’s related animal, right? Wildly passionate with a thirst for freedom is usually the descriptor that goes with having a horse as your animal. That’s also exactly what this album was with its flirtatious ‘Pretty Please’ and Good In Bed’ while also standing true to one’s worth in the title track. Which then also ties into showing up for one’s authentic self. If a horse is occupying your dream space, it means that you’ve done just that!
Even though Dua’s previous albums are still heavy in our rotation, we also can’t wait to get our hands on Radical Optimism. It’ll be coming into our Spotify and Apple Music spheres on May 3 and consists of 11 songs:
- ‘End Of An Era’
- ‘Houdini’
- ‘Training Season’
- ‘These Walls’
- ‘Whatcha Doing’
- ‘French Exit’
- ‘Illusion’
- ‘Falling Forever’
- ‘Anything For Love’
- ‘Maria’
- ‘Happy For You’
Dua’s collaborating team for Radical Optimism consists of Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Kevin Parker. They will likely tell you that the best way to claim a track before hearing it is through an eye-catching name. For us, it’s ‘French Exit.’ But you may have something completely different! Therefore, we’d love to hear about it by tweeting us @thehoneypop.
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