Dua Lipa won’t be fooled as she drops “Illusion“ and its action-packed music video.
The pop star is back with another infectiously catchy bop from her upcoming album, Radical Optimism, which she has explained is about “playing someone at their own game” and not falling “for an illusion.”
“It’s about knowing what you’re getting yourself into, but staying for the hell of it. The joke’s on them; it’s the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won’t fall for an illusion,” Lipa said of the track.
“Don’t you know I could do this dance all night? Ooh, what you doin’? / Don’t know who you think that you’re confusing / I be like, Ooh, it’s amusing / You think I’m gonna fall for an illusion,” she sings on the tune.
In the video, Lipa is joined by dancers, high divers and synchronized swimmers at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain — which will look familiar to pop fans as Kylie Minogue filmed her “Slow” music video there. The Argylle star channels her inner Bond girl as she scales a Castell-inspired tower, a reference to the infamous Catalonian tradition.
The “Don’t Start Now” singer recently revealed she felt like she was in a band working on the LP.
Sharing a “deep dive” into the process of her eagerly awaited follow-up to 2020’s Future Nostalgia, Lipa revealed she listened to the songs “over and over” again to ensure she knew exactly how she wanted to tell the story.
“It’s the beauty of the chaos and trying to stay calm through it,” she said. “Listening over and over and feeling like, ‘How do I want to tell this story?'”
“I always go for the most upbeat ones to introduce people to the record. I can just keep on dancing and keep people dancing,” the singer and actor continued.
“We’re trying to create a world in a different way, and sonically it was about experimenting. Thematically, it was always about resilience,” she said, previewing the record in a behind-the-scenes video clip shared on social media.
Lipa worked on the record with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Caroline Ailin in a secluded cabin. The Barbie star said it very much felt like a band mentality.
“A couple of years ago, a friend introduced me to the term “radical optimism,” she said. “It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life. 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,” Lipa said announcing the LP, which is out on May 3.
Other tracks on the record include “French Exit,” “Maria” and “Falling Forever,” as well as the previously released singles “Houdini” and “Training Season.”
Lipa previously explained her new record captures a period of major changes in her life, including the end of a relationship and her forays into dating.
“This record feels a bit more raw. I want to capture the essence of youth and freedom and having fun and just letting things happen, whether it’s good or bad. You can’t change it. You just have to roll with the punches of whatever’s happening in your life,” she told Rolling Stone.
